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James Thurber: Master of Illusion
During the early twentieth century, American writers became known for their humor. ... James Thurber was thought to have been one of the greatest American humorists since Twain. Thurber’s writing is full of charm, sophistication, and wit. ... Unlike the other writers of his time, however, Thurber does not write about the appalling things happening in the world at the time, such as World War I, World War II, the Great Depression, etc (Morsberger 613). On the contrary, Thurber’s writing is on the humorous side, poking fun at various amusing topics, which include “man’s oddities and the ongoing sex war” (613). ... In “The Catbird Seat” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” James Thurber uses illusion in different forms to present the themes of each story.
James Thurber’s biography starts when he was born in Columbus, Ohio to Charles Leander and Mary Agnes Thurber on December 8, 1894 (Morsberger 604). ... His mother’s wit and resolute ideas were evidently contagious, and James picked them up when he was a child. ... When Thurber was six, he was playing William Tell with his older brother (Kinney 44). ... Somehow, the disease stopped itself, and Thurber was blessed with forty more years of sight. However, Thurber began to have blurred vision in the late 1930s, and in 1941, he had a series of five operations. ... Thurber did not fight in World War I because of his vision. ... In 1927, Thurber moved to New York City where he began to write for The New Yorker (Kinney 43). Writing for this newspaper was where Thurber became famous for his wit and humor (Kinney 43). ... From this point on, James Thurber actively wrote until his death in 1961 (Kinney 44).
In James Thurber’s stories and essays, he has a style unlike any other writer. ... In “The Catbird Seat” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” Thurber relates the events in a calm manner so that the reader perceives it to be ordinary behavior. ... In many of his works, Thurber often focused on the ongoing sex war that is taking place at the time (Kinney 48). ... “The Catbird Seat” is one of the only exceptions to this “Thurber Rule” (Kinney 48). ... Unlike the other humorists who focused on these same topics at the same time, Thurber does not use bitter and cold remarks.
Approximate Word count = 1958
Approximate Pages = 7.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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