Book Review: The Philosophy of Snoopy (Charles M. Schulz)
Snoopy
Snoopy was always my favorite of the ‘Peanut Gang’. Ever since I was a kid, Snoopy was my favorite in the comics (in the Newspaper comic strip section) as well as on the TV movies (No Dogs Allowed, The Great Pumpkin, Peanut’s Christmas, Peanut’s Easter, the one at camp, etc.).
When I was in kindergarten, for the science fair I got a pet mouse and used a rat maze that my Uncle had built and entered the mouse as my science project. Of course – the mouse was named Snoopy. Spoiler alert – I won first prize. And Snoopy ended up living until the summer between my 2nd grade and my 3rd grade. He went from being the “goodest of dogs” on screen to the “goodest of mice” as pets.
There is something just so endearing about the character. He’s always lovable, he’s a wanna be writer, he’s Joe Cool, he’s the Easter Beagle, he’s got a best friend thats a bird (and the whole bird’s family), he’s a perpetual “loyal” friend to Charlie Brown despite not always acting like it, etc.
He’s got a diverse and lovable family of his own that has been explored in the movies and comic strips. He gets the comeuppance on Lucy that she deserves for meddling with Charlie Brown, and of course… he has some killer dance moves.
He can be both cynical and a voice for the viewers / readers, as well as be a downright normal / earthy / regular guy (well… dog). And in that vein of “man’s best friend that also acts like man” (like Brian from Family Guy), he still retains his characteristics of doghood.
So What is the Philosophy of Snoopy?
Well, this book both does and doesn’t show you what that philosophy is. This isn’t a product of deep or intense thought, this isn’t a philosophical treatise. But it is an encapsulation of comic strips that show what Snoopy is, why Snoopy is, etc.
So there’s no clear cut answer as to what the Philosophy of Snoopy really is; not so far as is told to us. But we can read and gather it, we can look and read the comic strips, and see how the character of Snoopy acts and behaves, and we can create our own understanding of his philosophy.
And the word philosophy here is being used a bit lightly. Its not like Nietzsche’s philosophy or Aristotle’s philosophy or Spinoza’s philosophy or Camus’ philosophy. Its a philosophy of life (through the fictional character of a dog). Its a philosophy in the way that he lives / acts / interacts with the rest of the Peanut’s Gang.
The Book of Snoopy
The book itself is rather short, its not counted, but its roughly 80 or so pages of comic strips per page (some lightly colored, some not). (GoodReads lists it as 80 pages, so that was a good guess on my part.) The GoodReads blurb reads:
“The world’s most beloved beagle shares his philosophy on life in this beautifully produced gift book for all generations.
The Philosophy of Snoopy – GoodReads
In his inimitable style, Snoopy spends his days extolling the virtues of dancing, hanging out with his best bird friend Woodstock, pursuing a full supper dish, and giving his owner — our favorite lovable loser, Charlie Brown — the run-around.
For the millions of faithful Charles Schulz fans, and those who fondly remember the joyful dog with the wild imagination, this is the second in a new series to cherish that will see the beguiling Peanuts gang share their sentiments on everything from food to friendship.”
Its obviously a quick, cute, fun read. Its not meant to be truly deep or revelatory or life changing. But its supposed to be a fun little afternoon time kill, an uplifting, humorous book, that lets you see life through a series of Snoopy centric comic strips.
It does exactly what it sets out to do, and thats provide a fun diversion to what our lives are. Rush rush rush. Work work work. This lets you sit down, enjoy who and what Snoopy is, and get some laughs out of you all at the same time. Its a beautiful aesthetic book, hardcover but not big, and ends on the two best comic strips to sum things up – especially in a book.
(Spoiler alert for the last two comic strips.)
(Don’t read the next paragraph if you don’t want to be spoiled.)
The penultimate strip is Peppermint Patty asking Snoopy what the secret to living is, and in the next panel its Snoopy giving her a kiss. This is followed up with the ultimate strip of the book which shows Lucy sitting on the floor with an open book in her lap and Snoopy walking by, saying: “Books aren’t everything.” With Lucy having a bit of a stupefied look on her face.
Maybe this sums up life. It seems to for Snoopy, and for his creator – Charles M. Schulz; whose creations are still inspiring the world and bringing love and laughter to the world, years and years after he died and decades after his works were created.
My GoodReads Rating: ****
Global GoodReads Rating: 4.33
My LibraryThing Rating: ****.5
Thanks For Reading
As always everyone, thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this book review, be sure to visit some other recent book reviews here:
- Book Review: Guardians of the Whills (Greg Rucka)
- Book Review: Words You Should Know to Sound Smart – 1200 Words (Robert W. Bly)
- Book Review: On Bullshit (Harry G. Frankfurt)
- Book Review: Free Will (Sam Harris)
- Book Review: Free Will Explained (Dan Barker)
November keeps on rolling, and we’re still pumping out the daily (and sometimes multiple articles in the same day) articles. So be sure to keep coming back and checking in with us to see whats new and happening.
Tonight is the Autos and Ales in Hershey, hopefully I’ll see some of you out there. I’ll be in my Boneshire Brew Works hoodie, so say ‘hi’ if you see me.
Cheers!
-B. Kline
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