Dec 21, 2009

The Most Dangerous Game | The Adventure Genre

David Kippen is an educator and specialist on British colonial literature and twentieth-century South African fiction. In the following essay, he discusses "The Most Dangerous Game,'' within the context of the adventure genre. He also explores the similarities and differences between the story's two main characters and what they represent.

As is the case with most authors who make their mark (and livelihood) in the genre of adventure fiction, Richard Connell (1893-1949) deals in easily recognizable stereotypes rather than fully-developed, introspective characters. His primary interest is in crafting fast-paced stories of manly deeds, not [Henry] Jamesian studies of interior life. This being the case, it is not surprising that most of his fiction has disappeared from sight, replaced by more modern treatments of more modern stereotypes. One story, however, "The Most Dangerous Game," has escaped this oblivion. What is it that...