Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at
https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog
Project Gutenberg
1998-10-01
Public domain in the USA.
314
Saki
1870
1916
Munro, Hector Hugh
Munro, H. H. (Hector Hugh)
The Toys of Peace, and Other Papers
The toys of peace -- Louise -- Tea -- The disappearance of Crispina Umberleigh -- The wolves of Cernogratz -- Louis -- The guests -- The penance -- The phantom luncheon -- A bread and butter miss -- Bertie's Christmas Eve -- Forewarned -- The interlopers -- Quail seed -- Canossa -- The threat -- Excepting Mrs. Pentherby -- Mark -- The hedgehog -- The Mappined life -- Fate -- The bull -- Morlvera -- Shock tactics -- The seven cream jugs -- The occasional garden -- The sheep -- The oversight -- Hyacinth -- The image of the lost soul -- The purple of the Balkan kings -- The cupboard of the yesterdays -- For the duration of the war.
Transcribed from the 1919 John Lane edition by Jane Duff and David Price
"The Toys of Peace, and Other Papers" by Saki is a collection of short stories written in the early 20th century, showcasing the author’s characteristic wit and satirical commentary on society. The collection opens with a focus on the influence of toys and upbringing on children, highlighting a particular character, Harvey Bope, who attempts to replace traditional war-themed toys with "peace toys" intended to educate and promote civil engagement among his nephews. At the start of the narrative, Harvey Bope engages in a conversation with his sister Eleanor about the detrimental impact of violent toys on children’s behavior. They discuss an initiative by the National Peace Council which encourages parents to buy peaceful alternatives. When Harvey arrives to bring gifts for his nephews, the children's anticipation is comically met with underwhelming, mundane toys like models of municipal buildings and figures of historical civilians, which fail to capture their interest. Instead of adopting the peaceful play suggested by Harvey, the boys creatively reinterpret their new toys, transforming them into participants in chaotic historical reenactments, ultimately demonstrating that deep-rooted instincts for conflict can hardly be quelled by the absence of guns and battles. This opening sets up Saki's exploration of societal values, childhood innocence, and the often humorous disconnect between intention and outcome. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
en
Short stories
PR
Text
Contemporary Reviews
Browsing: Literature
Browsing: Fiction
408985
408887
2024-09-01T09:52:22.846028
2023-10-01T09:01:20.709724
text/html
text/html
418237
2014-11-11T09:52:02
text/html
154545
2020-12-31T13:35:02
text/html
application/zip
211165
2024-09-01T09:52:29.549022
application/epub+zip
215660
2024-09-01T09:52:24.679024
application/epub+zip
215660
2024-09-01T09:52:23.509019
application/epub+zip
417795
2024-09-01T09:52:33.641979
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
381890
2024-09-01T09:52:28.882023
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
381976
2022-09-01T11:08:27.559247
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
356558
356503
2024-09-01T09:52:22.116044
2023-10-01T09:01:19.937726
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
text/plain
386711
2014-11-11T09:49:58
text/plain; charset=utf-8
150318
2020-12-31T13:35:02
text/plain; charset=utf-8
application/zip
356280
2020-12-31T13:35:02
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
140668
2020-12-31T13:35:02
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
application/zip
20739
2024-09-01T09:52:33.794965
application/rdf+xml
15758
2024-09-01T09:52:24.079032
image/jpeg
3908
2024-09-01T09:52:23.897050
image/jpeg
206352
2024-09-01T09:52:22.885026
application/octet-stream
application/zip
en.wikipedia