Edgar Rice Burroughs & Had I But Known

Women mystery writers were not the only ones to subscribe to the Had I But Known school of storytelling. Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) was a subscriber, too. I found that out while reading his Moon Trilogy late last year. The first example below is less overt. The second leaves no doubt as to Burroughs' HIBK status:

In The Moon Maid, Julian paroles Orthis, his once and future enemy, on board their rocketship bound for Mars. In case you don't know that something bad is going to happen as a result, Julian tells you: "Would to God that instead of freeing him I had drawn my revolver and shot him through the heart!" (Ace Books, n.d., p. 44)

In the sequel The Moon Men, bad neighbor Johansen rats on Julian and his family. Or-tis, descended from Orthis, comes and searches their home. As he is searching, Julian considers the reasons for Johansen's betrayal. He thinks he has it figured out, but, alas, he hasn't. He cries out in his mind: "God, had I but known his real reason!" (Ace Books, n.d., p. 50)

I have a feeling that Had I But Known appears a lot in fiction, probably in non-fiction, too. In the hands of a more subtle author, it might be called foreshadowing. The less subtle author essentially follows the title of Ogden Nash's poem: "Don't Guess, Let Me Tell You" (1940).

Illustration by Mahlon Blaine (1894-1969).

Original text copyright 2022 Terence E. Hanley