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The Open Window and Other Short Stories
The Open Window and Other Stories
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1914
32 people are currently reading
1989 people want to read
About the author
Saki
1,552 books580 followersBritish 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
January 22, 2024
Another Saki found in my anthologies. A mischievous young lady tricks a news visitor to their house with a ghost story. The young man was running away from the city due to a nervous breakdown. He did not take the joke lightly.
October 31, 2021
A charming gem with a twist at the end from British author Saki (Hector Hugh Munro, 1870–1916). We are in suffocating, stuffy Edwardian England where a gentleman journeys to a rural town for his mental health. As the story opens, he is waiting in a parlor with a large open French window for the lady of the house. Meanwhile the lady’s fifteen-year-old niece Vera waits with him – and tells him a story. After all, as we learn at the end, romance at short notice was her speciality.
With one reading, we can side with Vera in her role as youthful trickster as she exposes the foolishness and pomposity of the adult world by the power of her imagination and abilities as storyteller. And through another, we can observe the negative consequences of telling lies. The mixing of these two views can lead to endless interpretations.
Below is the Saki short story in its entirety. Also included is a link to a first-rate English performance of the tale.
THE OPEN WINDOW
"My aunt will be down presently, Mr. Nuttel," said a very self-possessed young lady of fifteen; "in the meantime you must try and put up with me."
Framton Nuttel endeavored to say the correct something which should duly flatter the niece of the moment without unduly discounting the aunt that was to come. Privately he doubted more than ever whether these formal visits on a succession of total strangers would do much towards helping the nerve cure which he was supposed to be undergoing.
"I know how it will be," his sister had said when he was preparing to migrate to this rural retreat; "you will bury yourself down there and not speak to a living soul, and your nerves will be worse than ever from moping. I shall just give you letters of introduction to all the people I know there. Some of them, as far as I can remember, were quite nice."
Framton wondered whether Mrs. Sappleton, the lady to whom he was presenting one of the letters of introduction came into the nice division.
"Do you know many of the people round here?" asked the niece, when she judged that they had had sufficient silent communion.
"Hardly a soul," said Framton. "My sister was staying here, at the rectory, you know, some four years ago, and she gave me letters of introduction to some of the people here."
He made the last statement in a tone of distinct regret.
"Then you know practically nothing about my aunt?" pursued the self- possessed young lady.
"Only her name and address," admitted the caller. He was wondering whether Mrs. Sappleton was in the married or widowed state. An undefinable something about the room seemed to suggest masculine habitation.
"Her great tragedy happened just three years ago," said the child; "that would be since your sister's time."
"Her tragedy?" asked Framton; somehow in this restful country spot tragedies seemed out of place.
"You may wonder why we keep that window wide open on an October afternoon," said the niece, indicating a large French window that opened on to a lawn.
"It is quite warm for the time of the year," said Framton; "but has that window got anything to do with the tragedy?"
"Out through that window, three years ago to a day, her husband and her two young brothers went off for their day's shooting. They never came back. In crossing the moor to their favorite snipe-shooting ground they were all three engulfed in a treacherous piece of bog. It had been that dreadful wet summer, you know, and places that were safe in other years gave way suddenly without warning. Their bodies were never recovered. That was the dreadful part of it."
Here the child's voice lost its self-possessed note and became falteringly human. "Poor aunt always thinks that they will come back someday, they and the little brown spaniel that was lost with them, and walk in at that window just as they used to do. That is why the window is kept open every evening till it is quite dusk. Poor dear aunt, she has often told me how they went out, her husband with his white waterproof coat over his arm, and Ronnie, her youngest brother, singing 'Bertie, why do you bound?' as he always did to tease her, because she said it got on her nerves. Do you know, sometimes on still, quiet evenings like this, I almost get a creepy feeling that they will all walk in through that window--"
She broke off with a little shudder. It was a relief to Framton when the aunt bustled into the room with a whirl of apologies for being late in making her appearance.
"I hope Vera has been amusing you?" she said.
"She has been very interesting," said Framton.
"I hope you don't mind the open window," said Mrs. Sappleton briskly; "my husband and brothers will be home directly from shooting, and they always come in this way. They've been out for snipe in the marshes today, so they'll make a fine mess over my poor carpets. So like you menfolk, isn't it?"
She rattled on cheerfully about the shooting and the scarcity of birds, and the prospects of duck in the winter. To Framton it was all purely horrible. He made a desperate but only partially successful effort to turn the talk on to a less ghastly topic, he was conscious that his hostess was giving him only a fragment of her attention, and her eyes were constantly straying past him to the open window and the lawn beyond. It was certainly an unfortunate coincidence that he should have paid his visit on this tragic anniversary.
