"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated August 15, 1909:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (DECEMBER 27, 2020):
This strip is jam-packed… there is a lot going on. It's almost sensory overload… - 1/21
Of course, this might be the point… the boys are being jostled around by monkeys speaking a language they can't understand. It's possible the heavy and loaded narrative is a reflection of that for the reader? - 2/21
Either way, I'm not going to try and talk about everything that I saw… this thread would be really, really long… Instead, I'll highlight some of what I found most interesting *to me* (looking forward to hearing how your readings differ). - 3/21
First, it's now clear that the language that the monkeys are speaking is one that the boys can't understand. Flip says in panel 2, "I wish I understood monkey language", which means that McCay is letting us in on a secret that the boys are not in on. - 4/21
As I mentioned yesterday, I think this is important. Rather then pull us in towards our fiction characters by breaking down the barrier between us and them (a.k.a. the comic during meta moments), he's using the comic to reinforce that distance. - 5/21
By having the comic's word balloons translate the monkey language for us, it becomes very easy for us to sympathize with them and connect to them. - 6/21
This might be important for the purposes of the commentary that (I think) he's making here… - 7/21
The role reversal between sophisticated and civilized "savage animals" staring at the "ferocious and wild" human is fascinating. The trio is treated by the monkeys with care; much in the same way any human would care for an animal/pet. - 8/21
When they are revealed to be in the zoo during the penultimate panel (which I believe is a display built into the train they're riding), we're prepared for it because it is a story that we have told many times in our real world. - 9/21
The plaque above their heads reads, "early ancestors of our race", which is also quite fascinating given that (at least in our world) those roles are reversed (evolutionarily speaking, of course). - 10/21
The commentary here could be as simple as drawing attention to what captivity for animals is truly like… though, as someone who enjoyed carnivals and sideshows, I doubt (though am not certain) that he had much more than a cursory concern for the animal performers. - 11/21
The origins and history of Anti-Captivity Activism is a bit difficult to pin down, it does at least seem as though early efforts against zoos were being made in the early 1900s: - 12/21 https://www.depauw.edu/humanimalia/issue%2012/vandersommers.html
The article (admittedly quite long; I skimmed it) features a fascinating letter from 1910 that indicates at least the beginnings of Anti-Zoo sentiments. It's worth a read. - 13/21
Now, alternatively, McCay could also be building a commentary on the practice of "Human Zoos" and the types of people who enjoy them (these people as animal savages): - 14/21 https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/features/human-zoos-a-shocking-history-of-shame-and-exploitation
These colonial exhibits basically showcased "exotic" people from around the world to those who had otherwise only heard about them. - 15/21
The 1904 St. Louis World Fair, as mentioned in the article, seems to have some notorious examples of this phenomena… gratefully, this practice had seemingly petered out by 1958 with the advent of cinema. - 16/21
If the juxtaposition between the brutish animals in the finest dress is meant to symbolize the high-society folk who would treat their fellow humans in such a way, it could be quite effective. - 17/21 [INSERT IMAGE]
The fact that the monkeys move throughout the comic from a state of total undress to the penultimate panel where they are all dressed to the nines, could support this particular reading, too. - 18/21
McCay might be visually representing how quickly (and subtly) a civilization can go from one state (natural) to another (unnatural). - 19/21
Again, this is only the tip of the iceberg with this strip, but it is the one that I couldn't stop thinking about the most. I'm interested to hear not only your thoughts on my reading, but also what stood out to you! - 20/21
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #201. What's yours? - 21/21