Mrs. Hincher
"Mrs. Hincher" | |
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Short story by J. D. Salinger | |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre(s) | Ghost story |
Publication | |
Published in | Unpublished |
Mrs. Hincher is an unpublished short story by J. D. Salinger.[1]
Plot
The story centers on a married couple, Frank and Paula Hincher, who are struggling to have a child. Mrs. Hincher convinces herself she is pregnant, and claims she needs bedrest. While her doctors tell her otherwise, she determines she will have a child, and sets up a nursery. Her husband finds her staying in bed and soon locking herself in the room. Weeks go by until a young girl is allowed in and reports there is a little baby in there but it won't talk. Overcome with frustration, Mr. Hincher breaks in the bedroom to find Mrs. Hincher curled in the fetal position in a crib. They decide to go on a vacation to Florida, where Mr Hincher subsequently has a mental breakdown in the lobby of the hotel and is sent to an asylum.[2]
History
Salinger completed the story in late 1941 and sold this story under the name "Paula" to Stag in 1942[3] but the magazine decided not to publish the dark tale, referenced by himself as his only documented attempt at the horror genre.[4] Salinger's agency was contacted by editors requesting he write a novel, but he was in the army by this time, and could not. In one letter he refers to this story as his only "horror" story. The story is essentially a set of fragments, and is available, as are letters referencing the piece, for a fee and required registration at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, as well as archives accessible only by his literary agency.
References
- ^ JD Salinger: A Bibliography.DM Fiene - Wisconsin Studies in Contemporary Literature, 1963
- ^ J.D.Salinger Collection, 1940-1974, Series I, Box I, Folder 8 Harry Ransom Center Special Collections. [1]
- ^ Alexander, Paul p.84 (1999). Salinger: A Biography. Los Angeles: Renaissance
- ^ Kenneth Slawenski.J. D. Salinger: A Life.Random House Digital, Inc., 2011.
- v
- t
- e
- Nine Stories
- Franny and Zooey
- Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction
- Three Early Stories
- "Blue Melody"
- "Both Parties Concerned"
- "A Boy in France"
- "De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period"
- "Down at the Dinghy"
- "Elaine"
- "For Esmé—with Love and Squalor"
- "A Girl I Knew"
- "Go See Eddie"
- "The Hang of It"
- "Hapworth 16, 1924"
- "The Heart of a Broken Story"
- "I'm Crazy"
- "The Inverted Forest"
- "Just Before the War with the Eskimos"
- "Last Day of the Last Furlough"
- "The Laughing Man"
- "The Long Debut of Lois Taggett"
- "Once a Week Won't Kill You"
- "A Perfect Day for Bananafish"
- "Personal Notes of an Infantryman"
- "Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes"
- "Slight Rebellion off Madison"
- "Soft-Boiled Sergeant"
- "The Stranger"
- "Teddy"
- "This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise"
- "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut"
- "The Varioni Brothers"
- "The Young Folks"
- "A Young Girl in 1941 with No Waist at All"
Unpublished |
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- Matt Salinger (son)
- Holden Caulfield
- Glass family
- Salinger v. Random House, Inc.
- My Foolish Heart (1949)
- Pari (1995)
- Salinger (2013) (companion biography)
- Manhattan's Babe (2014)
- Coming Through the Rye (2015 film)
- Rebel in the Rye (2017)
- My Salinger Year (2020)
- Category