Strictly Business by O. Henry (1910)
The story revolves around a young man who marries an older woman for her wealth and then plots to kill her by staging a robbery at their home. However, the plan backfires when he discovers that his wife has been embezzling funds from her previous employer and the police are already investigating her.
By O. Henry · First published 1910 · Genre: Literary Fiction, Comedy, Romance · 5,206 words
First lines
I suppose you know all about the stage and stage people. You've been touched with and by actors, and you read the newspaper criticisms and the jokes in the weeklies about the Rialto and the chorus girls and the long-haired tragedians. And I suppose that a condensed list of your ideas about the mysterious stageland would boil down to something like this:
What this Textopian page supports
Strictly Business is listed on Textopian as a short story by O. Henry, dated 1910 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: O. Henry
- Date: 1910 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Literary Fiction, Comedy, Romance, Drama, Theatrical Fiction
- Length: 5,206 words
- Structure: 1 section, 77 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Strictly Business by O. Henry
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Genres
- Literary Fiction — The work explores complex characters and their relationships, focusing on themes of ambition, love, and the realities of life in the theater.
- Comedy — The narrative employs humor and wit, particularly in the interactions between characters and the absurdities of their situations.
- Romance — A romantic subplot develops between the main characters, highlighting their emotional connection and misunderstandings.
- Drama — The story contains dramatic elements, particularly in the characters' struggles and the tension surrounding their professional and personal lives.
Tags
Satire · Social Commentary · Business Satire · Comedy · Irony · Wit · Humor · Critique of Capitalism · Class Struggle · Economic Inequality · American Literature · Short Story Collection