''The Prussian Officer and Other Stories'' is a collection of early

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one 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 t ...

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

. It was published by

Duckworth Duckworth may refer to: * Duckworth (surname), people with the surname ''Duckworth'' * Duckworth (''DuckTales''), fictional butler from the television series ''DuckTales'' * Duckworth Books, a British publishing house * , a frigate * Duckworth, W ...

in London on 26 November 1914, and in America by

B. W. Huebsch Benjamin W. Huebsch (March 21, 1876 – August 7, 1964) was an American publisher in New York City in the early 20th century. Background Huebsch was the son of Rabbi Adolphus Huebsch, who had immigrated to the United States from Hungary in 1866 ...

in 1916. The stories collected in this volume are: * "The Prussian Officer" * "The Thorn in the Flesh" * "Daughters of the Vicar" * "A Fragment of Stained Glass" * "The Shades of Spring" * "Second Best" * "The Shadow in the Rose Garden" * "Goose Fair" * "The White Stocking" * "A Sick Collier" * "The Christening" * "

Odour of Chrysanthemums "Odour of Chrysanthemums" is a short story by D. H. Lawrence. It was written in the autumn of 1909 and after revision, was published in ''The English Review'' in July 1911. Lawrence later included this tale in his collection entitled '' The Prussia ...

"The Prussian Officer" plot

The first narrative in the collection is "The Prussian Officer", which tells of a Captain and his orderly. Having wasted his youth gambling, the captain has been left with only his military career, and though he has taken on mistresses throughout his life, he remains single. His young orderly is involved in a relationship with a young woman, and the captain, feeling sexual tension towards the young man, prevents the orderly from engaging in the relationship by taking up his evenings. These evenings lead to the captain abusing his orderly and leaving large, painful bruises on his thighs, making it hard for the orderly to walk. Whilst isolated in a forest during manoeuvres, the orderly takes out murderous revenge on the captain, but finds himself in a daze seemingly due both to the pain of the bruises and

thirst Thirst is the craving for potable fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmolites, suc ...

. The orderly eventually collapses and dies in the hospital shortly thereafter. The corpses of the two men lay side by side.

Standard edition

* ''The Prussian Officer and other stories'' (1914), first edition * ''The Prussian Officer and other stories'' (1914) (annoted), edited by John Worthen, Cambridge University Press, 1983,

External links

The full text of the collection
* Short story collections by D. H. Lawrence 1914 short story collections Gerald Duckworth and Company books {{1910s-story-collection-stub