The Ape by E.F. Benson
The Ape by E.F. Benson is a short story about a man who encounters an ape in the woods and becomes obsessed with it. The story explores themes of obsession, madness, and the dangers of unchecked curiosity.
By E.F. Benson · Genre: Horror, Mystery, Gothic Fiction · 7,479 words
First lines
Hugh Marsham had spent the day, as a good tourist should, in visiting the temples and the tombs of the kings across the river, and the magic of the hour of sunset flamed over earth and heaven as he crossed the Nile again to Luxor in his felucca. It seemed as if the whole world had been suddenly transferred into the heart of an opal, and burned with a myriad fiery colours. The river itself was of the green that beech trees are clad in at spring-time; the columns of the temple that stood close to its banks glowed as if lit from within by the flame of some perpetual evening sacrifice; the cloudless sky was dusky blue in the east, the blue of turquoise overhead, and melted into aqua-marine above the line of desert where the sun had just sunk. All along the bank which he was fast approaching under the press of the cool wind from the north were crowds of Arabs, padding softly home in the dust from their work, and chattering as sparrows chatter among the bushes in the long English twilights.
What this Textopian page supports
The Ape is listed on Textopian as a short story by E.F. Benson, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: E.F. Benson
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Horror, Mystery, Gothic Fiction, Short Story, Suspense
- Length: 7,479 words
- Structure: 1 section, 128 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Ape by E.F. Benson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Ape?
- How does this short story by E.F. Benson fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Horror first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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Genres
- Horror — The book primarily uses suspense, fear and the supernatural to engage readers, characteristic of the horror genre.
- Mystery — There is a significant element of mystery in the narrative, with unknown aspects of the ape left to be discovered as the story unfolds.
- Gothic Fiction — E.F. Benson's writing style and the book's themes of fear and the supernatural align with elements of the Gothic fiction genre.
- Short Story — The Ape is relatively brief and self-contained, which fits within the format of a short story.
Tags
satire · social commentary · human nature · evolution · class struggle · Victorian society · morality · psychological drama · identity · animal behavior · irony · cultural critique