“Ah, old Charlie Brown comes … the good old Charlie Brown … how I hate him!” On October 2, 1950, one of the greatest successes in comic history began in seven US daily newspapers: Charles M. Schulz ‘”Peanuts”. you can see four pictures in which little occurs: the small children Patty and Shermy sit on the street, Charlie Brown approaches, passes, disappears. The child without qualities. Still. After all, the good old Charlie Brown seems to be worthwhile.
If you believe the literary critic Denis M. Scheck, this first strip begins with one of the 100 most important works in world literature.When Charles M. Schulz died in 2000, his comic ran in over 2600 newspapers in 75 countries of the world. It is estimated that 355 million people read his comics. and not least because of the cartoon films repeatedly repeated on television, the “Peanuts” also grew to the German audience. in the United States, the films belong to any pop-cultural socialized childhood-the popular US director Wes Anderson served as a model for his quirky indie films.
A melancholic view of life
The (manageable funny) gag of the first comic strip already sets the tone for what should determine the “peanuts” in the next almost 50 years. One trained on the adversities of reality,a melancholic view of life who articulates in the robe of a child’s world,which is only at first glance. Children who hate each other? Five years after the Second World War, there was actually a spirit of optimism in the United States.
In the “peanuts”, on the other hand, the resigned surrender faces reality, animosities between humans (and animals) and sometimes even depression on the agenda – but without being derived into the sourdesthy. Sometimes you like people (“good old charlie Brown”), sometimes you don
When Children Philosophize
The “Peanuts” children enjoy a luxury many adults forget: time. They have endless days for doing nothing, for sweet boredom. they lean against walls,elbows propped,and ponder existential questions: What can I know? what should I do? What can I hope for? What is man? These are,actually,the fundamental questions of beliefs as formulated by Kant.
Schulz doesn’t offer a definitive answer. Instead,he initially suggests kindness and a joy for life as a way to cope. This is beautifully illustrated in the strips featuring Snoopy. Charlie Brown’s dog is almost a modern Diogenes. While the Greek philosopher observed the world from a trash bin, Snoopy prefers the roof of his doghouse, where he stoically performs his aerial shows.
He rejects his predatory instincts-he doesn’t hunt rabbits, he befriends them. In the bird Woodstock,he quickly finds a companion,frequently enough observing from a distance.He constantly throws himself into new adventures, new costumes, new identities. Life is a festival of experimentation. Perhaps we should all be dogs.