Thurber, James
Thurber, James
Bio Sketch
James Thurber (1894–1961) was an American cartoonist, humorist, and writer, best known for his work in The New Yorker magazine from the 1920s through the 1950s. Though not an architectural theorist, Thurber's journalistic pieces on modern buildings — particularly his 1931 account of visiting the Empire State Building during construction — offer an early, accessible record of the public's encounter with architectural spectacle. His writing combines observational humor with genuine curiosity about modernity's achievements.
Key Works
- "Ever Higher" (1931) — a first-person account of climbing the Empire State Building during construction, published in The New Yorker.
Key Concepts
Concepts associated with this author that have pages in this wiki:
Relevance to Geoffrey's Research
Thurber's 1931 piece provides a historical data point for understanding how iconic buildings were experienced by the public before the theoretical frameworks of spectacle (Debord) and iconic architecture (Sklair, Jencks) were developed. His deflationary, humorous tone offers a counterpoint to the grandiose claims made about iconic buildings — a useful perspective for the spectacle-vs-function debate.
Source Support
Source notes in this wiki drawn from this author's work: