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]

Evenin' all.

Given that one of very short stories up for discussion tonight ("Sredni Vashtar") concerns a great ferret god who lays "some special stress on the fierce impatient side of things", it's probably unwise of me to waffle on too much in an introductory fashion. Therefore, given my (fairly understandable) opposition to having my throat ripped out, I'll keep it brief.

What, you might reasonably ask, links this pair of tales (written some 70 years apart) together? I'm not altogether sure…possibly nothing. There's abundant hatred (both psychotic and desperately lonely) in each of them I suppose – but it's best to leave further such speculation for our back and forth chatter below.

The main reason I chose 'em was (as mentioned previously) because they represent, for me, two highly effective examples of what the "horror"¹ short story can achieve "in (very) short compass".

Since the Dreadful Thoughts project still hopes to encourage/bully readers (and I am one) into submitting their own 500-word tales of terror (see here) then it seems perfectly appropriate to take a look at how the professionals have done it.

Plus, y'know, it's fun…

But enough of all that. Fire up your hookahs, uncork those draughts of vintage that have been "Cool'd a long age in the deep-delved earth" and let's do the Monster Mash.

Away we go.

1. I'm happy to accept Saki's tale as "horror", using a broad definition of the term. [back]

Though our last meeting provided much to feast on and chew over – alien abduction; the joys/frustrations of narrative ambiguity; the merits of sharing one's tent with a burly Swede (etc) – it is time we pressed further along our dark & o'ergrown path.

If "The Willows" represented, at just under 20,000 words, something of an "outer limit" (length-wise) for the horror short story, then the two tales up for discussion at our next get-together will hopefully demonstrate what can be achieved in (very) short compass.

"Two tales?", you probably didn't exclaim. Yes indeedy…welcome to the first Dreadful Thoughts Story Club double-bill.

The first mini gem (clocking in at very manageable 2,210 words) is Edgar Allen Poe's much interpreted, adapted & parodied "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843). For those who've read it before we say go off and read it again. We want your (dreadful) thoughts to be fresh ones.

The second offering is Saki's even more compact "Sredni Vashtar" (c. 1910).¹ Go forth with red thoughts and enjoy it.

We'll meet back here to natter (if there be no objections) on Monday, April 7th at 8.00 pm.

Stories:
a) "The Tell-Tale Heart" (html), (pdf)

b) "Sredni Vashtar" (html), (pdf)

Meeting: Monday, April 7, 8.00 p.m. (GMT)

P.S: For those new to the "club" here's what it's all about. Come one, come all.

1. 1,786 wordeens. [back]