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Saki
Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), popularly known by his pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirise Edwardian society and culture. He is considered by English teachers and scholars a master of the short story and is often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. Influenced by Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll and Rudyard Kipling, Munro himself influenced A. A. Milne, Noël Coward and P. G. Wodehouse. Besides his short stories (which were first published in newspapers, as was customary at the time, and then collected into several volumes), Munro wrote a full-length play, '' The Watched Pot'', in collaboration with Charles Maude; two one-act plays; a historical study, ''The Rise of the Russian Empire'' (the only book published under his own name); a short novel, '' The Unbearable Bassington''; the episodic '' The Westminster Alice'' (a parliamentary parody of '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
When William Came
''When William Came: A Story of London Under the Hohenzollerns'' is a novel written by the British author Saki (the pseudonym of Hector Hugh Munro) and published in November 1913. It is set several years in what was then the future, after a war between Germany and Great Britain in which the former won. Plot The "William" of the book's title is German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II of the House of Hohenzollern. The book chronicles life in London under German occupation and the changes that come with a foreign army's invasion and triumph. Like Robert Erskine Childers's novel '' The Riddle of the Sands'' (1903), it predicts the Great War (in which Saki would be killed) and is an example of invasion literature, a literary genre which flourished at the beginning of the 20th century as tensions between the European great powers increased. Much of the book is an argument for compulsory military service, about which there was then a major controversy. The scene in which an Imperial Rescript ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Westminster Alice
''The Westminster Alice'' is the name of a collection of vignettes written by Hector Hugh Munro (Saki) in 1902 and published by '' The Westminster Gazette'' of London. It is a political parody of Lewis Carroll's two books, ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and ''Through the Looking-Glass'' (1871). The book features 48 drawings by Francis Carruthers Gould, after the originals by John Tenniel. It is critical of the politics of the day, of which Alice tries to make sense. A number of notable British politicians are identified in the book. Joseph Chamberlain is the Queen of Hearts, the Red Queen, and the Mad Hatter; Arthur Balfour is the White Queen and the March Hare; the Marquess of Salisbury is the King of Hearts and the Dormouse; Archbishop of Canterbury Frederick Temple is the Duchess; and Redvers Buller is Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle, and is typically portrayed as an anthrop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Unbearable Bassington
''The Unbearable Bassington'' is a novel by the British author Saki (the pseudonym of Hector Hugh Munro) published in 1912.Brian Gibson, ''Reading Saki: The Fiction of H.H. Munro'' (McFarland, 2014, ) p. 202 Plot Set almost entirely in the capital city, the novel focuses on the Mayfair social scene of bridge, dinner parties, concerts, and the sporting events of the season. At the beginning of the book, the anti-hero, Comus Bassington, a "beautiful wayward laughing boy", the spoilt only child of Francesca Bassington, a rich and fashionable widow, is in his last year at school, where he is a sadistic prefect. After he ends his school career, he lives with his mother and joins a group of bores and savage society wits. Without a career or a fortune of his own, Bassington hopes to marry Elaine de Frey, a rich young heiress, facing competition from his friend Courtney Youghal, a rising politician. Of the two, Elaine prefers Comus, but she is put off by his habit of borrowing money f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sittwe
Sittwe (, ), formerly Akyab (), is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. As of 2019 the city has an estimated population of over 120,000 inhabitants. It is the administrative seat of Sittwe Township and Sittwe District. Names The name Sittwe () is derived from the Burmese pronunciation of Arakanese , meaning "the place where the war meets". When the Burmese king Bodawpaya invaded the Mrauk U Kingdom in 1784, the Rakhine defenders encountered the Burmese force at the mouth of Kaladan river. In the ensuing battle, which was waged on both land and water, the Mrauk U forces were defeated. The place where the battle occurred came to be called ''Saittwe'' by the Rakhine and then as ''Sittwe'' by the Burmese. The name was initially anglicized as ''Tset-twe'' and ''Site-tway''. The colonial name Akyab () derived from the town ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Invasion Literature
Invasion literature (also the invasion novel or the future war genre) is a literary genre that was popular in the period between 1871 and the World War I, First World War (1914–1918). The invasion novel was first recognised as a literary genre in the UK, with the novella ''The Battle of Dorking, The Battle of Dorking: Reminiscences of a Volunteer'' (1871), an account of a German Empire, German invasion of England, which, in the Western world, aroused the national imaginations and anxieties about hypothetical invasions by foreign powers; by 1914 the genre of invasion literature comprised over 400 novels and stories.. The genre was influential in Britain in shaping politics, national policies, and popular perceptions in the years leading up to the First World War, and remains a part of popular culture to this day. Several of the books were written by or ghostwritten for military officers and experts of the day who believed that the nation would be saved if the particular tactic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Watched Pot
