A review by carringtonshaw
The Lady or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read this today as the first in an effort to reread as many short stories from my school days as I can, whose titles I clearly recall but whose plots I have long since forgotten. This was one of numerous stories I remember loving from those days.

I'm not sure I ever read anything else by Stockton. I was trying to decide whether to rate the story alone or the entire collection I bought. I had just decided to go on and finish the collection first and was right in the middle of the second story, when I discovered two pages were missing. I took that as a sign to rate the story alone. I'm eager to read the next story when I can locate a complete copy, as well as the others in the book. I really enjoyed the prose, but am not at all surprised--I doubt it ever would have made it into a schoolroom were the prose not top-notch.

The question asked in the title does not seem at all mysterious, though--it is obviously the tiger, in my opinion.