Posted 20 May 2005 · Report post Does anyone know the name of the O. Henry short story that shows a woman who is upset because her husband does not beat her? And in the end, I think he beats her. Thanks in advance!Lee Sandsteadwww.sandstead.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 20 May 2005 · Report post Does anyone know the name of the O. Henry short story that shows a woman who is upset because her husband does not beat her? And in the end, I think he beats her. Thanks in advance!Lee Sandsteadwww.sandstead.com←It's called "A Harlem Tragedy". You can read it full-text online here.Not to give spoilers...but, as with most O. Henry, what you think will happen is rarely what does happen I love O. Henry (aka William Sydney Porter). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 22 May 2005 · Report post So Christopher and Lee,Can you name your favorite O. Henry story? I have just gotten into his work. So far, my favorite is Caught.Bignosedcopperking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 22 May 2005 · Report post That's it! Thanks so much.Leewww.sandstead.com←Welcome!Can you name your favorite O. Henry story? I have just gotten into his work. So far, my favorite is Caught.Bignosedcopperking.←Easy...which ever one I am currently reading! (Or most recently read) My grandfather pointed me to O. Henry when I was in my early teens. So I grew up reading, loving it. Since you are just discovering, I wish you much enjoyment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 22 May 2005 · Report post Can you name your favorite O. Henry story? ←"Mammon and the Archer" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 22 May 2005 · Report post MY favorite O. Henry story always has been, and always will be:the love story"By Courier" --all right all right! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 22 May 2005 · Report post Though "The Last Leaf"is probably the most powerful, and literarily the greatest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 22 May 2005 · Report post The funniest, I think, is Pimienta Pancakes. I remember the first time I read it , years ago; nothing I'd read before, or since, made me laugh so much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 23 May 2005 · Report post Thank you all for your recommendations. I will certainly read them all very shortly.I'll just say that the one that made me laugh the most so far was, The Ruler Of Men. I haven't laughed that hard in I don't know how long. The part when the assistant hears the town snoring, then the sight of the government's general in pyjamas, and the entire style and innocent sarcasms of the narrarator--was hilarious.bignosedcopperking Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 23 May 2005 · Report post Though "The Last Leaf" is probably the most powerful, and literarily the greatest.←Very beautiful, very powerful. I am curious about your assessment: why literarily the greatest?The funniest, I think, is Pimienta Pancakes. I remember the first time I read it , years ago; nothing I'd read before, or since, made me laugh so much.←Oh, yeah!!! That one is awesome & hysterical . I like to contrast/compare his "western" & "urban" settings. & there are some that combine: "Champion of the Weather", "Squaring the Circle". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 23 May 2005 · Report post So I read "Pimienta Pancakes," "By Courier," "The Last Leaf," and "Mammon and The Archer".Once again it happens that I find an old recommendation of Ayn Rand and feel amazed that I never took it for years. O. Henry is very very good.My favorite of the above, which so far is my absolute favorite (because I laughed so hard), is "By Courier". The courier makes the story with his adorability. His translations sound foreign and strange but they are so eloquent and really highlight the bruntness of love. Everytime the courier spoke I laughed in a very physical manner, almost paralysed. Yes, of course, Pimienta Pancakes is funny but not as funny for me as the last. The accents and dialects, their variety and flare, of O. Henry are very delightful. There is the vanity and jealousy of the loser, the cunning of the winner, and the "indigestion" of the loser--all combine to make it very amusing and delightful.The Last Leaf was sweet and inspiring but I will have to take a closer look to see exactly how it is his "best literarily".And "Mammon and The Archer" was a reinforcement of the old American spirit. I loved the integration of production and romance, kind of like the union between entertainment and intellectual profundity in art. The support of the elderly family member was a very dear gesture (committed to prove his point).Thanks for the recommendations,Jose Gainza. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 23 May 2005 · Report post MY favorite O. Henry story always has been, and always will be:the love story"By Courier" --all right all right!