Upon the Sweeping Flood and Other Stories

Upon the Sweeping Flood and Other Stories is a collection of short stories written by Joyce Carol Oates. It was published in 1966 by Vanguard Press.

Stories

Those stories first appearing in literary journals are indicated.

• "Stigmata" (Colorado Quarterly, Spring 1963)
• "The Survival of Childhood" (Southwest Review, Spring 1964)
• "The Death of Mrs. Sheer" (MSS, 1964)
• "First Views of the Enemy" (Prairie Schooner, Spring 1964)
• "At the Seminary" (Kenyon Review, Summer 1965)
• "Norman and the Killer" (Southwest Review, Spring 1965)
• "The Man That Turned Into a Statue"
• "Archways" (Cosmopolitan, March 1965)
• "Dying" (The Transatlantic Review, Spring 1966)
• "What Death With Love Should Have to Do." (Literary Review, Autumn 1965)
• "Upon the Sweeping Flood" (Southwest Review, Spring 1963)

Reception

Upon the Sweeping Flood "achieves in its best stories the distinctively violent yet compassionate vision that would inform her later fiction" according to literary critic Greg Johnson.

Kirkus Reviews was "disappointed" at the lurid narratives involving "hideous incidentals" which they report mars the collection. Acknowledging that Oates is a notable author, the article observes that the volume suggests "An on-going talent—idling."

Analysis

Joanne V. Creighton points out both the differences and the similarities between the two volumes:

References

Sources

• Johnson, Greg. 1994. Joyce Carol Oates: A Study of the Short Fiction in Twayne's studies in short fiction; no. 57. Twayne Publishers, New York.
• Kirkus Reviews. 1966. "UPON THE SWEEPING FLOOD AND OTHER STORIES" Bookshelf review, 15 April 1966. UPON THE SWEEPING FLOOD AND OTHER STORIES | Kirkus Reviews Retrieved 9 October 2023.
• Lercangee, Francine. 1986. Joyce Carol Oates: An Annotated Bibliography. Garland Publishing, New York and London.
• Oates, Joyce Carol. 1966. Upon the Sweeping Flood. Vanguard Press, New York.