Amazon 2017 Kindle edition

(15) W W JACOBS –

“THE MONKEY’S PAW” (1902)

To the extent that he is known, W.W. Jacobs is best known for this story but I’d venture that more people know of the story than they do of its author, as the story has acquired a life of its own, not unlike the titular object and the wishes it grants – which “come with an enormous price for interfering with fate”.

Such is the life the story has acquired for itself, that there are a surprisingly prolific number of adaptations of it – and even more variations of its central theme of being careful what you wish for – whether played straight, as in Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, or parody, as in one of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes.

“By the end of the 20th century, the story’s plot had become something of a stock parody trope, used whenever “be careful what you wish for” was needed as a punchline. ‘The monkey’s paw curls’ is a standard reaction phrase these days meaning ‘sure, you’ll get what you wish, but something else much more horrible will happen because of it.'”

RATING:

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)