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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No longer own (  )  Jambyfool | Jul 25, 2009 |  Amphigorey by Edward Gorey (1980) krisiti | Jul 1, 2009 | Ah, the dark absurdity of Gorey's illustrated texts! This book gathers 15 of them, originally published between '53 & '65, and a motley lot they are, from the pitiless 'Hapless Child' about golden haired Charlotte Sophia orphaned and sold to a 'drunken brute' who forces her to make paper flowers, to the innocently pornographic 'Curious Sofa' which ends in horror. Perhaps my favorite is 'The Unstrung Harp' about a writer, Mr. Earbrass, completing and publishing his novel of the same title. Midway through his opus: 'Mr. Earbrass has been rashly skimming through the early chapters, which he has not looked at for months, and now sees TUH for what it is. Dreadful, dreadful, DREADFUL. He must be mad to go on enduring the unexquisite agony of writing when it all turns out drivel. Mad. Why didn't he become a spy? How does one become one? He will burn the MS. Why is there no fire? Why aren't there the makings of one? How did he get in the unused room on the third floor?' Two of the books are wonderfully morbid abecedaires. For example, S is for Suicide: The Suicide, as she is falling, Illuminated by the moon, Regrets her act, and finds appalling The thought she will be dead so soon. maryoverton | Apr 7, 2009 | Gorey's work is singular, and singularly wonderful, but not for everyone. This collection includes "The Gashlycrumb Tinies," and "The Listing Attic," both very dark and very funny as well as 13 other sterling examples of Gorey's unique work. (  ) turtlesleap | Mar 16, 2009 | He makes me want to put on a stained and tattered taffeta dress, grab my parasol, and walk regally into the ocean. Excellent stuff. Love it! ( )1  xyliabrown | Feb 11, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com (ISBN 0399504338, Paperback)The title of this deliciously creepy collection of Gorey's work stems from the word amphigory, meaning a nonsense verse or composition. As always, Gorey's painstakingly cross- hatched pen and ink drawings are perfectly suited to his oddball verse and prose. The first book of 15, "The Unstrung Harp," describes the writing process of novelist Mr. Clavius Frederick Earbrass: "He must be mad to go on enduring the unexquisite agony of writing when it all turns out drivel." In "The Listing Attic," you'll find a set of quirky limericks such as "A certain young man, it was noted, / Went about in the heat thickly coated; / He said, 'You may scoff, / But I shan't take it off; / Underneath I am horribly bloated.' "Many of Gorey's tales involve untimely deaths and dreadful mishaps, but much like tragic Irish ballads with their perky rhythms and melodies, they come off as strangely lighthearted. "The Gashlycrumb Tinies," for example, begins like this: "A is for AMY who fell down the stairs, B is for BASIL assaulted by bears," and so on. An eccentric, funny book for either the uninitiated or diehard Gorey fans. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:05 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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