The Gashlycrumb Tinies
 | |
| Author | Edward Gorey |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Edward Gorey |
| Cover artist | Edward Gorey |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Vinegar Works |
| Genre | Alphabet book |
| Published | 1963 |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| OCLC | 908411515 |
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 the children in the story 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
[edit]The book tells of the deaths of twenty-six children in thirteen rhyming dactylic couplets, accompanied by the author's distinctive black-and-white illustrations. The book incorporates several elements common to alphabet books, such as naming each child in the book after a letter in the English alphabet and including illustrations for each entry. It describes the cause of death for each child, such as being set on fire, run over by a train or attacked by wild animals.
Legacy
[edit]While reading The Gashlycrumb Tinies, Sue Grafton was inspired to write a series of crime novels with titles each starting with a letter of the alphabet.[5] The first novel was "A" Is for Alibi and the final novel before her death was "Y" Is for Yesterday.
In December 2018, satire magazine Mad ran a parody titled "The Ghastlygun Tinies" by Marc Palm and Matt Cohen. The subject is a parody of "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" themed around a school shooting. Palm and Cohen were nominated for an Eisner Award for the publication.[6][7]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ↑ Kelley, Tina (April 16, 2000). "Edward Gorey, Eerie Illustrator and Writer, 75". The New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
- 1 2 Bodmer, George R. (Fall 1989). "The Post-Modern Alphabet: Extending the Limits of the Contemporary Alphabet Book, from Seuss to Gorey". Children's Literature Association Quarterly. 14 (3). Johns Hopkins University Press: 115–117. doi:10.1353/chq.0.0838. S2CID 143221079. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
- ↑ Shortsleeve, Kevin (Spring 2002). "Edward Gorey, Children's Literature, and Nonsense Verse". Children's Literature Association Quarterly. 27 (1). Johns Hopkins University Press: 27–39. doi:10.1353/chq.0.1442. S2CID 144756269. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
- ↑ Frankel, Haskel (August 25, 1963). "Edward Gorey: Professionally Preoccupied with Death". Herald Tribune.
- ↑ "A Conversation with Sue Grafton". Sue Grafton Website. 1996. Archived from the original on December 31, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ↑ "DC Garners Twenty-Four 2019 Eisner Award Nominations". DC. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ↑ McMillan, Graeme (April 26, 2019). "Eisner Award Nominees Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