"The doctors agree in ordering me complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise," announced Framton, who labored under the tolerably widespread delusion that total strangers and chance acquaintances are hungry for the least detail of one's ailments and infirmities, their cause and cure. "On the matter of diet they are not so much in agreement, "he continued.
"No?" said Mrs. Sappleton, in a voice which only replaced a yawn at the last moment. Then she suddenly brightened into alert attention--but not to what Framton was saying.
"Here they are at last!" she cried. "Just in time for tea, and don't they look as if they were muddy up to the eyes!"
Framton shivered slightly and turned towards the niece with a look intended to convey sympathetic comprehension. The child was staring out through the open window with a dazed horror in her eyes. In a chill shock of nameless fear Framton swung round in his seat and looked in the same direction.
In the deepening twilight three figures were walking across the lawn towards the window, they all carried guns under their arms, and one of them was additionally burdened with a white coat hung over his shoulders. A tired brown spaniel kept close at their heels. Noiselessly they neared the house, and then a hoarse young voice chanted out of the dusk: "I said, Bertie, why do you bound?"
Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat; the hall door, the gravel drive, and the front gate were dimly noted stages in his headlong retreat. A cyclist coming along the road had to run into the hedge to avoid imminent collision.
"Here we are, my dear," said the bearer of the white mackintosh, coming in through the window, "fairly muddy, but most of it's dry. Who was that who bolted out as we came up?"
"A most extraordinary man, a Mr. Nuttel," said Mrs. Sappleton; "could only talk about his illnesses, and dashed off without a word of goodbye or apology when you arrived. One would think he had seen a ghost."
"I expect it was the spaniel," said the niece calmly; "he told me he had a horror of dogs. He was once hunted into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the Ganges by a pack of pariah dogs, and had to spend the night in a newly dug grave with the creatures snarling and grinning and foaming just above him. Enough to make anyone lose their nerve."
Romance at short notice was her speciality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pat2q...
July 28, 2024
Once on a blind date, I pretended to be a spy. "OK. Where's the microfilm?" I asked until the boy got up and left. He wasn't my type. He didn't appreciate the ice cream sundae one bit. And it was the best in town! How could I like anyone who didn't love hot fudge sauce? I liked when he was gone. Besides, I always wanted to be a spy. Saki would have understood.
Vera in The Open Window is my kind of girl. Left to entertain a guest, she does what grown ups do. She engages the nervous man in light conversation. I'll give nothing away in case you don't know what happens next. But what starts out ordinary becomes extraordinary.
This is the power of imagination. Saki, thank you for reminding us. Try slipping some into your day.
Vera in The Open Window is my kind of girl. Left to entertain a guest, she does what grown ups do. She engages the nervous man in light conversation. I'll give nothing away in case you don't know what happens next. But what starts out ordinary becomes extraordinary.
This is the power of imagination. Saki, thank you for reminding us. Try slipping some into your day.
October 14, 2018
Framton Nuttel (I love Saki’s weird names) has retreated to the countryside as part of a “nerve cure”, which I assume is an Edwardian term for some sort of mental health breakdown. To prevent him being isolated, his sister has furnished him with letters of introduction for “formal visits on a succession of total strangers”. In one house, he is greeted by “a very self-possessed young lady of fifteen”.
In my review of Saki’s Esmé, HERE, Greg made a comment about this story: that it demonstrates an important skill of great artists: knowing when to stop. I agree, but would add that what’s even more remarkable is knowing where to start: in this case, a whole short story is built around the seemingly trivial oddity of a French window left open on an October afternoon.
Image: Misty moor, titled “Somerset 2012” by Graham McPherson (Source.)
What is the French window (a type of door) open to? In the literal sense, it’s to the lawn, and the snipe moor beyond. But it’s also a window into troubled minds and spirits, where truth and reality are open to question.
Image: Silhouette of three men and a dog, going hunting (Source.)
The story is also creepily prescient of Saki’s own death, arising from the trenches of WW1.
It also has echoes of one of Hilaire Belloc's most famous Cautionary Tales for Children, which I reviewed HERE.
Quotes
• “The tolerably widespread delusion that total strangers and chance acquaintances are hungry for the least detail of one’s ailments and infirmities, their cause and cure.”
• "Romance at short notice was her speciality."
Image: In total contrast, Matisse’s “The Open Window” (Source.)
