The Dog and the Playlet by O. Henry
A wealthy man's dog is trained to perform a playlet for his guests. The dog's performance is so convincing that the guests believe it is a real person who has been murdered. The wealthy man takes advantage of this by staging a fake funeral and collecting donations from his guests, all while laughing at their gullibility.
By O. Henry · First published 1909 · Genre: Drama, Comedy, Literary Fiction · 1,842 words
First lines
Usually it is a cold day in July when you can stroll up Broadway in that month and get a story out of the drama. I found one a few breathless, parboiling days ago, and it seems to decide a serious question in art.
What this Textopian page supports
The Dog and the Playlet is listed on Textopian as a short story by O. Henry, dated 1909 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: 1909 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Drama, Comedy, Literary Fiction, Romance, Social Commentary
- Length: 1,842 words
- Structure: 1 section, 31 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Dog and the Playlet by O. Henry
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Drama — The narrative revolves around a one-act play and explores themes of theatricality, performance, and the nature of drama.
- Comedy — The dialogue contains humorous exchanges and witty banter between the characters, reflecting comedic elements.
- Literary Fiction — The work delves into character development and philosophical discussions about art and expression, typical of literary fiction.
- Romance — The subplot involves romantic relationships and emotional connections, particularly concerning the character's feelings for Loris.
Tags
Short Story · Humor · Satire · Social Commentary · Literary Fiction · American Literature · 20th Century Literature · Realism · Irony · Plot Twist · Comedy of Manners · Class Satire