Frank R. Stockton
The Lady, or the Tiger?
eBook
( Jan. 3, 2018)
The Lady, or the Tiger? is a much-anthologized short story written by Frank R. Stockton for publication in the magazine The Century in 1882. "The Lady, or the Tiger?" has entered the English language as an allegorical expression, a shorthand indication or signifier, for a problem that is unsolvable.
The short story takes place in a land ruled by a semi-barbaric king. Some of the king's ideas are progressive, but others cause people to suffer. One of the king’s innovations is the use of a public trial by ordeal as an agent of poetic justice, with guilt or innocence decided by the result of chance. A person accused of a crime is brought into a public arena and must choose one of two doors. Behind one door is a lady whom the king has deemed an appropriate match for the accused; behind the other is a fierce, hungry tiger. Both doors are heavily soundproofed to prevent the accused from hearing what is behind each one. If he chooses the door with the lady behind it, he is innocent and must immediately marry her, but if he chooses the door with the tiger behind it, he is deemed guilty and is immediately devoured by it.
The short story takes place in a land ruled by a semi-barbaric king. Some of the king's ideas are progressive, but others cause people to suffer. One of the king’s innovations is the use of a public trial by ordeal as an agent of poetic justice, with guilt or innocence decided by the result of chance. A person accused of a crime is brought into a public arena and must choose one of two doors. Behind one door is a lady whom the king has deemed an appropriate match for the accused; behind the other is a fierce, hungry tiger. Both doors are heavily soundproofed to prevent the accused from hearing what is behind each one. If he chooses the door with the lady behind it, he is innocent and must immediately marry her, but if he chooses the door with the tiger behind it, he is deemed guilty and is immediately devoured by it.
- Pages
- 9
Enjoy reading The Lady, or the Tiger?? You may also like these books
-
Frank R. Stockton
The lady, or the tiger? and other stories. By: Frank R. Stockton: Short story collections
Paperback (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Nov. 12, 2016) -
Frank R. Stockton
A Tale of Negative Gravity Illustrated
Paperback (Independently published Dec. 1, 2019) -
Frank R. Stockton
Rudder Grange NOVEL by Frank R. Stockton
Paperback (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform ) -
P
Frank R. Stockton
Stories of New Jersey by Frank R. Stockton, Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Legends, Myths, & Fables
Paperback (Aegypan Feb. 1, 2009) -
Frank R. Stockton
The vizier of the two-horned Alexander. Illustrated by Reginald B. Birch
Paperback (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Feb. 14, 2016) -
W
Frank R. Stockton
Kate Bonnet, The Romance of a Pirate's Daughter by Frank R. Stockton, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Colonial & Revolutionary Periods
Hardcover (Wildside Press Sept. 1, 2005) -
S
Frank R. Stockton
The Floating Prince and Other Fairy Tales
Paperback (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Feb. 12, 2016) -
Frank R Stockton
Round-About Rambles in Lands of Fact And Fancy
Paperback (Echo Library Oct. 12, 2006) -
W
Frank R. Stockton
Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts by Frank R. Stockton, Nonfiction, History
Hardcover (Aegypan June 1, 2006) -
Frank R. Stockton
A Bicycle of Cathay
Paperback (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform May 15, 2014) -
P
Frank R. Stockton
Ting-a-ling by Frank R. Stockton, Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Legends, Myths, & Fables
Paperback (Aegypan April 1, 2008) -
Frank R. Stockton
Amos Kilbright His Adscititious Experiences, With Other Stories
Paperback (Forgotten Books Aug. 8, 2012) -
U
Frank R. Stockton
What Might Have Been Expected by Frank R. Stockton, Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Legends, Myths, & Fables
Hardcover (Aegypan Jan. 1, 2009) -
Frank R. Stockton
Return of Frank R. Stockton: Stories and Letters Which Cannot Fail to Convince the Reader That Frank R. Stockton Still Lives and Writes Through the ... of Miss. Etta De Camp
Paperback (Forgotten Books )