More Saki
I'm gradually collating reviews of Saki short stories under The Best of Saki, HERE, as I read them in a rambling way, over several weeks and months.
You can find his stories, free, on Gutenberg. For example, HERE. Most are very short.
In my review of Saki’s Esmé, HERE, Greg made a comment about this story: that it demonstrates an important skill of great artists: knowing when to stop. I agree, but would add that what’s even more remarkable is knowing where to start: in this case, a whole short story is built around the seemingly trivial oddity of a French window left open on an October afternoon.
Image: Misty moor, titled “Somerset 2012” by Graham McPherson (Source.)
What is the French window (a type of door) open to? In the literal sense, it’s to the lawn, and the snipe moor beyond. But it’s also a window into troubled minds and spirits, where truth and reality are open to question.
Image: Silhouette of three men and a dog, going hunting (Source.)
The story is also creepily prescient of Saki’s own death, arising from the trenches of WW1.
It also has echoes of one of Hilaire Belloc's most famous Cautionary Tales for Children, which I reviewed HERE.
Quotes
• “The tolerably widespread delusion that total strangers and chance acquaintances are hungry for the least detail of one’s ailments and infirmities, their cause and cure.”
• "Romance at short notice was her speciality."
Image: In total contrast, Matisse’s “The Open Window” (Source.)
More Saki
I'm gradually collating reviews of Saki short stories under The Best of Saki, HERE, as I read them in a rambling way, over several weeks and months.
You can find his stories, free, on Gutenberg. For example, HERE. Most are very short.
May 19, 2016
There's been some buzz about this short story lately in one of the Georgette Heyer group threads, and since it's an old story you can find it free online several places, including here.
Framton Nuttel (THAT NAME), who's in rather poor health, mostly from excessive nervousness and self-doubt, takes a trip to a place out in the country. His sister, who stayed there earlier, pressures him into visiting some of the neighbors so that he won't be so lonely and isolated, arming him with letters of introduction. As Framton waits in Mrs. Sappleton's parlor for her to come downstairs and meet him, he's chatted up by her self-possessed 15 year old niece, who tells him a tragic, disturbing tale about why Mrs. Sappleton always leaves her large French window open, waiting for ....
Go read it for yourself! It'll only take 5 minutes or so, and to say anything more might ruin it. I recommend it highly, though.
Framton Nuttel (THAT NAME), who's in rather poor health, mostly from excessive nervousness and self-doubt, takes a trip to a place out in the country. His sister, who stayed there earlier, pressures him into visiting some of the neighbors so that he won't be so lonely and isolated, arming him with letters of introduction. As Framton waits in Mrs. Sappleton's parlor for her to come downstairs and meet him, he's chatted up by her self-possessed 15 year old niece, who tells him a tragic, disturbing tale about why Mrs. Sappleton always leaves her large French window open, waiting for ....
Go read it for yourself! It'll only take 5 minutes or so, and to say anything more might ruin it. I recommend it highly, though.
November 29, 2021
The title story, "The Open Window" is a delightful, humorous story. A British man takes a trip to a rural area on his doctor's orders to relax. His sister gave him letters of introduction to people she had met in the area. While he waits to meet with one woman, her mischievous teenage niece has some fun at their stuffy visitor's expense. She told a story that led to surprising consequences. It was a great short story enlivened by Saki's wit.
September 8, 2016
The Open Window is a story about the power of stories.
A man suffering from anxiety, armed with letters of introduction from his sister, sets out on a journey to meet people and make friends.
Whom he meets is an imaginative girl, who tells him the disturbing story of The Open Window, and at the end it leaves him haunted forever, probably unable to ever reach out to people again.
The girl, though, seems unphased by her deeds, making up a similar story to explain the man's condition.
A man suffering from anxiety, armed with letters of introduction from his sister, sets out on a journey to meet people and make friends.
Whom he meets is an imaginative girl, who tells him the disturbing story of The Open Window, and at the end it leaves him haunted forever, probably unable to ever reach out to people again.
The girl, though, seems unphased by her deeds, making up a similar story to explain the man's condition.
November 10, 2015
The Open Window -
Another hilarious piece from the master humorist.
Due to a 'blind' introduction proffered by his sister, a man goes calling on a total stranger. A niece tells a tale of family tragedy - and the fact that the reader can predict what's coming doesn't make it any less funny.
Another hilarious piece from the master humorist.
Due to a 'blind' introduction proffered by his sister, a man goes calling on a total stranger. A niece tells a tale of family tragedy - and the fact that the reader can predict what's coming doesn't make it any less funny.
May 24, 2016
Simply marvelous.
