William Sydney Porter
(1862-1910)
O Henry
Facts on William Sydney Porter

He was born September 11, 1862 in North
Carolina, where he spent his childhood.
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Best noted for his short stories with
surprise endings, O. Henry was the pen
name of William Sydney Porter, who was
regarded as one of the most popular
American writers.
O. Henry was an American writer in the
late 19th century. His real name was
William Sidney Porter and O. Henry
was his pen name. He wrote many
short stories, which were set in New
York.
The plots of his stories are clever and
interesting, and the end is always
surprising. Most of the characters in his
stories are ordinary people in cities. His
works include The Four Million, The Gift of
the Magi, The Furnished Room and so on.
Facts on William Sydney Porter

As a young man, he once worked as a bank
teller, a newspaper columnist and so on. In
1898, he was accused of having taken money
from the bank where he had worked, and later
was put in prison for five years. While in
prison, he began writing short stories and it is
there that he took the pen-name O Henry for
his writings.

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“A sacrifice for love ” is part of the story
The Gift of the Magi which took O. Henry
only three hours but is popular for a whole
century or more. O. Henry’s stories are
known for his descriptions of poor
working characters, a humorous and ironic
tone, realistic detail and a surprise
ending.
What main elements there should be in a
story / narrative ?
Characters
Time
Place
Event
Ending
Facts on William Sydney Porter
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
An acclaimed master of short stories and
tales.
Starting in 1895 he wrote a column for the
Houston Daily Post.
In early 1898 Porter was found guilty of
embezzlement charges and sentenced to five
years in an Ohio prison.
Three years and about a dozen short stories
later, he emerged from prison as "O. Henry"
to help shield his true identity.
Facts on William Sydney Porter

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O. Henry wrote with realistic detail based
on his first-hand experiences both in Texas
and in New York City.
In 1907, he published many of his Texas
stories in The Heart of the West.
He moved to New York City, where over
the next ten years before his death in 1910,
he published over 300 stories and gained
worldwide acclaim as America's favorite
short story writer.
Porter died on June 5, 1910 in New York
City at the age of forty seven. An
Published Books by O. Henry


After Twenty Years
& Other Stories.
Edited by Masat C.
Nakauchi. Tokyo:
Kenkyusha, 1957.
The Best of O.
Henry.
Philadelphia:
Running Press,
1978.
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Cabbages and
Kings. New York:
McClure, Phillips
& Co., 1904.
The Four Million.
New York:
McClure, Phillips
& Co., 1906.
The Gift of the
Magi. Garden City,
N.Y.: Doubleday,
Page & Co., 1922.
Published Books by O. Henry



Let Me Feel Your
Pulse. New York:
Doubleday, Page &
Co., 1910.
Options. New
York: Harper &
Brothers, 1909.
Postscripts. New
York: Harper &
Brothers, 1923.



Tales of O. Henry.
Garden City, N.Y.:
International
Collectors Library,
1969.
The Trimmed
Lamp, and Other
Stories. New York:
McClure, Phillips
& Co., 1907.
The Voice of the
City. New York:
O. Henry
Besides descriptions what techniques does a
good writer usually use in a narrative?
Literature way of writing
Exaggeration
Humor
Irony
…
Can you find out some of the techniques O. Henry use?
Facts on William Sydney Porter
He was born September 11, 1862 in North
Carolina, where he spent his childhood.
 An acclaimed master of short stories and
tales.
 Starting in 1895 he wrote a column for the
Houston Daily Post.
 In early 1898 Porter was found guilty of
embezzlement charges and sentenced to five
years in an Ohio prison.
 Three years and about a dozen short stories
later, he emerged from prison as "O. Henry"
to help shield his true identity.

Facts on William Sydney Porter
O. Henry wrote with realistic detail based
on his first-hand experiences both in Texas
and in New York City.
 In 1907, he published many of his Texas
stories in The Heart of the West.
 He moved to New York City, where over
the next ten years before his death in 1910,
he published over 300 stories and gained
worldwide acclaim as America's favorite
short story writer.
 Porter died on June 5, 1910 in New York
City at the age of forty seven. An alcoholic,

Published Books by O. Henry


After Twenty Years &
Other Stories. Edited
by Masat C. Nakauchi.
Tokyo: Kenkyusha,
1957.
The Best of O. Henry.
Philadelphia: Running
Press, 1978.



Cabbages and Kings.
New York: McClure,
Phillips & Co., 1904.
The Four Million.
New York: McClure,
Phillips & Co., 1906.
The Gift of the Magi.
Garden City, N.Y.:
Doubleday, Page &
Co., 1922.
Published Books by O. Henry



Let Me Feel Your
Pulse. New York:
Doubleday, Page &
Co., 1910.
Options. New York:
Harper & Brothers,
1909.
Postscripts. New
York: Harper &
Brothers, 1923.



Tales of O. Henry.
Garden City, N.Y.:
International
Collectors Library,
1969.
The Trimmed Lamp,
and Other Stories.
New York: McClure,
Phillips & Co., 1907.
The Voice of the City.
New York: McClure,
1908.
Museum Hours
12:00 noon - 5:00 p.m. Wednesday Sunday
Closed Monday and Tuesday
409 East Fifth Street
Austin, Texas 78701
(512)472-1903
Critic says:
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Prolific American short-story writer, a master
of surprise endings, who wrote about the life
of ordinary people in New York City. Typical
for O. Henry's stories is a twist of plot which
turns on an ironic or coincidental
circumstance. Although some critics were not
so enthusiastic about his work, the public
loved it.
"He wrote love stories, a thing I have
always kept free from, holding the belief
that the well-known and popular sentiment
is not properly matter for publication, but
something to be privately handled by the
alienist and the florist."
(from 'The Plutonian Fire')
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Literary Terms for
focus:
Short Story
Style
What is a Short Story?

The short story is a form of short fictional
narrative prose. Short stories tend to be
more concise and to the point than longer
works of fiction, such as novels. Because of
their short length, successful short stories
also rely even more than longer fictional
forms on such literary devices as character,
plot, theme, language, and insight.
STYLE
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style
1. The way in which something is said, done, expressed, or
performed: a style of speech and writing.
2. The combination of distinctive features of literary or artistic
expression, execution, or performance characterizing a
particular person, group, school, or era.
3. Sort; type: a style of furniture.
4. A quality of imagination and individuality expressed in
one's actions and tastes: does things with style.
http://thefreedictionary.com
Discussion:

Describe if you were surprised by the ending
of the story.
Do you agree with the critics?
O”HENRY MUSEUM
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/ohenry.htm