Reginald by Saki
"Reginald" is the third book by the author Saki, known for his sharp wit and satirical commentary on Edwardian British society. The work is a collection of short sketches that feature a character named Reginald, who offers epigrammatic and often biting observations during various social events, including theater visits and garden parties. Saki's writing draws parallels to the styles of Oscar Wilde and Max Beerbohm, utilizing humor to critique social institutions and contemporary issues such as the British Empire, fiscal policies, and the Boer War.
Though some topics may seem obscure to modern readers, Reginald's insights into universal human traits like vanity and hypocrisy remain relevant. One notable sketch, "Reginald Goes to the Academy," exemplifies Saki's style, where Reginald comments on art and patron behavior at the Royal Academy. Through clever remarks and philosophical musings, Saki crafts a narrative that combines humor with keen social observation. This collection not only solidifies Saki's reputation for wit but also influences later satirical writers, contributing to the evolution of literary satire in the twentieth century.
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Reginald by Saki
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1904
Type of work: Short stories
The Work
Reginald was Saki’s third book and, like The Westminster Alice, was a collection of the author’s satiric newspaper pieces. With Reginald, Saki greatly broadened the scope of his commentary on the social world of Edwardian Britain.
In many of the short sketches, Reginald and the anonymous narrator attend various social and cultural events, such as the theater, the Royal Academy of Art, or a garden party, and Reginald makes satirical comments to the narrator. In the style of Oscar Wilde and Max Beerbohm, most of his remarks are epigrammatic and often are quite biting.
In addition to social institutions, Munro also targeted for send-ups such topics as the empire, the fiscal question, the Boer War, religion, and peace poems. A good number of these topics are rather obscure to the modern reader, but Reginald’s commentary is still fresh because it pokes fun at such human traits as vanity, snobbishness, and hypocrisy.
“Reginald Goes to the Academy” provides an excellent example of how the stories work. In it, Reginald goes to the Royal Academy of Art, and he comments on various patrons and paintings. People at art museums look at the pictures, Reginald remarks, only when they have run out of conversation or if they want to avoid acquaintances. Noting that the Royal Academy is slow to admit painters, Reginald muses that one can see them arriving for years like “a Balkan trouble or a street improvement.” On the large size of so many academic paintings, he says, “by the time they have painted a thousand or so square yards of canvas, their work begins to be recognized.” Reginald also philosophizes about life: “To be clever in the afternoon argues that one is dining nowhere in the evening,” and “I hate posterity—it’s so fond of having the last word.”
These small sketches reveal Saki’s penchant for the amusing aside as well as the cutting remark. The pieces are delicate and rely heavily on literary style for their effect, which makes them difficult to paraphrase or summarize. Such clever ephemera, however, established Saki’s reputation for wit and insight and made him a model for later twentieth century satirical writers, such as Waugh and Wodehouse.
Bibliography
Byrne, Sandie. “Saki.” In British Writers. Supplement VI, edited by Jay Parini. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2001.
Cavaliero, Glen. The Alchemy of Laughter: Comedy in English Fiction. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000.
Gillen, Charles H. H. H. Munro (Saki). Boston: Twayne, 1969.
Langguth, A. J. Saki: A Life of Hector Hugh Munro. 1981. Reprint. Los Angeles: Figueroa Press, 2003.
Mais, Stuart P. B. “The Humour of Saki.” In Books and Their Writers. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1920.
Milne, A. A. “Introducing Saki.” In By Way of Introduction. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1929.
Morley, Christopher. “Saki.” In Internal Revenue. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1933.
Spears, George James. The Satire of Saki. New York: Exposition Press, 1963.