October 18, 2018
The Open Window is probably the shortest story I have ever read by any author. Yet it is also one of the most beguiling stories. I felt initially baffled but later a tad annoyed. When I pondered the last sentence that ended the story, and then re-read the story, I marvelled at Saki’s artful storytelling skills.
Mr. Framton Nuttel retreated to the countryside to rest and seek a cure for his nerves. His doctors have ordered 'complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise.’ As part of the cure to treat what appears to be social anxiety, his sister has written him letters of introduction that will allow him to meet various nice individuals. So, he dutifully shows up at the home of Mrs. Sappleton and her 15-year-old niece, Vera, who is described as being 'self-possessed.' Mrs. Sappleton is late for this meeting, thus Vera 'entertains' their awkward guest. She tells him a story about why the French windows of this house are perpetually left open. Suffice it is to say that at the close of that meeting which ended prematurely, Mr. Nuttel is closer to becoming a nervous wreck and a real nutcase.
This is my third story by Saki. By now I have learned to be wary of Saki’s child protagonists. Thus far, my sympathies have been with the children in Saki’s stories (Conradin in Shredni Vashtar and Nicholas in The Lumber Room). That changed in The Open Window. I can almost hear Saki suppressing his laughter. However, it is NOT funny, not really, even though the comic elements are superbly staged.
Mr. Framton Nuttel retreated to the countryside to rest and seek a cure for his nerves. His doctors have ordered 'complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise.’ As part of the cure to treat what appears to be social anxiety, his sister has written him letters of introduction that will allow him to meet various nice individuals. So, he dutifully shows up at the home of Mrs. Sappleton and her 15-year-old niece, Vera, who is described as being 'self-possessed.' Mrs. Sappleton is late for this meeting, thus Vera 'entertains' their awkward guest. She tells him a story about why the French windows of this house are perpetually left open. Suffice it is to say that at the close of that meeting which ended prematurely, Mr. Nuttel is closer to becoming a nervous wreck and a real nutcase.
This is my third story by Saki. By now I have learned to be wary of Saki’s child protagonists. Thus far, my sympathies have been with the children in Saki’s stories (Conradin in Shredni Vashtar and Nicholas in The Lumber Room). That changed in The Open Window. I can almost hear Saki suppressing his laughter. However, it is NOT funny, not really, even though the comic elements are superbly staged.
January 2, 2016
If you haven't read this short story yet, do so. There is a copy here.
August 3, 2015
The Open Window I just love this short story. too bad it's too short. I'd have loved to see the character of the niece developed into a whole novel.
April 24, 2020
This isn't a review
I remember narrating the title story - the open window, to a group of kids (around 30, aged around 9), to whom I was assigned to teach some subject (science I guess), when I was working as a social science teacher in a school. I loved it and they loved it along with me, and we had a good laugh!
Interestingly, after some months I also happened to narrate it to 11th or 12th standard girl, I don't remember which, perhaps the latter, (they had this short story in their book), though she did show some interest, the faces around her showed how the system has particularly made them mute to anything that isn't fetching marks! Quite a contrast from the small kids who enjoyed it.
A Classic story, no doubt!
I remember narrating the title story - the open window, to a group of kids (around 30, aged around 9), to whom I was assigned to teach some subject (science I guess), when I was working as a social science teacher in a school. I loved it and they loved it along with me, and we had a good laugh!
Interestingly, after some months I also happened to narrate it to 11th or 12th standard girl, I don't remember which, perhaps the latter, (they had this short story in their book), though she did show some interest, the faces around her showed how the system has particularly made them mute to anything that isn't fetching marks! Quite a contrast from the small kids who enjoyed it.
A Classic story, no doubt!
May 28, 2013
It is difficult to imagine that a short story of only a couple of pages could be so shocking and surprising. Undoubtedly the best short story I have ever read. And the most entertaining one as well.
January 13, 2016
How amazing! For the first time I read "Saki" and totally mesmerized! I never knew being a "Fool" by a writer could be this hilarious! Highly recommended for lovers of short stories.
May 20, 2016
Oh my! This was amazing! You need to read it :)
August 9, 2016
Imaginative crafting of stories by self prepossessing young lady.
June 28, 2014
Funny... The story is of a young girl who has a gift for spinning stories at short notice and of a man who falls victim to it. Had the ending been an explanation of facts to Mr.Sappleton,it wouldn't have been this fun.. As it is,it is a perfect story for an evening with a nice cup of tea.
June 12, 2016
From the man who gave us the quip : "He is one of those people who would be enormously improved by death."
