The Gashlycrumb Tinies
The Gashlycrumb Tinies: or, After the Outing is an alphabet book written by Edward Gorey that was first published in 1963 as the first of a collection of short stories called The Vinegar Works, the eleventh work by Gorey. The book tells the tale of 26 children (each representing a letter of the alphabet) and their untimely deaths. It is one of Edward Gorey's best-known books,[1] and is the most notorious amongst his roughly half-dozen mock alphabets.[2] It has been described as a "sarcastic rebellion against a view of childhood that is sunny, idyllic, and instructive".[2] The morbid humor of the book comes in part from the mundane ways in which children die, such as falling down the stairs or choking on a peach. Far from illustrating the dramatic and fantastical childhood nightmares, these scenarios instead poke fun at the banal paranoias that come as a part of parenting.[3]
Gorey has stated the book to be inspired by “those 19th century cautionary tales, I guess, though my book is punishment without misbehavior.”[4]
Description
The book consists of the deaths of twenty-six children, told in thirteen rhyming dactylic couplets, accompanied by the author's distinctive black-and-white illustrations. It incorporates several elements from the Alphabet book, having each child in the book named after a letter in the English alphabet, and having each entry illustrated, and the cautionary tale, having tropes such as being set on fire or being attacked by wild animals.
Legacy
The Los Angeles horror band Creature Feature released a song entitled "A Gorey Demise" (a direct reference to Edward Gorey) that mimics the poem, using the same structure and concept of people dying in different ways.
Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events has stated this to be one of his favorite books, even being one of his primary inspirations.
References
- Tina Kelley (2000-04-16). "Edward Gorey, Eerie Illustrator And Writer, 75". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
- Bodmer, George R. (1989). "The Post-Modern Alphabet: Extending the Limits of the Contemporary Alphabet Book, from Seuss to Gorey". Children's Literature Association Quarterly. Project MUSE. 14 (3): 115–117. doi:10.1353/chq.0.0838. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
- Shortsleeve, Kevin (2000-04-15). "Edward Gorey, Children's Literature, and Nonsense Verse". Children's Literature Association Quarterly. Project MUSE. 27: 27–39. doi:10.1353/chq.0.1442. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
- Haskel Frankel, “Edward Gorey: Professionally Preoccupied with Death,” Herald Tribune, August 25, 1963