Misanthrope? Misogynist? Satirist? Supernaturalist?

Tonight, on Dreadful Thoughts, we're not only getting out the club magnifying glass to squint at the werewolf myth (through the prism of "Gabriel Ernest"), but also asking (in strong, but non-judgmental, terms) what Hector Hugh Munro (a.k.a Saki) was ultimately all about.¹

Pop the kids under the stairs, lock your aged relations in the attic, crack open a bottle of whatever you're having yourself, and let's boogie.

Begin.

1. Not that such a reductive question can actually be answered of course. [back]

Being (occasionally) a collaborative sort who (occasionally) values input, I canvassed regular and semi-regular Dreadful Thoughts "members" as to what tale they'd most like to cover in Story Club session number 9. After last week's encounter with a Byronic "Vampyre", I was keen to maintain the current "Classic Monsters" theme. To that end, I placed a solitary limitation on suggestions – i.e., they had to concern themselves with lycanthropy. Werewolves, WereDucks, WerePorpoise, WereMoose¹ – all of these (and more) were fair game.

The votes are in and the result is a clear win for our dear old friend – Hector Hugh Munro – a.k.a Saki (he of the poisonous & razor-sharp pen). The tale of choice is the wee little gem – "Gabriel-Ernest" (1910). Clocking in at a mere 2445 words this is one for short bus journeys, medium toilet trips, or longish descents in an elevator. It should prove easy to consume for even the most time-poor of readers. Yum.

Details as follows.

Story: "Gabriel-Ernest" (html), (pdf), (Project Gutenberg page).

Meeting: Monday, 13th October, 9 p.m.

Go. Read. Now.

1. Mooses? [back]