The good doctor, originally named Theodor Seuss Geisel, attended Dartmouth College in 1921. Soon after enrolling, he joined the school’s student humor magazine, the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern. He rose through the ranks of the publication and soon achieved the title of editor-in-chief. This success was short-lived however, seeing as Ted was forced to resign after he was caught drinking gin with some friends in his room - a major no-no during the time of Prohibition. To overcome his mistake, Geisel continued writing for the magazine in secret, under the pen name of “Seuss,” his middle name (the “Dr.” got added later on).
Strangely enough, we’ve all been pronouncing his pseudonym wrong! As Americans, we see Seuss and like to say “Sewss.” However, seeing as it is a German name, it should really be pronounced “Soice” - the way Geisel said it himself! Ted eventually switched this anglicized pronunciation himself, since most people already said it that way and it “evoked a figure advantageous for an author of children’s books to be associated with - Mother Goose.”
Alexander Liang, one of his fellow writers on the Jack-O-Lantern, wrote this short poem about the authentic pronunciation:
Strangely enough, we’ve all been pronouncing his pseudonym wrong! As Americans, we see Seuss and like to say “Sewss.” However, seeing as it is a German name, it should really be pronounced “Soice” - the way Geisel said it himself! Ted eventually switched this anglicized pronunciation himself, since most people already said it that way and it “evoked a figure advantageous for an author of children’s books to be associated with - Mother Goose.”
Alexander Liang, one of his fellow writers on the Jack-O-Lantern, wrote this short poem about the authentic pronunciation:
“You're wrong as the deuce
And you shouldn't rejoice
If you're calling him Seuss.
He pronounces it Soice!”
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