Pale Horse, Pale Rider | Pale Horse, Pale Rider

At a glance:

Author: Katherine Anne Porter
First Published: 1938
Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction, Domestic realism
Subjects: Family or family life, North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Parents and children, Love or romance, Suicide, Murder or homicide, South or Southerners, Twentieth century, Nineteenth century, Marriage, Guilt, West, U.S., Emotions, Reality, War, Farms, farmers, or farming, New Orleans, Death or dying, World War I, Hallucinations or illusions, Colorado, Southwest, Soldiers, Suffrage or voting rights, Life and death, Romanticism, Reporting or reporters, Texas, Horses, Women’s rights, Influenza, Racing
Locales: South (U.S.), New Orleans, LA, Colorado, Texas

The Work

Much of “Pale Horse, Pale Rider” is autobiographical; the story recalls an event from Katherine Anne Porter’s life. During World War I, Porter worked as a reporter in Denver. There she met and fell in love with a lieutenant. She then contracted influenza during the epidemic and nearly died. “Pale Horse, Pale Rider” is her attempt to record that experience.

“Pale Horse, Pale Rider” begins with a dream sequence about the story’s central concern: death. Miranda, Porter’s autobiographical heroine, dreams of being pursued by death. Miranda, however,...

Pale Horse, Pale Rider | Pale Horse, Pale Rider

At a glance:

The Work

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