Realism | Lecturia

D. H. Lawrence: Mercury

“Mercury” is a short story by D. H. Lawrence, first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1927. On a sweltering summer Sunday, crowds ascend the hill of Mercury, seeking to escape the heat that weighs upon the valleys. At the summit, amid the pine forest, time seems to stand still—no one is in a hurry, and no one has a purpose. Yet as the day wears on, the heat thickens and a silent tension takes hold of the air, as if nature itself were waiting for something imminent to happen.

Katherine Mansfield: Poison

Synopsis: “Poison” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, published in 1924 in the collection Something Childish and Other Stories. The story follows a couple living in a house in the south of France: she, who has had two husbands, moves confidently and fills every space; he, younger, is caught in the grip of an intense love. The morning is warm and bright. They talk about trivial matters, while she shows slight impatience at the postman’s delay. Everything seems calm, yet a shadow of unease begins to creep in.

Jack London: Aloha Oe

“Aloha oe” is a short story by Jack London, initially published in December 1908 in Lady’s Realm magazine and later included in the collection The House of Pride (1912). On the Honolulu pier, an ocean liner prepares to set sail as a crowd bids farewell to a group of distinguished visitors on an official visit to the island. From the deck, Dorothea Sambrooke, the daughter of a senator, bids farewell to Stephen Knight, a young islander with whom she has shared weeks of adventure and friendship. The Royal Band plays the emotional melody “Aloha’ Oe,” enveloping the departure in a growing sense of melancholy at the impending separation.

Anton Chekhov: The Man in a Case

“The Man in a Case” (Chelovek v futlyare) is a short story by Russian writer Anton Chekhov, published in July 1898 in the magazine Russkaya Myslʼ. Through the account of a high school teacher, we meet Byelikov, a Greek teacher who lives with obsessive rigidity. He fears everything new, avoids any emotion, and takes refuge in rules and prohibitions. Even his clothes seem like armor against the world. The story, told among hunters during a quiet night, becomes a subtle critique of those who live prisoners of fear, locked in a case that separates them from life.

Guy de Maupassant: Father Milon

“Father Milon” (Le Père Milon) is a short story by Guy de Maupassant published on May 22, 1883, in the newspaper Le Gaulois. Set during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, it tells the story of an elderly Norman peasant who lives with his family on a farm occupied by German troops. In the midst of the sweltering rural summer, the apparent calm of the surroundings contrasts with the growing tension among the inhabitants due to a series of mysterious murders in the area. The story begins with a military interrogation that leads to the revelation of a dark secret involving the older man.

Mario Vargas Llosa: A Visitor

“A Visitor” (Un visitante) is a short story by Mario Vargas Llosa, published in 1959 in the book Los jefes. It tells the story of the unexpected arrival of a man nicknamed El Jamaiquino at a lonely farmhouse where Doña Merceditas, an older woman, lives on the edge of the jungle. Although the visitor initially appears friendly, he soon reveals a hidden agenda: he is on the trail of Numa, a former accomplice. Through a series of tense and enigmatic interactions between the protagonists, Vargas Llosa develops a plot of betrayal and revenge, in which the characters’ pasts and their complex relationships are crucial to bringing to life a suspenseful narrative.