Shirley Jackson is said to be one of the "most brilliant and influential authors of the twentieth century". “His fiction writings are among the most important to come out of the American literary canon.” (http://shirleyjackson.org/Reviews.html) Jackson wrote many short stories and even some books. However, I'm more on the dark and witchy side. Kelleher explains that Jackson has said in interviews that he practices magic. No one really knows whether or not she was serious while practicing witchcraft, but it ultimately helped her write her stories (http://www.literarytraveler.com/literary_articles/shirley_jackson_bennington.aspx). A major story that throws people for loops is "The Lottery." This was Jackson's first short story and many people didn't know how to interpret it. Your ordinary person might be offended by it, but an ordinary writer might think it's a work of art. Even though Jackson seemed like a normal person, she liked to write about the dark side of things; this is where "The Lottery" was written. Shirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1919 in San Francisco. He spent his entire childhood in Burlingame, California, and also began writing. Then, when she turned seventeen, she and her family moved east, where she enrolled at the University of Rochester. After just a year of college, he left and decided to devote himself to writing. Another year passed and she attended Syracuse University. There he published his first story, “Janice,” and also won a poetry competition. After winning the competition, she met Stanley Edgar Hyman. They met and founded a magazine together called: The Spectre. Later in life they ended up getting married. Together they had four children and moved so Hyman could have a job with... half paper ......" Study Guides and Essay Editing | GradeSaver. Web. February 28, 2011. .Chopin, Kate "The Story of an Hour." Introduction to Literature. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto and William E. Cain 15th edition: Longman, 2008. 193-199Kelleher, Katy, Shirley Jackson Tours LiteraryTraveler.com." Literary traveler, literary tours, travel writing, travel literature, ereader, eBook, travel, HemingwayLiteraryTraveler.com. Web. 28 February 2011. ."Literary Analysis: The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson - by Amelia Tibbett - Page 2 - Helium." Helium - Where Knowledge Rules. Web. February 28, 2011. ."Shirley Jackson - Shirley Jackson Biography - English 101." Simple Writers Student Papers and Essays. 2006. Web. February 28, 2011. Shirley Jackson Biography 2009. Web. February 28. 2011. .