I was intrigued to learn in class that Gorey was not particularly fond of children, but I cannot say I was surprised. This distaste is abundantly clear in “The Gashlycrumb Tinies”, which depict the imminent deaths of small children to the tune of a whimsical nursery rhyme. The Tinies echo several facets of traditional children’s literature – the rhyme is one such feature, alongside the alphabetical structure and the illustration style.
Another book which channels elements of conventional children’s literature is “The Bug Book”, a short graphic novel that tells the story of a community of fun-loving bugs who violently and abruptly dispose of a mean, disruptive intruder. The “Book” reads like a child’s book – full of color, merriment, and innocence – until the climax, which is decidedly macabre.
What Gorey does in these two collections, and indeed, what I believe he intended to do in creating them, is pervert children’s literature. He purposefully crafts stories that are thematically or cosmetically comparable to children’s stories, only to flip the script and introduce his signature morbidity into an otherwise light-hearted piece. His disdain for youth is manifest here; Gorey lets us know, in no uncertain terms, how he feels about children’s literature.
