How It Happened
| Author | Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Masculine pride |
| Genre | Short story |
Publication date | 1918 |
| Pages | 3 pages, 1,506 words |
"How it happened" is a 1506-word[1][2] short story by the author Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle first published during the First World War at the end of what may be considered to be the Edwardian era in 1918 but Conan Doyle began writing in the Victorian era. This story is considered to be about wilful masculine pride.
The story is written in the first person; the narrator is a man who is met at the beginning of the story by his chauffeur, Perkins, at half-past eleven at the "little country station" while coming back from London. He wanted to try his new car, which had been delivered that day. He was warned that the gears were not of the same type he is used to but he insisted on driving. They "were just over the brow of" Claystall Hill, "one of the worst hills of England", when he lost all control on the speed of the car. He tried to bring the car back to his house "wheels whirring like a high wind" and did not jump even when advised to do so by Perkins. In the end, he managed to reach home but crashed into the park gate. The story ends with Perkins having injured his leg and the narrator meeting a dead friend, Stanley, implying that he himself died in the accident.
References
- ^ How it happened short story in .pdf horrormasters.com Retrieved 2010-04-17
- ^ Read How it happened online readbookonline.net Retrieved 2010-04-17