
THE SHRIEK A Satirical Burlesque
Table of Contents
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
A sparkling romp through a wildly exaggerated high‑society soirée, this burlesque opens in the fanciful Hotel Biscuit where Lady Speedway reigns like a traffic‑cop of etiquette. An American visitor, a phlegmatic Brit, and the flamboyant Verbeena Mayonnaise spar over desert expeditions, flapper fashions, and the absurdities of British prestige. Their rapid‑fire repartee—peppered with outlandish metaphors, sarcastic asides, and a parade of eccentric titles—sets a tone that both mocks and celebrates the roaring‑twenties’s obsession with glamour and scandal.
The narrative’s vivid, cartoon‑like illustrations echo the text’s playful cadence, turning every exchange into a theatrical sketch. Listeners will be drawn into a world where social rituals are turned on their head, where a “Front Porch Knitting Needle Hussars” regiment commands the balcony, and where every absurd observation invites a laugh. It’s a delightfully chaotic showcase of wit, perfect for anyone who enjoys clever satire served with a generous side of 1920s sparkle.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (132K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Clarity, Matthew Wheaton and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2012-10-04
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
d. 1931
A journalist, illustrator, and novelist, this early 20th-century writer moved from newspaper work into fiction and mystery. His books include the satirical burlesque The Shriek and the novel An Artist in Crime.
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