A “shaggy dog story” is any narrative that features a lot of build-up and action, only to end in an anticlimax, usually making the story ironic or meaningless.
Shaggy dog stories take advantage of your expectations. Normally, a narrative with so much build-up should end with an appropriately big pay-off. It takes that preconception and turns it upside down to shock you, for either a humorous or serious effect.
Origins of the Shaggy Dog Story
Originally, the shaggy dog story started out as a type of joke that involved a long-winded story that ended with an underwhelming climax. The teller either fulfills the listener’s expectations in some unexpected way, or not at all. The humor of it is contained in the narrative and how long the teller holds the audience’s attention before delivering the insufficient punchline.
It’s not clear why this type of joke was coined as a “shaggy dog story.” Allegedly, it all started with a joke that rambled on about a dog’s uncommon shagginess, only to be entered in a contest for shaggy dogs and told by the judge that it wasn’t “that shaggy.” The original joke is also hard to pinpoint, as many versions of it claim to be the original.
Whether as a joke or as a form of storytelling, the shaggy dog story works in the same way: a basic premise, a long build-up, and a deliberately inadequate ending.
Examples of Shaggy Dog Stories
I’ve compiled a list of examples to give you a better idea of what a shaggy dog story is. They’re taken from many sources, including literature, movies, and TV series.
Spoilers ahead! Since shaggy dog stories focus on story endings, I will be including my examples’ endings here. Read at your own risk.
1. The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
In the book, the protagonist entertains his companions with a tale of a child born with a golden screw for a belly button, who then goes on a journey to find out why he was born that way. His journey takes a whole page and ends with him finding a screwdriver that fits his screw, uses it… and then his butt falls off.
2. “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
In this short story, a poor couple borrows their rich friend’s expensive necklace to wear for a party. Unfortunately, they lose it while enjoying themselves. Keeping the loss a secret, they take out a harsh loan and buy an identical necklace, spending the next 20 years working like slaves to pay off the loan. In the end, they learn that the original necklace was costume jewelry worth only a few coins.
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones spends the whole film fighting against the Nazis over the Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis still get to the ark first, only to be destroyed by its power. Indy could have done nothing and the movie would have still ended the same way.
4. Avengers: Infinity War
In this film, the big fight at the end sees Scarlet Witch being forced to destroy the Mind Stone and her lover with it, to prevent Thanos from completing the Infinity Stones. But Thanos simply rewinds time before Vision is destroyed and takes the Mind stone, rendering Scarlet Witch’s efforts useless.
5. Courage the Cowardly Dog
In the episode “Little Muriel,” Courage has to cook 3-year-old Muriel some macaroni and cheese. Every time he does, Muriel either says there’s too much or too little of each. At the seventh try, Muriel declares the food perfect, only to swat it at Courage’s face and say she didn’t even like macaroni and cheese!
6. Ed, Edd, and Eddy
In the episode “Who, What, Where, Ed!”, the three Eds decide to get an egg and raise their own chicken. After much effort, they finally manage to find an egg, only for Ed to break it, thinking he has to free the chick inside.
Shaggy Dog Storytelling
Though shaggy dog stories often have humorous effects, they can also be used in creating serious situations that demonstrate the futility of an action or thought. When used this way, our efforts and the cruel ironies of life are highlighted.
For example, in the movie Shaft, a detective does everything he can to put a racist murderer in jail. As the murderer is being escorted to his trial, his victim’s mother guns him down, undermining Shaft’s efforts.
When used well in comedy, shaggy dog stories serve to break patterns, leaving you to wonder what’s next. They’re most often used to create unforeseen plot twists or enhance parodical situations.
Either way, shaggy dog stories are a great way to bring an element of excitement and uncertainty to your works. Just make sure not to overuse it, or you run the risk of frustrating your readers.
Do you have any favorite shaggy dog stories? Share them in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- The MacGuffin: What It Is and How to Spot One
- 17 of the Most Common Literary Devices Every Reader and Writer Should Know
- Chekhov’s Gun: The Art of Foreshadowing
- Elements of Suspense that Will Keep Your Readers Hooked
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
