First published in The New Yorker‘s September 29, 1945 issue, The Princess And The Tin Box is a short story by James Thurber that popped up onto my radar screen today. The screen read “fairy tale.” But, the more I think about it, the more I think The Princess And The Tin Box is actually more fable than straight-up fairy tale. Still, fairy tales and fables do go hand-in-hand, skipping through the minefield of morality (that’s just over the knolls of neurosis and just through the copse of everlasting obscuration). Either way both types of stories play upon our expectations. That’s the thing, in a realm where anything can happen, you’re supposed to be a wise reader if you’ll pause, every so often, and drop a metaphorically indigestible breadcrumb, making especially sure to take note of precisely where you placed it.
Posted by Jesse Willis