English department: Give graphic novels a chance
By Cody Bozarth Issue date: 9/24/08
The Western Illinois University English department needs a class to study graphic novels. I'm not referring to those thin, monthly superhero comic books that birthed the medium decades ago. These are books that have stories that have a beginning, middle and end. These things are mature and provoke thought, a far cry from mindless, over-muscular supermen or scantily clad, over-endowed superwomen.
Completely unbeknownst to many people studying English and literature, a whole movement of autobiographical memoirs and original fiction has risen, though they are often overlooked for their "inherently juvenile" visual storytelling. Even now, books like Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis" and Alison Bechel's "Fun Home" are being studied at Western, and this is a good step. But what we really need is a dedicated class.
Little distinguishes textual fiction from the graphic novel or memoir. The stories are just as well-crafted and just as insightful as any modern work of fiction, yet overdone tomes of words receive more attention from so-called literary critics than do graphic novels. Books such as "Bottomless Belly Button," "Black Hole," or "Blankets" are lengthy and succinct. Dialogue and facial expressions are easier to picture and little details don't require several pages to describe, just one panel. You can sense emotion without being told. Graphic novels are beautifully deeper than their words.
Part of what makes college necessary for specialized professions is to show students the people who got it right and help us emulate them. This graphic novel class could be an English class, but it could also be an art class. There are artists at Western who are fully capable of telling stories, but these stories are unique because of the medium. We, as an institution of higher education, need to show budding artists an avenue of creativity that they may have not considered.
http://media.www.westerncourier.com/media/storage/paper650/news/2008/09/24/Opinion/English.Department.Give.Graphic.Novels.A.Chance-3448198.shtml
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Literature has evolved through the ages to the point in which the art has divided itself into different branches. To most people a graphic novel might not be a book, but it is the demonstration of the way books have evolved. Literature has changed a lot too and graphic novels are a form of literature. Rather than being shunned graphic novels should be studied carefully for the addition of visual art to some words doesn't diminish the quality of a work. Literature has evolved a lot and soon the new creations will take over the old hard covered novels, but this doesn't mean that the new is better than the old. That the old has more time in existence doesn't mean it is better than the new too. Luis Ortiz
ReplyDeleteFrom books to graphic novels there is a huge step. To identify and perfectly understand the implied messages in graphic novels requires higher knowledge in art. Although, everyone has different ways of learning, using visuals might help some who are skilled in art or good observers, while the typical reader might be affected by such a drastic change. Sometimes readers like to imagine the characters, places and objects described on books, to me this is the most interesting part. However, there are others who wish to see the art behind the novel, and would like to have a visual aid to understand the novel.
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