James-Thurber2汇总

JamesThurber1894---1961JamesGroverThurber詹姆斯•瑟伯Genres:shortstories,cartoons,essaysOccupation:Humorist,writer,cartoonistNationality:AmericanValuation:ThurberisgenerallyacknowledgedasthegreatestAmericanhumoristsinceMarkTwain.OutlineHisLifeandTimesCareerBibliographyevaluationThankyouHisLifeandTimesJamesThurberwasborninColumbus,Ohio.Hisfather,CharlesL.Thurber,wasaclerkandminorpolitician,whowentthroughmanyperiodsofunemployment.MaryThurber,hismother,wasastrong-mindedwomanandapracticaljoker(恶作剧者).ThurberdescribedherasaborncomedienneandoneofthefinestcomictalentsIthinkI'veeverknown.Thurberhadtwobrothers,WilliamandRobert.Once,whileplayingagame,hisbrothershotJamesintheeyewithanarrow,andThurberlostthateye.Thisinjurywouldlatercausehimtobecomealmostentirelyblind.Unableinchildhoodtoparticipateinsportsandactivitiesbecauseofhisinjury,hedevelopedacreativeimagination,whichheexpressedinhiswritings.From1913to1918,ThurberattendedTheOhioStateUniversity,wherehewasamemberofthePhiKappaPsifraternity(联谊会).HenevergraduatedfromtheuniversitybecausehispooreyesightpreventedhimfromtakingamandatoryROTC(后备军官训练)course.In1995hewasposthumously(于死后)awardedadegree.From1918to1920,atthecloseofWorldWarI,ThurberworkedasacodeclerkfortheDepartmentofState,firstinWashington,D.C.,andthenattheEmbassy(大使馆)oftheUnitedStates,Paris,France.AfterthisThurberreturnedtoColumbus,wherehebeganhiswritingcareerasareporterfortheColumbusDispatchfrom1921to1924.Duringpartofthistime,hereviewedcurrentbooks,films,andplaysinaweeklycolumncalled“CredosandCurios,”atitlethatlaterwouldbegiventoaposthumouscollectionofhiswork.ThurberalsoreturnedtoParisinthisperiod,wherehewrotefortheChicagoTribune(论坛)andothernewspapers.In1925,ThurbermovedtoGreenwichVillageinNewYorkCity,gettingajobasareporterfortheNewYorkEveningPost.HejoinedthestaffofTheNewYorkerin1927asaneditor,withthehelpofE.B.White,hisfriendandfellowNewYorkercontributor.Hiscareerasacartoonistbeganin1930afterWhitefoundsomeofThurber‘sdrawingsinatrashcan(垃圾桶)andsubmittedthemforpublication;ThurbercontributedbothhiswritingsandhisdrawingstoTheNewYorkeruntilthe1950s.MovetoNewYorkThurberwasmarriedtwice.In1922,ThurbermarriedAltheaAdams.ThemarriagewastroubledandendedindivorceinMay1935.TheyhadadaughterRosemarytogether,andlivedinFairfieldCounty,Connecticut.ThurberremarriedinJune1935toHelenWismer.Hewasagreatloverofdogs,andcompetedwidelyindogshowswithseveralpoodles(贵宾犬).Hediedin1961,attheageof66,duetocomplications(并发症)frompneumonia,whichfolloweduponastroke(中风)sufferedathishome.Hislastwords,asidefromtherepeatedwordGod,wereGodbless...Goddamn,accordingtoHelenThurber.MarriageandfamilyEstablishedin1997,theannualThurberPrizehonorsoutstandingexamplesofAmericanhumor.In2008,TheLibraryofAmericaselectedThurber’sstory,“ASortofGenius,”firstpublishedinTheNewYorker,forinclusioninitstwo-centuryretrospective(回顾展)ofAmericanTrueCrime.TwoofhisresidenceshavebeenlistedontheU.S.NationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces:hischildhoodThurberHouseinOhioandtheSanford-Curtis-ThurberHouseinFairfieldCounty,Connecticut.LegacyandhonorsUniquelyamongmajorAmericanliteraryfigures,hebecameequallywellknownforhissimple,surrealistic(超现实主义的)drawingsandcartoons.Bothhisskillswerehelpedalongbythesupportof,andcollaborationwith,fellowNewYorkerstaffmemberE.B.White,whoinsistedthatThurber‘ssketchescouldstandontheirownasartisticexpressions.Thurberdrewsixcoversandnumerousclassicillustrations(插图)forTheNewYorker.CareerwriterManyofhisshortstoriesarehumorousfictionalmemoirsfromhislife,buthealsowrotedarkermaterial,suchasTheWhip-Poor-Will,astoryofmadnessandmurder.Hisbest-knownshortstoriesareTheDogThatBitPeopleandTheNighttheBedFell;theycanbefoundinMyLifeandHardTimes,thecreativemixofautobiographyandfictionwhichwashisbreak-outbook.AmonghisotherclassicsareTheSecretLifeofWalterMitty,TheCatbirdSeat,ACoupleofHamburgers,TheGreatestManintheWorldandIfGrantHadBeenDrinkingatAppomattox.TheMiddle-AgedManontheFlyingTrapezehasseveralshortstorieswithatenseundercurrentofmaritaldiscord.Thebookwaspublishedtheyearofhisdivorceandremarriage.Inadditiontohisotherfiction,Thurberwroteoverseventy-fivefables,mostofwhichwerecollectedinFablesforOurTime&FamousPoemsIllustrated(1940)andFurtherFablesforOurTime(1956).Thesewereshort,featuredanthropomorphicanimalsasmaincharacters,andendedwithamoralasatagline.Anexceptiontothisformatwashismostfamousfable,TheUnicornintheGarden,whichfeaturedanall-humancastexceptfortheunicorn,whichdidn'tspeak.Thurber'sfablesweresatirical,andthemoralsservedaspunchlinesratherthanadvicetothereader.Hisstoriesalsoincludedseveralbook-lengthfairytales,suchasTheWhiteDeer(1945),The13Clocks(1950)andTheWonderfulO(1957).ThelatterwasoneofseveralofThurber'sworksillustratedbyMarcSimont.CartoonistWhileThurberdrewhiscartoonsintheusualfashioninthe1920sand1930s,hisfailingeyesightlaterrequiredchanges.Hedrewthemonverylargesheetsofpaperusingathickblackcrayon(蜡笔)(oronblackpaperusingwhitechalk).Regardlessofmethod,hiscartoonsbecameasnotedashiswritings;theypossessedaneerie(怪异的),wobblyfeelthatseemstomirrorhisidiosyncratic(特