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Résumé

The American James Thurber (1894-1961) wrote many fictional stories with strong biographical flavor in which he gracefully expounded real-life circumstances involving different kinds of insults and abuse, ranging from simple reproaches by familiar faces to outright aggressive remarks by total strangers. His literature shows, through the characters’ attitudes, how to cope with such situations in a dignified and respectful manner. It also shows how the world turns and how actions have consequences and how antagonizers sometimes naturally meet their comeuppance. The corpus for investigation includes the short story “The Gentleman is Cold” and the fable “The Glass in the Field.” Scientific literature concerning the dynamics of aggression and behavioral studies of perpetrators and victims shed light on the analysis. Conclusions draw near how ultimately humor and compassion are valid and fruitful ways of coping with insult and derision.