The Wonderful O
Encyclopedia
The Wonderful O is the last of James Thurber
’s 5 short-book fairy tales for children. See also Many Moons
, (1943) The Great Quillow (1944), The White Deer
(1945), The 13 Clocks
(1950). It was published in 1957 by Hamish Hamilton / Simon Schuster. Thurber died in 1961.
As well as constant, complex wordplay, Thurber uses other literary devices such as frequent internal meter or rhythmic prose, near-poetry, puns, literary allusions (e.g to wandering minstrels) and thus creates a humorous satire involving loss, love and freedom. The Wonderful O uses a form of constrained writing
or lipogram
where the letter O is omitted at the demands of the villains.
“I’ll build you a better man of firmer flesh and all complete, from hairy head to metatarsal feet, using A’s and I’s and U’s and E’s with muscular arms and flexible knees; eyes and ears and lids and lips, neck and chest and breast and hips; … ”
It was one of several of Thurber's works illustrated by his friend and frequent illustrator Marc Simont
after Thurber went blind during the 1950s.
The 2009 reprint by The New York Review Children's Collection, has the original illustrations by Marc Simont.
The Penguin
edition (1962) was joined with the 13 Clocks and both stories were illustrated by Ronald Searle
.
Constrained writing is taken to extreme forms by the French group Oulipo
which began in 1960. An example is the book 'A Void' which excludes the letter 'e' and is a translation of the French original which also excludes that letter.
James Thurber
James Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...
’s 5 short-book fairy tales for children. See also Many Moons
Many Moons
Many Moons is a children's picture book written by James Thurber and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. It was published by Harcourt, Brace & Company in 1943 and won the Caldecott Medal in 1944. Princess Lenore becomes ill, and only one thing will make her better: the moon...
, (1943) The Great Quillow (1944), The White Deer
The White Deer
The White Deer is a 96-page children's novel written by James Thurber in 1945. It is a fairy tale about the quest of the three sons of King Clode who are set perilous tasks to win the heart and hand of a princess without her memories who had once been a beautiful white deer....
(1945), The 13 Clocks
The 13 Clocks
The 13 Clocks is a fantasy tale written by James Thurber in 1950 in Bermuda, while he was completing one of his other novels. It is written in a unique cadenced style, in which a mysterious prince must complete a seemingly impossible task to free a maiden from the clutches of an evil duke...
(1950). It was published in 1957 by Hamish Hamilton / Simon Schuster. Thurber died in 1961.
As well as constant, complex wordplay, Thurber uses other literary devices such as frequent internal meter or rhythmic prose, near-poetry, puns, literary allusions (e.g to wandering minstrels) and thus creates a humorous satire involving loss, love and freedom. The Wonderful O uses a form of constrained writing
Constrained writing
Constrained writing is a literary technique in which the writer is bound by some condition that forbids certain things or imposes a pattern.Constraints are very common in poetry, which often requires the writer to use a particular verse form....
or lipogram
Lipogram
A lipogram is a kind of constrained writing or word game consisting of writing paragraphs or longer works in which a particular letter or group of letters is avoided — usually a common vowel, and frequently "E", the most common letter in the English language.Writing a lipogram is a trivial task...
where the letter O is omitted at the demands of the villains.
“I’ll build you a better man of firmer flesh and all complete, from hairy head to metatarsal feet, using A’s and I’s and U’s and E’s with muscular arms and flexible knees; eyes and ears and lids and lips, neck and chest and breast and hips; … ”
It was one of several of Thurber's works illustrated by his friend and frequent illustrator Marc Simont
Marc Simont
Marc Simont is an artist, political cartoonist, and illustrator of more than a hundred children's books. Marc, inspired by his father, Spanish painter Joseph Simont, began drawing at a very young age. Mr...
after Thurber went blind during the 1950s.
The 2009 reprint by The New York Review Children's Collection, has the original illustrations by Marc Simont.
The Penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
edition (1962) was joined with the 13 Clocks and both stories were illustrated by Ronald Searle
Ronald Searle
Ronald William Fordham Searle, CBE, RDI, is a British artist and cartoonist, best known as the creator of St Trinian's School. He is also the co-author of the Molesworth series....
.
Constrained writing is taken to extreme forms by the French group Oulipo
Oulipo
Oulipo is a loose gathering of French-speaking writers and mathematicians which seeks to create works using constrained writing techniques. It was founded in 1960 by Raymond Queneau and François Le Lionnais...
which began in 1960. An example is the book 'A Void' which excludes the letter 'e' and is a translation of the French original which also excludes that letter.
Reviews
- "Linguistic romp with an important lesson at its heart". (London Review of Books )
- "A tale of loss, liberty and language laced with typical Thurberian wit". (London Review of Books )
- "The period coloured illustrations add to the charm to make a very inviting book". (School Librarian)
Sources
- Penguin (Puffin) 1962 ISBN- 0140301801
- New York Review Childrens’ Collection (2009) ISBN-10: 1590173090
- Brian Attebery, The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature, ISBN 0-253-35665-2 (1980)