Summary
Last Updated on May 7, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 148
In his foreword to The Thirteen Clocks, Thurber says that he wrote the story in a fit of escapism and self-indulgence, but then also says, "Unless modem Man wanders down these byways occasionally, I do not see how he can hope to preserve his sanity."
The Thirteen Clocks is a...
(The entire section contains 148 words.)
See This Study Guide Now
Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this study guide. You'll also get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.
Already a member? Log in here.
In his foreword to The Thirteen Clocks, Thurber says that he wrote the story in a fit of escapism and self-indulgence, but then also says, "Unless modem Man wanders down these byways occasionally, I do not see how he can hope to preserve his sanity."
The Thirteen Clocks is a delightful fairy tale filled with magic and absurdity, swordplay and wordplay. In this fantasy, the invincible prince, Zorn of Zorna, rescues Saralinda, a radiant princess, from the cold-hearted Duke who stole her when she was a baby. Within this light-hearted story is a serious moral lesson. There are coldhearted forces in the real world that, like the evil Duke, try to grasp power by belittling love and imagination, self-indulgence and escapism. Thurber wants to release the reader from those forces into simple mental recreation. This tale opens the byways of play and turns the reader loose upon them.
