O'Henry

Paper Summary:

This paper begins by discussing the personal life and history of William Sydney Porter, who took the 'nom de plume', O'Henry. It describes the type of writing he produced at end of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s. It also analyzes some of his short story compilations.

From the Paper:

"In 1902, O. Henry moved to New York City and for the next three years worked as a journalist (O' Henry pp). New York City was the perfect inspiration for Henry's collection of colorful characters (William pp). He loved wandering the streets and parks, talking to people of all walks of life (William pp). In 1904, he wrote sixty-five short stories and fifty the next year (William pp). His first collection, "Cabbages and Kings" was published in 1904 and his second collection, "The Four Million", was published two years later and included some his best known stories, "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Furnished Room" (O' Henry pp). In 1907, Henry published another collection called "The Trimmed Lamp", which included "The Last Leaf" (O' Henry pp). In another 1907 collection called "The Heart of the West", Henry wrote tales of the Texas range, obviously reflecting on his earlier years in Austin and Houston (William pp). His best known work and the most anthologized is "The Ransom of Red Chief", which is included in the 1910 collection, "Whirligigs" (O' Henry pp). He had one venture into the theater with "Lo" in 1909, but it was not successful (O. Henry pp)."

More papers on O'Henry:

• Analytical Essay # 53827 : "The Gift of the Magi" by O'Henry"
• Essay # 72381 : "'The Gift of the Magi'"
• Essay # 71118 : "Transients in Arcadia"

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