Theodor Geisel: A Portrait of the Man Who Became Dr. Seuss (Lives and Legacies Series) - Hardcover

Pease, Donald E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195323025 ISBN 13: 9780195323023

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2010

Synopsis

Dr. Seuss's infectious rhymes, fanciful creatures, and roundabout plots not only changed the way children read but imagined the world. And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, Green Eggs and Ham,The Cat and the Hat, these and other classics have sold hundreds of millions of copies and entertained children and adults for decades.

After graduating from Dartmouth, Theodor Geisel used his talents as an ad-man, political provocateur, and social satirist, gradually but irrevocably turning to children's books. Theodor Geisel tells the unlikely story of this remarkable transformation. In this compact and engrossing biography, Donald Pease reveals the evolution of Dr. Seuss's creative persona while offering an honest appraisal of his life. The book also features many of Dr. Seuss's lesser-known illustrations, including college drawings, insecticide ads, and wartime political cartoons--all of which offer a glimpse of his early artistic style and the visual origins of the more famous creatures that later populated his children's books.

As Pease traces the full arc of Dr. Seuss's prolific career, he combines close textual readings of many of Dr. Seuss's works with a unique look at their genesis to shed new light on the enduring legacy of America's favorite children's book author.

About this title

About the Author

Donald Pease is Professor of English, Comparative Literature, and African-American Literature at Dartmouth, the Avalon Foundation Chair of the Humanities, the Founding Director of the Futures of American Studies Institute at Dartmouth, and the Chair of the Dartmouth Liberal Studies Program.

Reviews

A celebrated academic and authority on Geisel's work, Pease presents a comprehensive look into the life of the artist and author best known as Dr. Seuss. Born into a prominent German family and raised in Springfield, Mass., young Geisel demonstrated his linguistic creativity early on, mixing German and English to create nonsense names for toys and imaginary animals; he also drew cartoons on the walls in every room of his childhood home, improbably encouraged by his mother. As a student at Dartmouth, Geisel had limited enthusiasm for his studies, but fell in love with the Jack-O-Lantern, the college newspaper he wrote for and edited. It was at the Jack-O-Lantern Geisel would develop the whimsical Dr. Seuss persona that would define his profession and, to a great extent, his life. On a tour of Geisel's prolific career (he was, among other roles, an advertiser and political cartoonist), Pease analyzes the appeal and impact of Geisel's game-changing children's books (The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, etc.) clearly and succinctly; the intricacies of Geisel's tumultuous personal life provide a sobering counterpart. B&W photos.
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Pease terms this entry in the Lives and Legacies series a modest effort to explore the relationship between Dr. Seuss’ art and Geisel’s life. Despite its slim size, the biography offers a succinct, thoroughly researched, and engaging introduction to one of children’s literature’s most influential creators. Illustrated with photos and nicely reproduced artwork, the chapters begin with a nuanced look at Geisel’s boyhood, citing real-life objects and events that influenced his later works. Well-chosen anecdotes deliver a sense of Geisel’s sly humor: as his career was taking off, he planted a rumor that Dr. Seuss was an armless man who drew with his toes. Pease also addresses personal tragedies head-on: Geisel’s first wife’s suicide note is printed in full. Irreverent quotes from children’s literature commentators add context and liveliness, such as poet Karla Kuskin’s remark that Geisel’s creatures had a smile that you might find on a Mona Lisa after her first martini. The result is a smoothly integrated portrait that humanizes an American icon and will appeal to casual readers and researchers alike. --Gillian Engberg

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195323025
• ISBN 13: 9780195323023
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192