‘The Byzantine Omelette’ is contained in the last volume of collected short stories by British writer Hector Hugh Munro or H.H. Munro, whose pen name was Saki. The collection ‘Beasts and Super Beasts’ was published in 1914 by Saki just before he was sent as an officer at the awkward age of 44 to fight during the First World War. A German sniper shot him during his deployment in … [Read more...] about ‘The Byzantine Omelette’ by Saki or H. H. Munro: Short Story Analysis
Foreign Authors
‘There was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard’ by M. R. James: Short Story Analysis
‘There was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard’ was published in 1924 in the Eton newsletter ‘Snapdragon’ by classic British writer M. R. James. It is one of James’ shortest stories and is based on the Shakespearean play ‘The Winter’s Tale’. The beginning lines of the short story are taken directly from the play from Act 2: Scene 1, 25-31, where the innocent young boy Prince Mamilius … [Read more...] about ‘There was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard’ by M. R. James: Short Story Analysis
‘The Diary of Mr Poynter’ by M.R. James: Short Story Analysis
‘The Diary of Mr Poynter’ was published in the year 1919 in the collection titled ‘The Thin Ghost and Others’ by M.R. James. James is considered one of the greatest 19th-century ghost story writers of all time. He was an antiquarian as well as a scholar. He led a very active academic life and also had a fascination for the macabre. ‘The Diary of Mr Poynter’ is typical of James' … [Read more...] about ‘The Diary of Mr Poynter’ by M.R. James: Short Story Analysis
‘The Lair of the White Worm’ by Bram Stoker: Summary and Book Review
The Lair of the White Worm was published in 1911 and was one of the many novels and novellas that Irish author Bram Stoker wrote after publishing the Gothic-horror classic Dracula. Dracula was published in 1897 and, to date, is considered a cult classic, being the inspiration for several horror and vampire stories since then right up to the twenty-first century. However, other … [Read more...] about ‘The Lair of the White Worm’ by Bram Stoker: Summary and Book Review
‘The Selfish Giant’ by Oscar Wilde: Short Story Analysis
‘The Selfish Giant’ is a parabolic fable set in a fantasy background penned and published in May 1888 by Oscar Wilde, an Irish poet and writer of great repute. The Christian element in the short story is evident. The story is one of the many literary styles that the writer, poet, and public personality Oscar Wilde experimented with throughout his literary career, especially … [Read more...] about ‘The Selfish Giant’ by Oscar Wilde: Short Story Analysis