American writer and cartoonist, who dealt with the frustrations of modern world. Thurber's best-known characters are Walter Mitty, his snarling wife, and silently observing animals. His stories have influenced later writers, such as Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller. Thurber is generally acknowledged as the greatest American humorist since Mark Twain (1835-1910).

Websites

Books and Writers

Walter Mitty

Several critics mention Thurber's Walter Mitty when writing about Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon.

Walter Mitty appears in the short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, written by humorist James Thurber and published in The New Yorker in 1939. Mitty is a meek and henpecked husband who daydreams of being a daring surgeon, heroic pilot and dashing naval commander ("Throw on the power lights! Rev her up to 8500! We're going through!"). The story was a mere 2100 words long, but the character struck a chord and "Walter Mitty" has become popular shorthand for any timid soul who dreams of a more dashing life. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was made into a 1947 film with Danny Kaye as Mitty.

---