1. “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell
Background Notes and Vocabulary
“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell

2. Richard Connell 1893 – 1949 Born in 1893 in New York
Father was a newspaper editor. Connell began writing at age ten. He covered baseball games.
Connell attended Georgetown and Harvard, where he became the editor for the school paper.
Served in WWI
Connell and his wife lived in London and Paris before settling in California.

3. Connell’s most famous story, “Most Dangerous Game” was published in He won the Henry O. Grady award for it, and it was turned into several movies.
Connell wrote over 200 short stories in his lifetime, winning several awards, and having many turned into movies.
Connell died of a heart attack in 1949.

4. Background
Big game hunting was prevalent in the early 1900’s. Wealthy hunters would travel all over the world to hunt exotic, big game.
This would ultimately lead to many species extinction around the world.
Hunters would take their kill and mount the animal in their homes to show their skill.

5. Big Game

6. Cossack – members of a people from southern Russia who are known for their fierceness. They are usually military warriors and some still exist today.
Usually when a male child within this group was born, a weapon was immediately put in his hand.
As soon as groups were formed, Cossacks were used for military purposes.
However, they gradually lost their power under Russian domination during the 17th and 18th centuries.

7. Cossacks

8. Plot The sequence of events in a literary work
Exposition – Introduces characters, setting, and basic situation
Rising Action – all events leading up to the climax
Complications – struggle between two opposing forces (conflict)
Climax – high point of interest or suspense
Falling Action – where all the loose ends are tied up and all complications are solved
Resolution/Denouement – a general insight (knowledge) or change is conveyed

9. PLOT CHART

10. Vocabulary Caribbean (19) Amazon (19) palpable (19) indolantly (20)
bizarre (23)
gargoyle (23)
cosmopolite (24)
debacle (25)
lascars (27)
naïve (27)
scruples (27)
blandly (29)
grotesque (29)
knouter (29)
tartar (29)
futile (31)
repast (dictionary)