- In full:
- James Grover Thurber
- Born:
- December 8, 1894, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
- Died:
- November 2, 1961, New York City, New York (aged 66)
James Thurber
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Who was James Thurber?
James Thurber (1894â1961) was a celebrated American writer and cartoonist known for his insightful and humorous portrayal of the modern urbanite. His work often depicted the everyday man overwhelmed by a world beyond his understanding, seeking refuge in fantasy.
Thurber's career included stints as a reporter before he joined The New Yorker in 1927 as managing editor and staff writer. His quirky, simple drawings gained recognition after appearing in Is Sex Necessary? (1929), which he co-wrote with E.B. White. His characters, including the domineering wife and the timid husband, became iconic. After leaving The New Yorker in 1933, Thurber continued to contribute to the magazine, though failing eyesight eventually forced him to give up drawing.
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What kinds of things did James Thurber write and draw?
James Thurber was an American writer and cartoonist known for his writings and drawings that depict the urban man escaping into fantasy. His work includes autobiographical pieces, short stories, fables, plays, and children's fantasies.
Thurber's friend, E.B. White, recognized the worth of his sketches and had them used as illustrations for their jointly written Is Sex Necessary? His characters - the snarling wife, her timid husband, and serene animals - became classics. Due to failing eyesight, Thurber curtailed his drawing in 1940 and had to give it up altogether by 1952.
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Why is James Thurber considered a famous cartoonist?
James Thurber is considered a famous cartoonist because his cartoons, along with his writings, depict the urban man as one who escapes into fantasy because he is befuddled and beset by a world that he neither created nor understands. His friend, the essayist E.B. White, noticed the worth of his sketches and had them used as illustrations for their jointly written Is Sex Necessary?.
After his first drawing was published in The New Yorker in 1931, his stock charactersâthe snarling wife, her timid, hapless husband, and a roster of serene, silently observing animalsâbecame classics of urban mythology. Along with others such as Charles Addams and Saul Steinberg, Thurber contributed to The New Yorker magazine and its influence spread to other publications worldwide.
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What are some of James Thurber's most well-known works?
James Thurber was a celebrated American writer and cartoonist known for his humorous exploration of the urban man navigating a confusing world.
Some of his most well-known works include Is Sex Necessary? (1929), a spoof co-written with E.B. White, and My Life and Hard Times (1933), a collection of autobiographical pieces. His short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," first published in The New Yorker in 1939, is among his best-known works. Other notable works are Fables for Our Time (1940), The Male Animal (1941), co-written with Elliott Nugent, and his children's fantasies, The 13 Clocks (1950) and The Wonderful O (1957).
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How did James Thurber's life and experiences influence his writing and cartoons?
James Thurber's life profoundly shaped his writing and cartoons. His work often depicted the urban man as lost and overwhelmed, seeking refuge in fantasy, mirroring Thurber's perception of a world beyond his control.
Experiences such as his boyhood accident that cost him the use of one eye, and his time at The New Yorker, significantly influenced his art. The accident led to failing eyesight, which later forced him to curtail his drawing and eventually give it up altogether. His association with The New Yorker helped define his urbane style, and his colleagues there were later written about in The Years with Ross.
Thurber's iconic characters, including the domineering wife and the timid husband, became classics of urban mythology. His autobiographical works, such as My Life and Hard Times, and his story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, further exemplify his whimsical yet insightful exploration of human nature.
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How has James Thurber's work impacted American literature and humor?
James Thurber, an American writer and cartoonist, significantly impacted American literature and humor through his contributions to The New Yorker magazine, where he helped define its sophisticated and witty style. His work often depicted the urban man as bewildered and overwhelmed, seeking refuge in fantasy.
Thurber's unique style, characterized by simple yet insightful appraisals of human nature, has become classic in American mythology. His legacy is marked by his distinctive characters and themes that explore the ironies and absurdities of modern life, influencing countless writers and humorists. His cartoons and writings continue to be celebrated for their wit and social commentary.
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James Thurber (born December 8, 1894, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.âdied November 2, 1961, New York City, New York) was an American writer and cartoonist, whose well-known and highly acclaimed writings and drawings picture the urban man as one who escapes into fantasy because he is befuddled and beset by a world that he neither created nor understands.
Thurber attended the Ohio State University from 1913 to 1918 and left without taking a degree. He held several newspaper jobs before going in 1926 to New York City, where he was a reporter for the Evening Post. In 1927 he joined Harold Rossâs newly established magazine, The New Yorker, as managing editor and staff writer, making a substantial contribution to setting its urbane tone. He was later to write an account of his associates there in The Years with Ross (1959).
His first published drawing in the magazine appeared in 1931. He considered himself primarily a writer and had been offhand about his sketches. But his friend, the essayist E.B. White, noticed their worth and had them used as illustrations for their jointly written Is Sex Necessary? (1929), a spoof on the then-popular earnest, pseudoscientific approach to sex. Thurberâs stock charactersâthe snarling wife, her timid, hapless husband, and a roster of serene, silently observing animalsâhave become classics of urban mythology.
After Thurber left The New Yorker staff in 1933, he remained a leading contributor. In 1940, failing eyesight, the result of a boyhood accident (he had lost use of his left eye at age 6), forced him to curtail his drawing, and by 1952 he had to give it up altogether as his blindness became nearly total.
My Life and Hard Times (1933) is a whimsical group of autobiographical pieces; a similar collection of family sketches appeared later in The Thurber Album (1952). Walter Mitty, the henpecked, daydreaming hero in the short story âThe Secret Life of Walter Mitty,â is Thurberâs quintessential urban man. That story became Thurberâs best-known. It was first published in The New Yorker in 1939 and was collected in My Worldâand Welcome to It (1942). A film version starring Danny Kaye was released in 1947, and another film adaptation, directed by and starring Ben Stiller, came out in 2013.
The stories in Thurberâs Fables for Our Time (1940) are deceptively simple and charming in style yet unflinchingly clear-sighted in their appraisal of human foibles. A play, The Male Animal (1941), written with Elliott Nugent, is a plea for academic freedom as well as a comedy. His fantasies for children, The 13 Clocks (1950) and The Wonderful O (1957), are among the most successful fairy tales of modern times. The Thurber Carnival (1945), a collection of his writings and drawings, was adapted for the stage in 1960, with Thurber playing himself. A further collection, Credos and Curios, was published posthumously in 1962.