Hector Hugh Munro Analysis

Hector Hugh Munro, an English short story writer, novelist, journalist, and historian, was a very widely known man in British literature in the Edwardian Age. He was known mainly for his short stories, his weird sense of humor, and his wit. According to Sandie Byrne, “Saki’s work is elegant, economical, and all above witty” (Byrne 240). Munro was a man that was never afraid to speak his mind in his writings. That is why many people loved his short stories. L. P. Hartley concludes, “‘Saki’ who was always willing to wound, and never afraid to strike” (Baring et al 364). Munro is an outstanding British writer because of his background, his contributions to British literature, and his short stories, such as “The Open Window.”

Hector Hugh Munro, better known by his pen name Saki, was born on December 18, 1870 in Akyab, Burma. His parents were Colonel Charles Augustus Munro, an officer in the British military police in Burma, and Mary Francis Mercer, the daughter of a rear admiral in the British Army. When the Munro family found out that they were having another baby, they returned to their home in England. Contemporary Authors Online explains, “… [Mary] was tragically killed before the baby was born. On a country lane, Mary Munro was charged at by a cow…” (“Hector Hugh Munro”). Munro was only two years old when that fateful even happened. Colonel Munro then sent his children to a small village in North Devon, Pilton to live with his mother and two sisters because he had to return to his post in Burma. Augusta and Charlotte, the aunts, disagreed over petty things constantly. They even involved the children in their pettiness and resentment towards all kinds of things. The aunts demanded the children to follow a “strict Victorian regim...

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... ghost story or a fanciful tale. But because Saki allows the reader access to the story surrounding the telling of this secondary tale, such a reading is not possible. When Mrs. Sappleton does not react with horror or surprise at the return of her husband and brother, it becomes clear that Vera’s story is a fabrication and that the hunters returning are not ghost, but living, breathing men. Thus, Nuttel’s horror becomes laughable, and the reader’s initial reaction is to identify with Vera, deriding Nuttel for his gullibility and enjoying laugh at his expense” (March).

In conclusion, Munro Hugh Munro is a brilliant and outstanding British writer. Coming from his background and his adversities, he wrote many great short stories and novels. He has contributed to a wide variety of stories to the British literature that is still read today, including “The Open Window.”