Stephen Reynolds

Biography

Stephen Sydney Reynolds was born on May 16, 1881 in Devizes, Wiltshire, the oldest child of Frank and Clara Williams. Reynolds struggled to connect with his father as a child, and his mother died when he was only ten years old, leading to a troubled youth. Nevertheless, Reynolds excelled at Devizes College and All Saints’ School; he was head boy his final year. After Devizes College, he studied chemistry at Owens College from 1899 to 1902, but health problems (such as tuberculosis) hindered his progress, meaning that he only received a third-class degree. Reynolds then decided to move to Paris to study at the École des Mines and write for the Weekly Critical Review. Unfortunately, his poor health and financial situation forced him to move back to England. In August of 1906, Reynolds met up with his dear friend Robert William Woolley, who was a writer and a fisherman, in Sidmouth. After their meeting, Reynolds decided to move to Sidmouth and live with Woolley and Woolley’s family, in poverty, from 1907 until nearly the end of his life. Reynolds was homosexual and never married, but did find a partner in Harry Paynter. Reynolds, like Woolley, was a fisherman and was extremely involved in the politics of the fishing community. He worked as fisheries adviser to the development commission, and as resident fisheries inspector for the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Although Reynolds was extremely influential in the fishing community, he had a great impact on English literature as well. Reynolds was well connected with the literary elite. Some of his closest friends and advisers were Joseph Conrad, David Garnett, and Ford Madox Ford. There was a feeling of mutual admiration between them, despite some infrequent misunderstandings. Joseph Conrad called A Poor Man’s House “a book for which one seems to have waited all the time” (Scoble). Even after a disagreement over proper payment (Reynolds worked as his secretary for a short period of time), Ford Madox Ford referred to Reynolds’ early death “as the greatest loss that has befallen English literature for many years” (Osborne 59). Many critics also consider Reynolds’ works as “prefiguring Orwell” (Osborne 63). Thus, Reynolds not only influenced his contemporaries, but his literary predecessors as well.

Personal experience heavily influenced Reynolds’ writing. For example, his book A Poor Man’s House describes the living conditions and personal experiences of the Woolleys and himself whilst living in Sidmouth. In this book, Reynolds critiques the “Fabian social reform, which destroyed the resilience of working people by forcing middle-class values upon them” (Scoble). Another example of personal life influencing Reynolds’ writing is his love for his Great Dane Margot. David Garnett wrote in his book, Great Friends, about how Reynolds would get embarrassed when Margot stole “meat from the nearby butchers’ shops” (Osborne 61). Knowing that Margot was Reynolds’ dog is particularly useful for readers of the short story, “A Dog’s Life” published in the second volume of The Open Window. This piece is addressed to a Great Dane named Margot from the perspective of its owner. Readers should approach the short story as autobiographical (at least partially) and give special attention to the speaker. In addition, the ending “P.S. – Margot ate the pups.” is very surprising and characteristic of the modernist short story because readers are left wanting more. The postscript adds more than shock-value to the end of the story; there could be real truth behind it. Reading about Reynolds’ fights with his father and his mother’s early death also brings some clarity to “A Dog’s Life” because the speaker tells Margot that she will pilot him into heaven. If readers look at the story autobiographically, then it makes sense that his dog would pilot him in because his relationship with his father was volatile and his relationship with his mother was short-lived. Margot seems to have provided much needed love and support not only to the speaker in the short story, but also to Reynolds in his everyday life.