Melissa Glaser

Philip Nel

ENGL 680

2 March 2007

Something Called “Voom”: The Result of Invisible Forces at Work

           In writing The Cat in the Hat (1957), Theodor Seuss Geisel employed limited vocabulary in order to create a more interesting story than the Dick and Jane books children typically read in school during the 1950s.  The project took Dr. Seuss a year and a half to complete; clearly, this seemingly simple book was much more complex than he originally anticipated.  Philip Nel’s The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (2007) not only celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Cat but also demonstrates an additional fitting parallel; just as a mere 236 words help children learn the magic behind the printed word, so too does Nel’s book allow readers to more fully understand Seuss’ work behind the Cat.

           In his introduction, Nel describes the “Annotated Club”: a group of annotated works of children’s literature.  While most of the books listed here are novels (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Christmas Carol, and The Hobbit, to name a few), fairy tales by the Grimms, Perrault, and Hans Christian Anderson are included as well.  The Annotated Cat marks the debut of the picturebook genre as annotation-worthy.  Why would two picturebooks—designated as beginner books for developing readers, no less—merit annotations?  Nel answers this question by providing extensive contextual information related to Seuss and his two works, The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back (1958).  Throughout the book, he interprets the work in light of historical, political, cultural, biographical, intertextual, artistic, and formal information.  The purpose of The Annotated Cat, then, is not simply to clarify the implicit meanings present in the two picturebooks.  Just as the Cat juggles multiple items while bouncing on a ball, through his book Nel accomplishes a juggling act of his own: providing a thorough history of Dr. Seuss and his works in light of the time in which he wrote them.

           As would be expected of an annotated edition, Nel highlights background information related directly to the text.  For this purpose, he considers intertextual, artistic, and formal elements.  One of the strengths of the edition is the attention paid to connections between the picturebooks and outside works.  Nel frequently interjects information about Seuss’ other works, including not only his books for children but also his political cartoons and advertising campaigns.  Moreover, he identifies several influences on Seuss, such as: Rube Goldberg, Lewis Carroll, Peter Newell, and Hilaire Belloc, to name a few.  Perhaps the greatest aspect of the text rests in Nel’s attention to artistic and formal detail, particularly in providing information about Seuss’ revision process.  Not only does he provide original drafts of illustrations and texts, but he also interprets their significance and the impact of such changes.  Such explication of Seuss’ work proves invaluable to readers’ understanding of the picturebooks and their creator.

           Additionally, Nel provides historical, political, cultural, and biographical information related to The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back.  Description of the blizzard of Springfield, Massachusetts (in Seuss’ boyhood) awakens recognition of historical events.  Discussion of “voom” as related to communism and the Cold War not only provides interesting interpretive material but also illuminates political context for readers.   Analysis of 1950s American society and culture helps to clarify the significance of mother’s absence, dad’s $10 shoes, and separate beds, for example.  Perhaps most importantly, inclusion of biographical information sheds light on the character and life of Theodor Seuss Geisel; Nel explains how the artist’s clever and rebellious spirit, coupled with his respect for children and dedicated work ethic, clearly affected the success of the picturebooks.

           Despite the thoroughness with which Nel applies contextual research—and the research about Seuss and his works by others—occasional omissions exist.  Frequently, Nel discusses both the picturebook and 1971 television special of The Cat in the Hat, making insightful comparisons and contrasts.  He does, however, neglect reference to the 2003 film version of the story which places Sally (played by Dakota Fanning) in a highly active and prominent role; such character analysis might be useful in his discussion of Sally’s character portrayal.  Nonetheless, Nel’s decision to omit this information maintains the focus on works created by Seuss himself.  Second, the usually thorough annotations are sometimes—though rarely—left partly unexplained.  For example, Nel points out that “You will see something new. / Two things. And I call them / Thing One and Thing Two.” is included in Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations; however, he does not explain the significance of this particular quote and why it was chosen (62).  Finally, the formatting of the actual text differs from the original version but is not explained.  Obviously, an annotated edition will vary from the original, but one particular choice is not clear; the Seuss text (present always on the right page of Nel’s book) is bordered at the top and bottom with three red stripes.  Comparatively, a lack of borders (i.e., framing) characterizes Seuss’ work for children.  This decision, whether made by Nel or by Random House, deserves explanation.  Picturebook theory proposes that the borders of illustrations denote the borders of the picturebook world; lack of borders indicates (for example) stronger reader immersion into the story and character freedom due to decreased visual confinement.  Therefore, Seuss’ decision to create drawings that extend off the page affects readers’ interpretations of the book.  To add borders to the annotated edition affects interpretations in a different manner, thus changing the original meaning of the text. 

           In applying his research surrounding Dr. Seuss’ life, works, and other contexts to The Cat in the Hat and its sequel, Philip Nel reveals that behind a deceptively simple picturebook reside powerful forces…invisible though they may be.  The contextual information provided in The Annotated Cat provides readers with the tools necessary not only to interpret the works formally but also to appreciate the influences that made their creation possible.  Just as Seuss struggled—successfully—to create an interesting and unique story from just 236 words, so too does Nel demonstrate the possibilities for using those words to excavate deeper meaning.