The stories in A World of Fiction, Second Edition, by Sybil Marcus, embrace a variety of themes, literary and linguistic styles, and time frames. Advanced students will sharpen their reading, speaking, vocabulary, and writing skills as they discover the pleasure and reward of reading fiction. This anthology provides complete and unabridged selections by: Woody Allen * Kate Chopin * Nadine Gordimer * James Joyce * D.H. Lawrence * Bernard Malamud * Katherine Mansfield * William Maxwell * Frank O'Connor * Grace Paley * Anne Petry * Budd Schulberg * James Thurber * Anne Tyler * Arturo Vivante * Kurt Vonnegut * Alice Walker * Tobias Wolf * Monica Wood * Virginia Woolf Features * Five new stories* Updated author biographies*"Focus on Language" sections that highlight grammatical structures and vocabulary* Exploration of literary elements such as time, setting, action, and motive* A wide variety of stimulating discussion and writing topics