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“Of Two Classes”: Social Darwinism in Richard Connell's “The Most Dangerous Game”

“Of Two Classes”: Social Darwinism in Richard Connell's “The Most Dangerous Game” 66 English Language Notes “OF TWO CLASSES”: SOCIAL DARWINISM IN RICHARD CONNELL’S “THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME” Winner of the prestigious O. Henry Award for Short Fiction in 1924, “The Most Dangerous Game” is the only one of Rich­ ard Connell’s three hundred-plus stories that is still in print to­ day. The prolific author — a Harvard graduate and a World War I veteran—was just thirty years old when “Dangerous Game” was originally published. Eventually, though, he turned his con­ siderable creative energies away from traditional fiction and toward screen writing, earning Academy Award nominations for his work on MeetJohnDoem 1941 and again in 1944 for Two Girls and a Sailor. However, despite his Hollywood connections and his brush with Oscar glory, it is this masterfully written hunter- becomes-the-hunted tale that has, for three-quarters of a cen­ tury now, guaranteed Connell’s lasting literary cachet. Although this popular story is frequently included in collec­ tions of American short fiction, it is usually relegated to the sub­ altern status of escapist literature, seen as an exciting and fast- paced narrative, filled with action and suspense, but without a deeper meaning, without a challenging subtext to ponder and explore, to explicate and argue. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png English Language Notes Duke University Press

“Of Two Classes”: Social Darwinism in Richard Connell's “The Most Dangerous Game”

Thompson, Terry W.
English Language Notes , Volume 41 (3) – Mar 1, 2004
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Copyright
Copyright © 2004 Regents of the University of Colorado
ISSN
0013-8282
eISSN
2573-3575
DOI
10.1215/00138282-41.3.66
Publisher site
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Abstract

66 English Language Notes “OF TWO CLASSES”: SOCIAL DARWINISM IN RICHARD CONNELL’S “THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME” Winner of the prestigious O. Henry Award for Short Fiction in 1924, “The Most Dangerous Game” is the only one of Rich­ ard Connell’s three hundred-plus stories that is still in print to­ day. The prolific author — a Harvard graduate and a World War I veteran—was just thirty years old when “Dangerous Game” was originally published. Eventually, though, he turned his con­ siderable creative energies away from traditional fiction and toward screen writing, earning Academy Award nominations for his work on MeetJohnDoem 1941 and again in 1944 for Two Girls and a Sailor. However, despite his Hollywood connections and his brush with Oscar glory, it is this masterfully written hunter- becomes-the-hunted tale that has, for three-quarters of a cen­ tury now, guaranteed Connell’s lasting literary cachet. Although this popular story is frequently included in collec­ tions of American short fiction, it is usually relegated to the sub­ altern status of escapist literature, seen as an exciting and fast- paced narrative, filled with action and suspense, but without a deeper meaning, without a challenging subtext to ponder and explore, to explicate and argue.

Journal

English Language Notes – Duke University Press

Published: Mar 1, 2004

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