Selznick: 101

Good morning, class. Glad you were all able to drag yourselves out of bed on this fine and frisky morning. Today we're going to be examining some common themes in the work of children's illustrator Brian Selznick. Pens at the ready? All right. So first of all I'd like you to identify this man:

Did I hear someone say Mad King Ludwig? That is correct, though I also would have accepted King Ludwig II. Born in 1864 and died in 1886 (you do the math) this young man was the fellow who built a castle so fairy tale-like in appearance that it was the model for Disney's Cinderella Castle. Here's Ludwig's original:


Lovely, lovely. So how does this apply to Mr. Selznick? Well, in past speeches, Selznick has mentioned his fascination with King Luddy. The castle (you should just SEE the interior). His clothes. So it should be no wonder then that when he illustrated the cover of the book King Matt the First it looked like this:



Now Mr. Selznick has also designed the poster for New York's Summer Reading Program. This poster looks like this:


Everyone, observe both of these pictures closely and then write me a ten-page essay on how Ludwig has influenced Mr. Selznick and the greater implications of these two works. I expect all papers on my desk by this Monday. Class dismissed.