A Speculative Account (with Notes) of the Development and Initial Deployments of Shel Silverstein's Persona, Uncle Shelby, with Special Care to Articulate the Relationship of Said Persona to the Question of Shel's Ambiguous Audience(s)

Abstract

This essay articulates Shel Silverstein's "Uncle Shelby" persona, historicizing its development in his music, Playboy , and early children's books. Focusing on Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book (1961) and Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back (1963), two books that first appeared in Playboy , the essay argues that the restoration of these works to their original context—and thinking about Shelby's relationship to Playboy in general—brings to the surface textual and ideological complexities that are likely overlooked in their children's book form, just as it raises provocative questions regarding Silverstein's construction of his child audience and our construction of Silverstein himself.