The Monkey's Paw
About the story
Collection including the story, first editionThe author
W.W. Jacobs, England
First publication
1902 in collection The Lady of the Barge
Literature form
Story
Genres
Fantasy, horror
Writing language
English
Length
Approx. 4,500 words
Notable lines
Without, the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of Laburnum Villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly.
— First line
Unconscious of his wife's shriek, the old man smiled faintly, put out his hands like a sightless man, and dropped, a senseless heap, to the floor.
But the days passed, and expectation gave place to resignation—the hopeless resignation of the old, sometimes miscalled, apathy. Sometimes they hardly exchanged a word, for now they had nothing to talk about, and their days were long to weariness.
The street lamp flickering opposite shone on a quiet and deserted street.
— Last line
