# A Personal Insult explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by O. Henry.

## What happens

A young woman in Houston becomes engaged to a famous Texas baseball shortstop, but he breaks the engagement after she gives him a beautifully bound edition of Coleridge's 'The Ancient Mariner' for his birthday. The shortstop, unable to appreciate the literary gift, insults the poem and throws the book out the window, declaring he won't be treated that way.

## Themes in this chapter

### Humor and Irony

The irony of a baseball player rejecting a classic poem as an insult highlights the clash between high culture and popular sports.

## Key lines

> What’s dis bloomin’ stuff about, anyways?

What is this nonsense about?

_The shortstop's dismissive reaction to the poem._

> No Texas sis can gimme de umpire face like dat. I swipes nine daisy cutters outer ten dat comes in my garden, I do.

No Texas girl can give me that kind of insult. I hit nine out of ten pitches that come my way.

_The shortstop's boastful and offended response._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/a-personal-insult
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters