Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to story telling -- in prose and in poetry, in art and in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books
Today is the story of Dec. 8th
___________________________________________________________________________
It is the 342nd day of the year, leaving 23 days remaining in 2022.
He told his stories in a whimsical fashion, with a befuddled character (usually male, sometimes autobiographical) taking off on a flight of fantasy over his mundane life. Sometimes, he told satirical fables with anthropomorphic characters and a moral. He also drew simple if peculiar cartoons, befitting the early days of The New Yorker magazine.
He wrote mostly short stories, first published in The New Yorker, and later collected in volumes or anthologies, Several have been adapted for the stage and screen.
Perhaps his best known tale, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, first published in 1939, was adapted twice: first in 1947, starring Danny Kate, and then in 2013, with Ben Stiller in the title role. The story tells the tale of a timid, henpecked husband who retreats into fantasies while on a shopping trip with his wife.
Indeed, several of Thurber's tales have similar characters -- the shy if meticulous man, and a domineering, ineffective woman. In 1942, he published The Catbird Seat, about Mr. Martin, a fussy office clerk whose work is turned upside down by a female associate. It tells how Mr. Martin turned the tables.
A 1941 story, The Male Animal, shows a rare foray into politics, telling the tale of a college professor who wants to use an unpopular speech on a controversial topic as a way to portray persuasive writing techniques.
Thurber died in 1961
No comments:
Post a Comment