''The Watched Pot'' (alternative title ''The Mistress of Briony'') is a romantic comedy play by Saki and Charles Maude published in 1924. The play, all three acts of which are set in the fictional English country house of Briony Manor, revolves around the search for a suitable bride for young Trevor Bavvel, who is the sole heir to the estate. The present owner is the widowed Hortensia Bavvel, his mother, who is a bossy and short-tempered woman. ''The Watched Pot'' had its professional premiere on July 14, 1930, during the third summer stock season of the University Players. It was directed by Bretaigne Windust. Among the cast were Henry Fonda (William), Elizabeth Johnson (Sybil Bumont), Christine Ramsey (Agatha Clifford), Charles Leatherbee (Trevor Bavvel), Elizabeth Fenner (Hortensia Bavvel), Kent Smith (Ludovic Bavvel), Aleta Freel (Clare Henessey), Bretaigne Windust (Rene St. Gall), Thomas Bartlett Quigley (Stephen Sparrowby), Robert C. Leatherbee (The Youngest Drummond Bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akyab
Sittwe (, ), formerly Akyab (), is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. As of 2019 the city has an estimated population of over 120,000 inhabitants. It is the administrative seat of Sittwe Township and Sittwe District. Names The name Sittwe () is derived from the Burmese pronunciation of Arakanese , meaning "the place where the war meets". When the Burmese king Bodawpaya invaded the Mrauk U Kingdom in 1784, the Rakhine defenders encountered the Burmese force at the mouth of Kaladan river. In the ensuing battle, which was waged on both land and water, the Mrauk U forces were defeated. The place where the battle occurred came to be called ''Saittwe'' by the Rakhine and then as ''Sittwe'' by the Burmese. The name was initially anglicized as ''Tset-twe'' and ''Site-tway''. The colonial name Akyab () derived from the town's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of The Ancre
The Battle of the Ancre was fought by the British Fifth Army (Lieutenant-General Hubert Gough), against the German 1st Army (General Fritz von Below). The Reserve Army had been renamed the Fifth Army on 30 October. The battle was the last of the big British attacks of the Battle of the Somme. After the Battle of Flers–Courcelette (15–22 September) the Anglo-French armies tried to press their advantage with smaller attacks in quick succession, rather than pausing to regroup and give the Germans time to recover. Subsequent writers gave discrete dates for the Anglo-French battles but there were considerable overlaps and continuities of operations until the weather and supply difficulties in mid-November ended the battle until the new-year. The British attack was to fulfil complementary objectives. Political discontent in London would be muted by a big victory, as would doubts of British commitment by its allies and British loyalty to the Chantilly strategy of 1915 would ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edwardian Era
In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King George V. The era is dated from the death of Queen Victoria in January 1901, which marked the end of the Victorian era. Her son and successor, Edward VII, was already the leader of a fashionable elite that set a style influenced by the art and fashions of continental Europe. Samuel Hynes described the Edwardian era as a "leisurely time when women wore picture hats and did not vote, when the rich were not ashamed to live conspicuously, and the sun never set on the British flag." The Liberals returned to power in 1906 and made significant reforms. Below the upper class, the era was marked by significant shifts in politics among sections of society that had largely been excluded from power, such as labourers, servants, and the industri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Short Story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest types of literature and has existed in the form of legends, Myth, mythic tales, Folklore genre, folk tales, fairy tales, tall tales, fables, and anecdotes in various ancient communities around the world. The modern short story developed in the early 19th century. Definition The short story is a crafted form in its own right. Short stories make use of plot, resonance and other dynamic components as in a novel, but typically to a lesser degree. While the short story is largely distinct from the novel or novella, novella/short novel, authors generally draw from a common pool of literary techniques. The short story is sometimes referred to as a genre. Determining what exactly defines a short story remains problematic. A classic definition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Burma
British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture * British English, the English language as spoken and written in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and, more broadly, throughout the British Isles * Celtic Britons, an ancient ethno-linguistic group * Brittonic languages, a branch of the Insular Celtic language family (formerly called British) ** Common Brittonic, an ancient language Other uses *People or things associated with: ** Great Britain, an island ** British Isles, an island group ** United Kingdom, a sovereign state ** British Empire, a historical global colonial empire ** Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) ** United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922) * British Raj, colonial India under the British Empire * British Hong Kong, colonial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
