Curious About George: Curious George, Cultural Icons, Colonialism, and US Exceptionalism by Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre

Abstract

Reviewed by: Curious About George: Curious George, Cultural Icons, Colonialism, and US Exceptionalism by Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre Tharini Viswanath (bio) Curious About George: Curious George, Cultural Icons, Colonialism, and US Exceptionalism. By Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre. University Press of Mississippi, 2021. Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre's Curious About George: Curious George, Cultural Icons, Colonialism, and US Exceptionalism examines how the circulation of Curious George materials—such as the book series, films, TV shows, and art exhibits—promotes negative US exceptionalism. The main focus of the monograph is to unpack the rhetorics of colonialism that circulate within US media by viewing the famous monkey, George, as a cultural icon. Accordingly, the chapters in this monograph take up "four of the mediated reincarnations of George—his rise to literacy success, his emergence in film, his placement in STEM education, and his Holocaust remembrance narratives—in order to demonstrate how contemporary postcolonial theory can offer a provocative re-reading of each discourse individually" (6). Schwartz-DuPre's introductory chapter is largely comprised of an extensive literature review. The chapter begins with a detailed overview of the emergence and circulation of Curious George books and media from the monkey's first appearance in Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys in 1939, to more recent productions including the 2006 Curious George blockbuster film, stuffed toys, collectables, entertainment media, and even giant Curious George parade balloons. Schwartz-DuPre argues [End Page 334] that these various productions make George more than just a character; he is a cultural icon who has the power to direct audiences. The next section provides readers with an overview of cultural icons, metaphors, and ciphers, and George's role as an icon who has immense capacity to uphold certain (American) cultural values. Next, the author provides an overview of postcolonial studies, positing that the US has become one of the greatest colonizing powers in the world. She further argues that "[i]ncluding the US in the rhetoric of postcoloniality is central to understanding that one can be both a victim of violence and a perpetuator of it" (36). In addition to situating the argument and offering definitions and explanations for terms in both literary and media studies, this chapter emphasizes that audiences don't need to have read a Curious George book to be influenced by the monkey's icon status, because the marketing and media surrounding the character is all pervasive. Chapter 2, "Curious George Explores the Diaspora," focuses primarily on postcolonial children's literary criticism to contend that "the Curious George book series, both past and present, fits neatly into the genre of colonial literature and accordingly benefits from a post-colonial re-reading" (46). More than half this chapter is devoted to the following: the intentionality of writers versus the critical rhetorical model, a brief overview of the importance of studying children's literature, and what postcolonial theory has to offer critical readings of children's literature. The literature review is lengthy and can seem a bit dry for those already familiar with the fields of children's literature and postcolonial theory. The literary analysis of the book series, however, redeems this chapter. Building on June Cummins's groundbreaking article "The Resisting Monkey," which demonstrates the parallels between the Curious George narrative and African American enslavement narratives, Schwartz-DuPre analyzes the visual metaphors in the book series to better understand George's diasporic identity and themes of assimilation. This section is most interesting as the author uses media in the form of letters—written by both adults and children—to the Reys to support her argument. The third chapter, "George Teaches Science," is excellent. Schwartz-DuPre analyzes various media depictions of George including Google's Nexus 7 ad (2012), blockbuster films, the popular television series spearheaded by PBS (airing for fifteen seasons from 2006-2022) that offers lessons in STEM education, and digital adventures available on devices such as the iPad or iPhone to demonstrate how, "[i] n George's narrative, a rhetoric of curiosity is upheld as a justification for the colonial quest" (109). Schwartz-DuPre reads the icon of George through the lens of postcolonial Science Technology Studies (STS) to make an important point: while George...