On Snoopy

We might not often think of Snoopy having a dialogue with Virginia Woolf, but in 1973, the "conversation" occurred.

Woolf famously wrote that a female artist should have a room -- a "room of one's own." She was speaking in a figurative way -- but, also, she was not. She was (at least partly) being literal. One should have a room of one's own.

Jane Austen's nephew observed that Austen would write in a very public sitting room -- when guests visited, Austen would hide her manuscript under blotting paper, so she wouldn't have to engage in chit-chat about the very strange work that she was attempting.

Alice Munro confessed that -- in young motherhood -- she would push her daughter's fingers away from the keyboard, so that she could continue to make progress. (This story has new resonance after the recent Andrea Skinner revelations.)

By contrast, Snoopy has a man-vs.-nature problem. You can't write in the dark. "You can't write by firefly!"

Snoopy's situation is (obviously) absurd -- but the details make it memorable. Snoopy turns away from his typewriter -- then turns his gaze toward the heavens, as he has his epiphany. In the final frame, he seems to speak directly to his typewriter, which is both an antagonist and a friend.

With Snoopy, I feel seen. This particular dog is on display (for now) on the second floor of the Morgan Library.