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