The Catbird Seat

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber

• Thurber’s best-known short story that features a male protagonist who escapes his nagging wife and mundane life through daydreaming about himself as the hero of exhilarating adventures
• Published in 1939, this story’s depiction of male and female dynamics shares many similarities with “The Catbird Seat,” which was published three years later.

Remember Laughter: A Life of James Thurber

• a biography by Neil A. Graur that connects Thurber’s life experiences with the sense of humor conveyed in his writings and drawings

“My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning

• Although published a century before “The Catbird Seat,” Browning’s poem shares striking similarities with Thurber’s short story, such as power dynamics based on gender and a paranoid male main character with murderous intentions.

Other Student Resources

James Thurber: The Life and Hard Times (2000)

• a documentary film on the life of Thurber and his work as both a writer and cartoonist

Watch Terrified Men Learn to Deal with Women in the Workforce During WWII

• a brief video that shows the patronizing attitudes male supervisors had towards women entering the workforce
• The article below the video provides statistics on the changes in the percentage of women in the workplace throughout the 1940s.

Women of the WWII Workforce: Photos Show the Real-Life Rosie the Riveters

• This 15-photo slideshow depicts women at work in factories and other war-support jobs.

James Thurber Cartoons

• Gallery of cartoons by Thurber that showcases the simple line drawings Thurber was known for. Many of the drawings exhibit common themes such as family life, male-female dynamics, and animals.

Teacher Resources

James Thurber: American Writer and Cartoonist

• This Encyclopedia Britannica article covers highlights of Thurber’s life and career, briefly discussing his most well-known works and the common themes they shared.

“Humor at First Sight” as James Thurber’s art is celebrated for his 125th birthday

• Library of America interview with Michael J. Rosen that discusses and analyzes Thurber’s work as a cartoonist and its overlap with his writing