STORY DISCUSSION: Author MARY O’DONNELL discusses the changing themes in seasonal stories:’The difference between the then of O. Henry, and the now of contemporary writers, is that we write in a highly nuanced moral atmosphere, so nuanced that the building of ‘uplifting’ lessons into our stories is often avoided…’
In a special Christmas post, we bring you O. Henry’s wintry tale ‘The Cop and the Anthem’: ‘When wild geese honk high of nights, and when women without sealskin coats grow kind to their husbands, and when Soapy moves uneasily on his bench in the park, you may know that winter is near at hand…’
In a special Christmas post, we bring you O. Henry’s festive story ‘The Gift of the Magi’: ‘Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas…’
