O. Henry's Writing Style

O. Henry's Writing Style

William Sydney Porter, the real name of O. Henry, was known for his short stories that often contained surprise endings and dark, mysterious topics. Carl Van Doren argues that O. Henry's writing style was so unique because of his tendency to know all of the details of the story before he even began writing. O. Henry typically worked with themes of morality, grappling with his own idea of what is moral while simultaneously maintaining all of the other minor details of his short stories. He was not afraid to explore different questions and ideas, and this fluidity often led to him sending his unedited work directly to his publisher's. He felt this allowed for the most raw version of his creativity to be seen and appreciated.

Carl Van Doren

"O. HENRY"

Texas Review, Volume 2, no. 3

1916

English