←Driving to work this morning & thinking about his "love stories". One that always brings a smile to my face when I recall it is "The Easter of the Soul" (online here).Warning: Spoilers below."I go to work next Monday, and I make four dollars a day. Spiel up, old girl -- do we make a team?" Ah, that's good stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 23 May 2005 · Report post Once again it happens that I find an old recommendation of Ayn Rand and feel amazed that I never took it for years. O. Henry is very very good.Right on!...Pimienta Pancakes...There is the vanity and jealousy of the loser, the cunning of the winner, and the "indigestion" of the loser--all combine to make it very amusing and delightful."I don't ever eat 'em." LOL! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 25 May 2005 · Report post Very beautiful, very powerful. I am curious about your assessment: why literarily the greatest?←Why do I consider "The Last Leaf" the greatest?Well, in addition to its clarity, integration, and purposefulness, I think its subject matter gives it greater emotional power than any other O. Henry story: a life-and-death struggle, and the poignancy of a failed career redeemed at the cost of death.Although not explicitly philosophical, I think it has an implicit theme: life is important. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 26 May 2005 · Report post I love O. Henry. Definately one of my favorite writers as I am a sucker for the twist ending. My favorite is probably "The Gift of the Magi". I also greatly enjoyed "The Green Door" and "The Last Leaf". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 26 May 2005 · Report post I also greatly enjoyed "The Green Door"...←That is also a charming story! I love how that one uses the concept of romance as in a romantic relationship & ties it in with the broader concept of romance as in an outlook on life or "romanticism" in general (i.e. life as a grand, benevolent adventure with man capable of achieving values). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 26 May 2005 · Report post Well, in addition to its clarity, integration, and purposefulness, I think its subject matter gives it greater emotional power than any other O. Henry story: a life-and-death struggle, and the poignancy of a failed career redeemed at the cost of death.←OK. Good points. Thanks very much for your insightful reply. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 3 Sep 2005 · Report post OK. Good points. Thanks very much for your insightful reply.← In my youth he was one of my fav. authors and if anyone had to ask which story of his left the greatest mark on my mind, I would say "The last leaf". I wept, in sadness and joy at that story and I remember such moments with a clarity that a simple comedy rarely can deliver - no matter how funny. If a story can be so clear and touching that I am drawn to tears of joy, that indeed is worth remembering. So I do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 8 Sep 2005 · Report post In my youth he was one of my fav. authors and if anyone had to ask which story of his left the greatest mark on my mind, I would say "The last leaf". I wept, in sadness and joy at that story and I remember such moments with a clarity that a simple comedy rarely can deliver - no matter how funny. If a story can be so clear and touching that I am drawn to tears of joy, that indeed is worth remembering. So I do. ←What made you cry--the fact that the painting accomlished its medical purpose, or that the painter achieved a selfish piece of work?Though his act is benevolence and love, it is more a form of integrity, a way of sticking to his principles: "I hate silly superstitions... and how can people depend on them so?"I like the entire juxtaposition of an old artist who has defaulted on his talent and two young talented, struggling artists, facing the danger of too short a life and misery so early. By the painter's action, the young ones will have the opportunity to live a fulfilled life.Jose Gainza. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 8 Sep 2005 · Report post I must recommend "The Ransom of Little Red Chief". This one made me laugh very enthusiastically. Jose Gainza. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted 8 Sep 2005 · Report post What made you cry--the fact that the painting accomlished its medical purpose, or that the painter achieved a selfish piece of work?Jose Gainza.←Many people don't actually fear death. They think they do, but they don't, not really.Most people ARE afraid, however - Not that they will someday die - but that they will live forever. See, everyone lives forever through their actions - the things they change or ignore. Many people don't fear death, at all. They fear life. That man will live forever proud through his actions. I tasted a bit of the joyous pride he must've known. With just that small amount, I wept. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
