''The Gashlycrumb Tinies: or, After the Outing'' is an
alphabet book
An alphabet book is a type of children's book giving basic instruction in an alphabet. Intended for young children, alphabet books commonly use pictures, simple language and alliteration to aid language learning. Alphabet books are published ...
written by
Edward Gorey
Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an Americans, American writer, Tony Award-winning costume designer, and artist, noted for his own illustrated books as well as cover art and illustration for books by other w ...
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
and is the most notorious amongst his roughly half-dozen mock alphabets.
It has been described as a "sarcastic rebellion against a view of childhood that is sunny, idyllic, and instructive".
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.
Gorey has stated the book to be inspired by “those 19th century cautionary tales, I guess, though my book is punishment without misbehavior.”
[Haskel Frankel, “Edward Gorey: Professionally Preoccupied with Death,” Herald Tribune, August 25, 1963]
Description
The book, an
abecedarium
An abecedarium (also known as an abecedary or ABCs or simply an ABC) is an inscription consisting of the letters of an alphabet, almost always listed in order. Typically, abecedaria (or abecedaries) are practice exercises.
Non-Latin alphabe ...
, tells of the deaths of twenty-six children, and is told in thirteen rhyming
dactylic couplets, accompanied by the author's distinctive black-and-white illustrations. The book incorporates several elements from
alphabet books
An alphabet book is a type of children's book giving basic instruction in an alphabet. Intended for young children, alphabet books commonly use pictures, simple language and alliteration to aid language learning. Alphabet books are published ...
(such as having each child in the book named after a letter in the English alphabet, and having each entry illustrated), and appends a cause of death for each child, such as being set on fire, being run over by a train or being attacked by wild animals.
See also
* ''
Cautionary Tales for Children
''Cautionary Tales for Children: Designed for the Admonition of Children between the ages of eight and fourteen years'' is a 1907 children's book written by Hilaire Belloc. It is a parody of the cautionary tales that were popular in the 19th centu ...
''
* ''
A Series of Unfortunate Events
''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' is a series of thirteen children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The books follow the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. After their p ...
''
References
External links
Worldcat listing for ''The Gashlycrumb Tinies''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gashlycrumb Tinies, The
1963 children's books
Alphabet books
American picture books
Black comedy books
Books by Edward Gorey