The She-Wolf

by Saki

Genres: Short Stories, Werewolves, Horror

Unknown Binding

About the author

British writer Hector Hugh Munro under pen name Saki published his witty and sometimes bitter short stories in collections, such as The Chronicles of Clovis (1911).

His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time.

His works include
* 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 under his own name;
* a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ;
* the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ;
* and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history.

Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced A. A. Milne, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.

Reviews

[Gaurav Sagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The She-Woolf’ is a transgression comedy by Saki about a magic trick by Leonard Blister. Mr. Blister fails to find this world attractive or interesting, and who has sought compensation in a nether world of his own experience or imagination—or invention. Children do that sort of thing successfully, but children are content to convince themselves, and do not vulgarize their beliefs by trying to convince other people.

It might come across a straight forward comedy, however on closer analysis one may find it is not the case, as one would expect with Saki. The central character- Leonard Blister- goes through a crisis wherein he finds hollowness in his existence since his existence would go down the timeline of universe into nothingness as that of most people go down. But you feel a sense of unimportance assigned to yourself and you want to change your eventual fate by doing something which might upsurges you at the landscape of the world.

You try to create a niche for yourself in the eternity of the universe, however your own world of fancy falls apart when ‘others’ refuse to partake in it. However, when your desire to pull that fanciful world of yours out is vigorous, you go the extra-mile to carve out something unprecedented and unrivalled to achieve your goal. But the weakness of your character is hanging loosely for those you may see you through and some of them may cash on it. Leonard Blister is caught in a intriguing game woven by the author wherein human sensibilities and defenselessness rise from the paper to grab you in a fascinating flux of affectation and hatred. The climax of the story is revealed in the house party wherein Bilsiter is tossed into frightened misery, alongside the remainder of the company.



We see that there is the presence of supernatural elements in the prose of Saki but it's not like traditional supernatural stories, it follows the manifestation of supernatural elements with the corresponding impending metaphysical world which is so deftly portrayed by the author that it may appear to be concealed in the prose but always on a hinge to manifest itself. The use of humor to uncover a serious thought is somewhat full of irony and sympathy, an absurd combination. The vulnerability of the characters of the story is veiled beneath the elegant humor and moral imperatives of the tale. It shows the might of Saki as a writer as he plots the characters to rise amongst their vulnerability, human susceptibility, and vanity to win over the weakness of others, which reinstates the careful planning and plotting by the author in which the reader also plays as a silent conspirator. Its humor is superbly estimated, balanced upon the edge of terrible disclosure, dissolving into consolation as the joke happens to its group of spectators.

If Leonard Bilsiter could at that moment have transformed Clovis into a cockroach and then have stepped on him he would gladly have performed both operations.

4/5

[EveStar91 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I wish you would turn me into a wolf, Mr. Bilsiter,” said his hostess at luncheon the day after his arrival.
“My dear Mary,” said Colonel Hampton, “I never knew you had a craving in that direction.”

Clovis exploits fellow party guest Bilsiter's self-aggrandizing insistence of Siberian magic to provide a shock to the house party, and entertainment to a select few. The story is given from Leonard Bilsiter's perspective mostly, but enough from Clovis to see the genuine master.

The story is pretty straightforward, in pacing and reveal, and doesn't have the typical Saki twist by the end. But Bilsiter's character, hoping to get infamy for any wild claim and Clovis' exploiting that so easily, with everyone else ready to be persuaded to join in, is the foundation of this story.

🌟🌟🌟1/2🌟
[3/4 star for the premise and the whole story; 3/4 star for the characters; 1/2 star for the plot and themes; 3/4 star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 3 1/2 stars in total.]

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Saki's best stories, not quite in the league of 'The Open Window' or 'Sredni Vashtar' (but then Sredni Vashtar is unique even for Saki), but splendid clever comedy of manners that is so much more. It is a tale that encompasses so much, most brilliantly the dangers of boasting and of getting what you wish. Seventy five years before Truman Capote failed to write a book on the theme of St Teresa of Avila's statement "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones" Saki wrote this brilliant short story which said it all without the crutch of the quote.

Saki, like all really great comic writers, always had far more insight than he is given credit for. This is a delightful tale but it is also an analysis of human behavior. Enjoy it and don't forget it.

As an after thought despite what Goodreads says this is not a 'Horror' story unless you imagine every story that points out the foibles of human kind to 'Horror' stories because they reveal the underlying truth of our existence. Nor is about werewolves except in the sense that there is a wolf but otherwise it is just laziness or probably ignorance that connected this story which is about debunking the supernatural with one of the more absurd 'supernatural' creatures.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐


Leonard Bilsiter, a socially awkward and largely unremarkable man, returns from a trip to Russia claiming to have acquired mysterious occult powers. At Mary Hampton’s country house gathering, he attempts to impress the guests by performing a magical transformation. Mary Hampton asks Bilsiter to turn her into a she-wolf. The transformation appears successful, and panic ensues among the guests.

The twist comes when it’s revealed that the entire event was a practical joke orchestrated by Clovis Sangrail, one of the guests, who had arranged for a tame wolf to be released at the right moment. Leonard’s supposed powers are exposed as fraudulent, and the story ends with a sharp jab at his self-importance and the credulity of the upper class.

[Suvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lighter werewolf piece than Gabriel-Ernest, but Saki's typical wit and humor make it seem fresh and charming, and it has a nice twist to the whole transformation thing.

"If our hostess has really vanished out of human form," said Mrs. Hoops, "none of the ladies of the party can very well remain. I absolutely decline to be chaperoned by a wolf!"

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the best dinner parties feature werewolf pranks!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clovis strikes again. Hilarious. Leonard Blister should have been more careful about bragging about his ability to do magic. Audible edition.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who knows anything about libraries and cataloging--which is apparently not
most people--this should be listed as She-Wolf, The
NOT The She-Wolf.

This is a 6 page short story written by Saki.

I have read most of his short stories and I would say that this is a very good story
although IMO not one of his absolute best.