Film, Literature, & the Human Condition

Not many people would consider a comic strip to be literature, but I must confess that I do, in particular, the body of work by a Mr. Charles M. Schulz. Literature is simply works of the creative imagination, works that give us pause, make us think, and break our hearts. There are many ways to break someones heart, but the pure, unadulterated statements Mr. Schulz makes about humanity through his characters are enigmatically powerful. We begin reading the panel unsuspecting of how we will feel by the end of it. That these characters are children, and these children are so articulate and profound about human sadness, is a statement on its own. It discusses very intense themes, such as loneliness, isolation, melancholy, unrequited love, and infuses them with a lightness and laughter that somehow illuminates the bitterness of life. Peanuts is not simply a comic strip, it is one of the most thoughtful works of art ever created. (continue reading…)