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The Gashlycrumb Tinies, After the Outing – An A-Z

By October 11, 2015February 21st, 2018Children's Literature

Have you ever heard of The Gashlycrumb Tinies?
I came across the images by accident and was instantly enraptured. They appeal to my macabre sense of humour and are beautifully drawn, so I went to find out where they’d come from.
Written by Edward Gorey After the Outing  was  published in 1963 and tells the tale of 26 children (each representing a letter of the alphabet) and their untimely deaths in typical A-Z rhyming couplet format.  It tells the taleof each of the children’s untimely and often rather gruesome death but somehow the feel of the book isn’t at all horrifying but in fact, rather fun. You may find yourselves smiling at the most inappropriate of times as you read of the passing of these ficticious youngsters. I know I did.

A is For Amy

Who fell down the stairs

B is for Basil

assaulted by bears.

C is for Clara

who wasted away

D is for Desmond

Thrown out of a sleigh

E is for Ernest

who choked on a peach

F is for Fanny

sucked dry by a leech

G is for George

smothered under a rug

H is for Hector

done in by a thug

I is for Ida

who drowned in a lake

J is for James

who took lye by mistake

K is for Kate

who was struck with an axe

L is for Leo

who swallowed some tacks

M is for Maud

who was swept out to sea

N is for Neville

who died of ennui

And that is where we leave our Gashlycrumb children. If you want to find out what happened to Titus, or if Zillah manages to beat the odds and escape with her life, you’ll have to read the book.

The Gashlycrumb Tinies – After The Outing

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