One of those short stories you're only too happy to read because of its brevity... until you discover it's a puzzle that needs to be re-read anyway :(
Witty, however.
One of those short stories you're only too happy to read because of its brevity... until you discover it's a puzzle that needs to be re-read anyway :(
Witty, however.
June 10, 2014
One of the best stories ever. The balance between humor and horror is perfect.
February 23, 2016
"Romance at short notice was her specialty"
If not for this sentence reference in 11.22.63, I would have been left like that poor house guest. More you read, better it gets.
If not for this sentence reference in 11.22.63, I would have been left like that poor house guest. More you read, better it gets.
August 18, 2016
I had to come back to this one months later and raise my review to five stars. Saki is a man of few words, but characters like the niece in this story are the kind that stick with you a make you laugh months later. So wicked, having her little joke. I would love to see more of this character! She really deserves her own novel.....
April 21, 2017
“Romance at short notice was her specialty.”
This was not what I was expecting. This appears on a list called "50 of the scariest short stories of all time" and this isn't' scary, it's a comedy. My rating is probably swayed because I was expecting something completely different to what I got.
Never mind, it was only 6 pages to read and it was still enjoyable.
This was not what I was expecting. This appears on a list called "50 of the scariest short stories of all time" and this isn't' scary, it's a comedy. My rating is probably swayed because I was expecting something completely different to what I got.
Never mind, it was only 6 pages to read and it was still enjoyable.
June 16, 2015
In this short story Saki dramatizes the conflict between reality and imagination, demonstrating how difficult it can be to distinguish between them. Not only does the unfortunate Mr. Nuttel fall victim to the story's joke, but so does the reader.
July 11, 2019
Fantastic! I have always been a fan of Saki & this another short story by him, "The Open Window" , is yet again a horror cum entertaining tale.
Must you all read it. Check the link... http://www.swl.k12.oh.us/Downloads/op...
Must you all read it. Check the link... http://www.swl.k12.oh.us/Downloads/op...
October 26, 2023
The best short story that I have ever read in my life.
December 18, 2021
Saki's authorship is exuberant. I don't hold every other author's novelisation skills in high regard, but SAKI is one of the exceptional ones that i do.
January 11, 2015
When I was in middle school, we had this text called The Golden Gate. It was a collection of short stories including The Open Window. I vaguely remember how our teacher had read this story out to us and then we had a lengthy discussion where half the class made fun of Frampton Nuttel and the other half shook their heads saying Vera was a mean person. Do you have to guess which half I was in?
When a friend recommended this book to me, I had almost forgotten that I had read this at one point of time. I don’t really remember anything I study after the exams are over, so that didn’t really come as a surprise to me. When I read it again, I already knew what the ending was and yet it still hit me all over again.
The story here is very simple. But therein lies the magic. I won’t talk about the story since it’s pretty much impossible to say anything about it without spoiling it for everyone. All I am going to say is that everyone needs to read this story to understand the magic of storytelling. And one should never talk about their illnesses to other people. Others aren’t interested. Just saying.
I rated this one based on how I felt when I read it the first time. So, 4 stars it is!
P.S- If you are planning to read this one, be prepared for the twist in the end. You will probably be as shocked as I was.
P.P.S- This book is shelved under the horror genre, so I can gloat and tell people I’ve read a horror book, right?
When a friend recommended this book to me, I had almost forgotten that I had read this at one point of time. I don’t really remember anything I study after the exams are over, so that didn’t really come as a surprise to me. When I read it again, I already knew what the ending was and yet it still hit me all over again.
The story here is very simple. But therein lies the magic. I won’t talk about the story since it’s pretty much impossible to say anything about it without spoiling it for everyone. All I am going to say is that everyone needs to read this story to understand the magic of storytelling. And one should never talk about their illnesses to other people. Others aren’t interested. Just saying.
I rated this one based on how I felt when I read it the first time. So, 4 stars it is!
P.S- If you are planning to read this one, be prepared for the twist in the end. You will probably be as shocked as I was.
P.P.S- This book is shelved under the horror genre, so I can gloat and tell people I’ve read a horror book, right?
September 12, 2013
Witty and funny! Poor Mr. Nuttel is in unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people on a retreat to calm his nerves. While trying to make an acquaintance with Mrs. Sappleton, who he knows only by introduction, he is greeted with the company of her niece while waiting to meet her. The niece proceeds to tell him a story of a tragedy that struck her Aunt and only at the end to we really see how the seemly tragic story unfolds.
The niece, is a .
The niece, is a .
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews