Published in time for the centenary of Seuss's birth in March 2004, Dr. Seuss: American Icon, celebrates one of the most influential authors and artists of the 20th century: Theodor Seuss Geisel, best known as 'Dr. Seuss'. Dr Seuss's ascendance from children's author to American icon confirms that his cultural significance rests not just with the beginning reader, but with the scholar, the artist, and the poet. Seuss's Beginner Books(starting with The Cat in the Hat in 1957) have obscured the enormous range of his contributions to American literature. Similarly his art, unfairly overlooked because it appears in children's books, cartoons, and commercials, actually covers a range of styles, including Surrealism, Art Nouveau, and Cubism. Bringing to light the adult perspective behind the children's writer, Philip Nel examines Seuss's lesser-known works, such as the 'adult book' The Seven Lady Godivas (1939), and the live-action musical The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953). The book also features the most comprehensive Seuss bibliography ever produced, documenting his prodigious output. As well as establishing Seuss's place among poets and artists, Dr. Seuss: American Icon links the Seuss people know and the Seuss people do not know.
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From Booklist
He claimed that he used nonsense to "awaken the brain cells," and his work, whether the political cartoons that began his career, or the children's books for which he is most famous, provides ample evidence of his ability to keep readers on their toes. Timed to coincide with the one-hundredth anniversary of the birth of "The U.S. Laureate of Nonsense," this abundantly documented critical study investigates not only Dr. Seuss' quirky art and inventive language but also how his inspired goofiness entered the mainstream of American culture. Nel eschews all but the most necessary details of Dr. Seuss' personal life, but, using numerous, specific examples of his writing and art, digs deeply into the work, including a particularly intriguing discussion of Dr. Seuss' pre- and post-World War II politics. With extensive documentation and a bibliography of nearly 100 pages, this isn't for the renowned doctor's casual fans. But even nonacademics will come away enlightened about the talented man who wanted to wake people up to events in the world and leave a moral legacy for children. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“By his own admission, Nel offers a text that is somewhat schematic, he dedicates each chapter to a different aspect of Geisel’s work and uses a different theoretical approach: on poetry, he uses formalism; on politics, historicism; on marketing, cultural studies; and so on. Such varying thematic interpretations reveal Nel’s remarkable extensive research, which reaches from Geisel’s political cartoons to his decisions about copyright and trademark to protect his own creations. Nel offers astute analyses of both racism and sexism in Geisel’s work, and one particularly interesting chapter outlines the intertextual borrowings and influences from Geisel’s work. All this is richly illustrate with more than 30 reproductions. The invaluable 70-page annotated bibliography lists both primary works and secondary sources – films, books, interviews, reviews, and Web sites. Essential.” – Choice, 9/04 (E.R. Baer )
“Like The Cat in the Hat, which can be enjoyed by both parents and children, lay people and scholars, Nel’s book neither forgets nor talks down to its audience. A fine example of scholarship, Dr. Seuss: American Icon will be equally at home on the researcher’s bookshelf or the Seuss fan’s coffee table. Well-written, well-argued, and well-conceived, Nel’s good-humored book teaches a lesson of which Dr. Seuss would approve: good scholarship, like good literature, can be both rich and accessible. It’s a lesson from which we might all learn.” –Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 17-4, 2004
“Dr. Seuss: American Icon provides the reader a memorably excellent survey of Dr. Seuss’ many achievements.” –Library Bookwatch, November 2004
“Because Nel frames his discussion within contemporary criticism, his analysis is more important to children’s literature scholars in the academy.…he sprinkles the scholarly publications of other throughout his text, thus supporting his conclusions. His text is richly embedded with the earlier research of children’s literature scholars and ties into cultural aesthetics and children’s literature.…environmental ideal, and his markers of political protest in his images is most valuable.…they will have an important impact on further discussions of Dr. Seuss cartoonist, satirist, consumer magnate, and instigator of twenty-first-century aesthetics in American children’s culture.” –The Lion and the Unicorn, 1/05
“Dr. Seuss: American Icon is consistently lively, engaging, and impeccably researched. Its seventy-two-page annotated bibliography alone will prove indispensable to future Seuss researchers and useful for students and scholars of twentieth-century American children’s literature and culture…” –Children’s Literature 33, 2005
mention (Children's Literature Association Quarterly )
"He provides extensive commentary, endnotes, and an annotated bibliography, increasing the value to academics…the book provides fertile ground for further study." —School Library Journal, August 2005 (School Library Journal )
"...very well conceived text. With its focus on Seuss's aesthetics, politics, and legacy in American cultural life, Dr. Seuss: American Icon should appeal to Americanists and to children's literature scholars alike."- Gwen Athene Tarbox, American Studies, Vol. 47:2 (American Studies )
“…very well conceived text. With its focus on Seuss’s aesthetics, politics, and legacy in American cultural life, Dr. Seuss: American Icon should appeal to Americanists and to children’s literature scholars alike.”- Gwen Athene Tarbox, American Studies, Vol. 47:2 (, )
“Like The Cat in the Hat, which can be enjoyed by both parents and children, lay people and scholars, Nel’s book neither forgets nor talks down to its audience. A fine example of scholarship, Dr. Seuss: American Icon will be equally at home on the researcher’s bookshelf or the Seuss fan’s coffee table. Well-written, well-argued, and well-conceived, Nel’s good-humored book teaches a lesson of which Dr. Seuss would approve: good scholarship, like good literature, can be both rich and accessible. It’s a lesson from which we might all learn.” –Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 17-4, 2004
“Dr. Seuss: American Icon provides the reader a memorably excellent survey of Dr. Seuss’ many achievements.” –Library Bookwatch, November 2004
“Because Nel frames his discussion within contemporary criticism, his analysis is more important to children’s literature scholars in the academy.…he sprinkles the scholarly publications of other throughout his text, thus supporting his conclusions. His text is richly embedded with the earlier research of children’s literature scholars and ties into cultural aesthetics and children’s literature.…environmental ideal, and his markers of political protest in his images is most valuable.…they will have an important impact on further discussions of Dr. Seuss cartoonist, satirist, consumer magnate, and instigator of twenty-first-century aesthetics in American children’s culture.” –The Lion and the Unicorn, 1/05
“Dr. Seuss: American Icon is consistently lively, engaging, and impeccably researched. Its seventy-two-page annotated bibliography alone will prove indispensable to future Seuss researchers and useful for students and scholars of twentieth-century American children’s literature and culture…” –Children’s Literature 33, 2005
mention (Children's Literature Association Quarterly )
"He provides extensive commentary, endnotes, and an annotated bibliography, increasing the value to academics…the book provides fertile ground for further study." —School Library Journal, August 2005 (School Library Journal )
"...very well conceived text. With its focus on Seuss's aesthetics, politics, and legacy in American cultural life, Dr. Seuss: American Icon should appeal to Americanists and to children's literature scholars alike."- Gwen Athene Tarbox, American Studies, Vol. 47:2 (American Studies )
“…very well conceived text. With its focus on Seuss’s aesthetics, politics, and legacy in American cultural life, Dr. Seuss: American Icon should appeal to Americanists and to children’s literature scholars alike.”- Gwen Athene Tarbox, American Studies, Vol. 47:2 (, )
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More About the Author
Philip Nel likes to read books. He also likes to write books. If you buy his books, then he will be able to write more books. So, please: Give generously. Thank you.
Top ten interesting facts about Philip Nel:
1) His favorite Muppet is Animal.
2) The very first book he read all by himself was Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham.
3) In first grade, his favorite book was Jeff Brown's Flat Stanley. He briefly thought he could become two-dimensional, just like Flat Stanley. (He was wrong.) For more details, see Anita Silvey's Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book.
4) He thinks you should read all of Lane Smith's books. They are funny. Very, very funny. They will make you a better person -- or at least a happier one. Why not start with The Happy Hocky Family?
5) Because he cares about the quality of your personal library, he hopes you know that it (the library) would be incomplete without Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon, and Ruth Krauss's The Carrot Seed.
6) His favorite band is They Might Be Giants.
7) Despite the fact that formal education held little interest for him until he went to college, he managed to become a university professor. I know, I know -- he's as surprised as you are. Believe me.
8) In fact, he directs the Graduate Program in Children's Literature at Kansas State University. Yep. True story.
9) No, really -- he does! See, here's the website:
http://www.k-state.edu/english/programs/childlit/
10) He also has his own website. It may or may not be interesting:
http://www.k-state.edu/english/nelp/
Top ten interesting facts about Philip Nel:
1) His favorite Muppet is Animal.
2) The very first book he read all by himself was Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham.
3) In first grade, his favorite book was Jeff Brown's Flat Stanley. He briefly thought he could become two-dimensional, just like Flat Stanley. (He was wrong.) For more details, see Anita Silvey's Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book.
4) He thinks you should read all of Lane Smith's books. They are funny. Very, very funny. They will make you a better person -- or at least a happier one. Why not start with The Happy Hocky Family?
5) Because he cares about the quality of your personal library, he hopes you know that it (the library) would be incomplete without Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon, and Ruth Krauss's The Carrot Seed.
6) His favorite band is They Might Be Giants.
7) Despite the fact that formal education held little interest for him until he went to college, he managed to become a university professor. I know, I know -- he's as surprised as you are. Believe me.
8) In fact, he directs the Graduate Program in Children's Literature at Kansas State University. Yep. True story.
9) No, really -- he does! See, here's the website:
http://www.k-state.edu/english/programs/childlit/
10) He also has his own website. It may or may not be interesting:
http://www.k-state.edu/english/nelp/
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really Enjoyed It,
By Kevin Killian (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Dr. Seuss: American Icon (Hardcover)
I don't care much for Dr. Seuss but after reading Philip Nel's book I changed my mind--that's a good testimonial to the power of Rel's writing and thinking. Rel plays Dr. Seuss the ultimate compliment of treating him as a serious poet as well as one of the 20th century's most interesting visual artists, and after reading his book I decided that a trip to the Mandeville Collections of the library at University of California in San Diego was in order, so I could visit some of the incredible Seuss/Geisel holdings they have there.There's almost too much to take in, for, like William Butler Yeats, Seuss led a career that constantly shifted and metamoprhized itself to meet new historical and political cirsumstances, so he seems to have been both a leftist and a conservative at different junctures of his career, both in politics and in art. As Nel shows us, he was once a cartoonist for the fabled PM magazine and, like Andy Warhol, he served his time slaving in the ad business too. All was in the service of amusing and broadening the minds of US children. Nel doesn't hesitate to administer a sound spanking to the Seuss industry that, since his death, has seen fit to license all kinds of awful products including the recent CAT IN THE HAT film with Mike Myers. Oh, what a cat-astrophe! The book is great and I can especially recommend the work of the picture editor who has given us a bounty of good illustrations.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential for every personal and Public Library,
This review is from: Dr. Seuss: American Icon (Hardcover)
If people become the books they read and if "the child is father to the man," then Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) is the most influential author, poet, and artist of modern times. For me, a daddy to a large family who learned to read with Dr. Seuss and who has memorized too many of the books via repeated readings to young children, Prof. Nel's brilliant 'American Icon' is a long awaited treat. At last a serious treatment of this remarkable genius that is both an engaging read and filled with remarkable insights! I especially enjoyed (and learned more than I care to admit from) Prof. Nel's discussions of the Disneyfication of Seuss - which Nel links to failings in American copyright law, "the other sides of Dr. Seuss" - all of which sides were new to me, and the political genesis of his secular morality in the WWII cartoon work he did at PM magazine. The chapters on Geisel's poetry and artwork and the link Nel makes between Seuss and the historical avant guarde alone make this book a "must buy" for parents and serious readers, not to mention public libraries. Readers of Nel's other books will find the same engaging writing style that makes the book a fun read while imparting a mountain of information and important ideas. This is simply the best and most comprehensive book yet written on the work of Seuss Geisel and what will certainly be the standard for many years to come. Thank you, Prof. Nel, wherever you are, from a reader who grew up with the good doctor and who is growing up with him again years later. Your book, written from your encyclopeadic knowledge of children's literature and the media of this genre - from scanning verse to cubist painting! - explains the power, limits, and popularity of the Seuss phenomenon.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Phlip Nel gives silly Seuss a serious treatment,
By
This review is from: Dr. Seuss: American Icon (Hardcover)
Theodore Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), aka "Dr. Seuss," was one of the most influential writers and artists of the 20th century.In 1959, Rudolf Flesch wrote, "A hundred years from now, children and their parents will still eagerly read the books of a fellow called Ted Geisel, popularly known as Dr. Seuss." Flesch was too conservative in his prediction. A century, and more, from today, Dr. Seuss will still be read when many authors on today's bestseller lists will be forgotten. Published on the centenary of Geisel's birth, Dr. Seuss: American Icon analyzes six key aspects of Seuss's career: poetry, politics, art, biography, marketing, and influence. In six insightful chapters, Philip Nel, Assistant Professor of English at Kansas State University, discusses "U.S. Laureate of Nonsense," "Dr. Seuss vs. Adolf Hitler," "The Doc in the Smock," "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. S.," "The Disneyfication of Dr. Seuss," and "The Cat in the Hat for President." Nel gives short shrift to Geisel's childhood and family background--and, indeed, to biography in general--preferring to focus on Seuss's writing and art, from his first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937) to his last book, Oh, the Places You'll Go! (1990). Dr. Seuss's breakthrough year was 1957, when he published the two books with which he is most often identified: The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Other classic works in the Seussian canon are: Horton Hears a Who! ("A person's a person, no matter how small"), Yertle the Turtle (modeled on the rise of Adolf Hitler), Green Eggs and Ham (Seuss's bestselling book), The Sneeches (a criticism of anti-Semitism), The Lorax (a protest against corporate abuse of the environment), and The Butter Battle Book (a critique of Reagan's enthusiasm for the nuclear arms trace). His favorite work, among the books he authored, was The Cat in the Hat, for it, more than any other, taught children to read. While many of his books have a clear and powerful moral, Seuss had a horror of heavy-handed preaching. He sought to teach and ignite the imagination, but was a lifelong opponent of smug, self-righteous bourgeois moralism. "Seuss was a contrarian," writes Nel, "who enjoyed challenging people to reconsider their assumptions. [He had a] rebellious imagination and a dispositional distaste for rules and regulations." His work was a "rational insanity" that exhibited "joyous anarchy" and a "lifelong thrill in misbehaving." A better subtitle for Nel's work would have been American Icon and Iconoclast. Nel tells of Seuss's early years as an advertising artist and as a agitprop cartoonist. The book, however, is not a biography; it is a serious study in the genres of literary and art criticism. For readers who want more biographical information, Nel recommends Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel, by Judith Morgan and Neil Morgan (1995), which he describes as "the definitive biography and the single best secondary source on Seuss. Any discussion of Seuss's life and work must begin with this book." Dr. Seuss: American Icon includes 103 pages of notes, index, and the most comprehensive annotated Seuss bibliography ever assembled. One learns a lot from this book; the author's lucid style makes it not only an enlightening work but a fun read. Philip Nel is the author of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide (2001) and The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity (2002). Roy E. Perry of Nolensville, Tennessee, is an advertising copywriter at a Nashville publishing house.
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