Arts Vanity: (I Smell a Rat) Why Geronimo Stilton Is A Classic

The canon of English Literature is constantly being redefined. Recent movements have focused on expanding the canon to include historically marginalized voices and ground-breaking works from other cultures, while some have even questioned the idea of a canon in the first place. To that end, I propose an important addition: all of the Geronimo Stilton book series (yes, including the Thea Stilton and Kingdom of Fantasy spinoffs).

For those unacquainted with Geronimo, he is a publisher and editor for The Rodent Gazette. The books follow his adventures as they take him anywhere from New Mouse City to Transratania. He is accompanied by a cast of exciting characters like the detective Hercule Poirat or the writer Billy Squeakspeare.

As you can probably tell by now, the world of Geronimo Stilton is like a funhouse mirror of our own, spanning countries and sometimes even universes. I can already predict that in the next 10 years, an ambitious undergraduate thesis will tackle the literary foundations of its worldbuilding. Just as the worlds of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings gripped the imagination of previous generations, Geronimo Stilton is the premier book series of our time. Drawing inspiration from fantastical elements but firmly grounded in an understanding of cultural diversity, Geronimo Stilton pushes the genre of fantasy to its limits by so clearly mimicking yet resisting any parallels to the real world.

Another feature of Geronimo Stilton is its characteristically cheesy (haha) mouse puns. This makes its language fun and playful, but do not be fooled into thinking it is just for children. Like Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” beneath the puns lies a complex network of hidden meanings that examine the unspoken rules that govern our world and our language. For example, inverting common phrases like “watch your whiskers” and “paws off” take on a Beckettian subversiveness when considering how they are linguistically transposed onto mice without losing their meaning. A whole host of questions await those who dare to contemplate the nuances of the Geronimo Stilton universe.

The contribution of Geronimo Stilton books to young readers cannot be understated. Its language employs a whole host of colorful adjectives and adverbs. These descriptive words are illustrated on the page — the typography reflects the meaning of the word itself. For example, “tall” would be stretched higher than the surrounding words, or “run” written with each letter larger than the one before, creating a sense of dynamic momentum. Geronimo Stilton blurs the lines between text and visual objects, presenting one of the most exciting developments in print media ever since the Gutenberg Bible. It is a milestone in the history of the book.

No praise of Geronimo Stilton books would be complete without an acknowledgment of its titular character, the mouse himself. Geronimo is lovably nerdy, an archetypal character who relies on brains over brawn. However, he is no Sherlock Holmes. He often makes mistakes, gets into comically unlucky situations, and relies on the help of other characters to solve whatever debacle he gets himself into. The series deconstructs the trope of the lone Western hero and pushes back against patriarchal ideals of masculinity.

Geronimo Stilton, was for me, a pivotal reason why I started reading and continue to read to this day. I will always remember the stacks of multicolored copies at book fairs that would sometimes be taller than my seven-year-old self. In fact, it was probably the first book that I gave a review on — my classmates and I would discuss which issues to buy during lunch break. Take a look at any college-level English course right now; I can guarantee all of them will feature something about reading books that reshape our understanding of the human condition (or some variation of this). I fully agree, but I would like to propose an addition: Let us start appreciating the books that made us fall in love with reading itself. Let us not forget the contributions of Geronimo Stilton and the generation of readers he brought up.

—Incoming books exec Sean Wang Zi-Ming is looking for the rare set of 7 Geronimo Stilton Miceking books. Please direct all leads to @sean.wangzi-ming@thecrimson.com