Grant Allen’s first short story collection,

, was published by Chatto and Windus in 1884 and reprinted sixteen stories from the

, the

, and

. Allen was a popular writer who desired to make original contributions to science, and, throughout his career from the late 1870s to his death in 1899, had to balance this ambition with the realities of the literary marketplace.

is indicative of his use of short stories as a means to engage in scientific discourse, which resulted in a distinctive ambiguity of form that gained the notice of his early reviewers and led to his recognition as a forerunner in several literary subgenres, including science fiction.

The publication of Strange Stories marked the first time that

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Citation: Mills, Beth. "Strange Stories". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 September 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=33609, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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