"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated September 30, 1906:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JULY 17, 2020):
So, before I say too much about this strip, I have to acknowledge the theory brought to yesterday's strip by @pfxbryan because it has ENTIRELY altered how I read this strip today… - 1/20
Yesterday, the possibility that this elephant named Jumbo is actually the "memory" of the REAL Jumbo (https://t.co/8PN7aVd3go?amp=1) living on in Slumberland was brought up. - 2/20
As a undergraduate student in Music, it's pretty common to work for Churches as Section Leaders in the choir throughout your studies. For me, that meant singing at Knox Presbyterian Church in St. Thomas, ON. - 3/20
It was only a twenty-minute drive from London, ON (where I lived while studying at UWO), but each week we'd drive into St. Thomas and pass by a massive elephant statue. - 4/20
One day, on the drive in, I asked about it and was regaled with the story of Jumbo, and his death on the train tracks in the city, for the first time. - 5/20
All this to say that though I was previously familiar with Jumbo's story, I had totally forgotten about him… so when @pfxbryan brought up the potential connection, I couldn't believe that I had missed it! - 6/20
What I want to talk about today is less a reading of the formal qualities of the strip, and more about what it celebrates. I admit this is a wild theory and might even be 100% ludicrous… but here goes. - 7/20
For me, this strip (intentionally or not) celebrates the memory of the real-life Jumbo. - 8/20
I'll avoid relating Jumbo's biography (much of it can be read on the Wikipedia article linked above), but it's important to discuss Jumbo's death a little bit here. - 9/20
First, Jumbo died on September 15, 1885 when struck by a train in St. Thomas, ON Canada. Remember, that strip #50, which introduces Jumbo to us, was published on September 23, 1906; 8 days after the 21st anniversary of his death. Coincidence? - 10/20
Second, we know that McCay loved the circus and that it informed much of his work and art (Canemaker, 2018, p. 47). - 11/20
We also know that after Jumbo's death, P.T. Barnum (who owned Jumbo) had his body separated and pieces were scattered around at various sites as an attraction… - 12/20
Now consider this strip. - 13/20
There is a magical dynamism presented in every single one of these large panels… Jumbo isn't just a vehicle to get from one place to another… he is *living*on the page. - 14/20
He sprints in panel 1 and balances on stepping blocks (panel 2) and rope (panel 3) before sliding down the "chute" in panel 4! There is no question that Jumbo is the most important character here and that we should pay attention to him! - 15/20
In life, Jumbo was an attraction and even in death he was separated and made to continue that tradition in pieces. BUT, in the dreamscape informed by Nemo's memory/unconscious mind, Jumbo (likely only known to him by story since he died 15 years before Nemo was born)… - 16/20
…is able to run and perform and be whole again! I recognize that he is still "working" in Slumberland and not entirely "free", but, if nothing else, this strip brings him back together and celebrates him by allowing him to live. - 17/20
Nemo's story isn't new, special, or interesting here; he's terrified of the ride on Jumbo's back, just like he's been terrified of other things so far. Only Jumbo stands out here, for me. - 18/20
I have to thank @pfxbryan once again for drawing this connection yesterday. It has undeniably altered the way I read this strip… My version of Slumberland will forever have Jumbo as a part of it! - 19/20
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #51. What's yours? - 20/20
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