The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford

These stories won the Pulitzer for fiction in 1970, but were written between 1948 and 1969, and they seem a little dated and old-fashioned. I'm working my way backwards through the Pulitzer winners, and this is really the first time that a winner has struck me this way. Stafford has a cold, cynical, snarky approach to her subjects. She seems to have a condescending tone as well. I don't find myself getting drawn into these stories and identifying with the characters. I also read the introductory biographical material, and she sounds cynical in real life as well - I can imagine her insulting her friends in ways they may not have even understood. The stories are worth reading, of course, but she's not one of my favorite short story writers.