The Most Dangerous Game by Connell - what's the big deal?

[Alfred001]

I'm not quite sure what the status or appraisal of this story is, but I kept reading phrases like Connell being "remembered" for this story, so I was surprised when I read it and it turned out to be dreadfully written. The prose is like out of an internet fan fiction, there are points where I almost laughed out loud.

I read a brief bio of the writer and it said that indeed he never achieved critical success. My question is why is this story such a big deal?

My guess is that its because this premise, rich guy on an island who organizes some kinda death match type competition, must have been completely new at the time. That's the only explanation I can come up with and if that indeed was the first time this premise appeared I can see how the story would have become a big deal, in spite of the poor writing.

Does anyone know what the answer is?

[Calidore]

I don't remember ever reading the story itself, but I'm sure that the fact it became an archetype has a lot to do with it. It has been directly adapted into or has inspired many movies, radio shows, and TV episodes. It's certainly possible for a good plot to survive bad prose.

[qimissung]

I've taught it numerous times to 9th graders over the years. While Connelly's no Tolstoy the story packs a satisfying emotional punch. I think it's remembered because we can see ourselvelves in both Zaroff and Rainsford and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the two.

[Alfred001]

I don't remember ever reading the story itself, but I'm sure that the fact it became an archetype has a lot to do with it. It has been directly adapted into or has inspired many movies, radio shows, and TV episodes. It's certainly possible for a good plot to survive bad prose.

There are certain plots that strike me as having possibly been variations developed off this theme. For ex. the movie Mortal Kombat, where, if I remember, a rich guy organizes a martial arts tournament on an island. There's this one bad action film I saw when I was a kid where this bunch of criminals are traped in some kind of a factory and given guns and the one who is last standing gets to walk free or something like that, and I've seen many other stories with variations on that theme.

Is it acknowladged that all these kind of plotlines evolved from The Most Dangerous Game? That it was the sole originator of this kind of concept?

[hypatia_]

There are certain plots that strike me as having possibly been variations developed off this theme. For ex. the movie Mortal Kombat, where, if I remember, a rich guy organizes a martial arts tournament on an island. There's this one bad action film I saw when I was a kid where this bunch of criminals are traped in some kind of a factory and given guns and the one who is last standing gets to walk free or something like that, and I've seen many other stories with variations on that theme.

Is it acknowladged that all these kind of plotlines evolved from The Most Dangerous Game? That it was the sole originator of this kind of concept?

I have a feeling something written in the 1920's is nowhere near the originator of the concept, though nothing specific comes to mind.