Chapter 14: Graphic Novels


Chapter 14: Graphic Novels

Graphic novels are not considered a genre as they are a form/format to express a genre. Graphic novels can be written for any age audience and can be written in any genre or sub-genre like historical fiction, nonfiction, science fiction, and realistic fiction. One great resource given in this chapter is the slide share presentation called “Graphic Novels and their Role in Literacy Development.” I have always had a particular fondness of Graphic novels because of their accessibility to those with learning differences and those who struggle with visual learning styles. BUT this does not mean that they are only meant for people with those difficulties. In fact, Graphic novels can be defined as a general term used to describe a book that is told in a comic format – it should still resemble a novel in both length and narrative development. One thing that makes Graphic novels unique is their complexity- they are more complex in comparison to comic books and picture books. When evaluating graphic novels there are many ways that you can approach it. One way would be deconstructing and analyzing the graphic novel for its various parts- Cover and inside pages which include: panels, gutters, dialog balloons, thought balloons, captions, and sound effects. When using this method for analysis you should critique the text and illustrations and their ability to communicate the story. Is the narrative or plot clear when reading (traditionally- left to right and top to bottom). Graphic novels are great to use in the classroom and promote in independent reading. Graphic novels are great for teaching mood and tone, and motivating students to read. As mentioned before they can be published for any age range and in any genre. It has also become increasingly popular recently to reproduce original popular narratives into graphic novel format like: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engles, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. This is also very useful for classroom use because it allows for multimedia comparison of one story. The increasing popularity of graphic novels can also be seen in recent published works as they have more and more influence on today’s culture, often resulting in more hybrid novels as well (hybrid novels being those traditional narrative style novels with an integration of art and graphics to help propel the story- think of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Winger, and Rebound to name a few.)

Reflection:

When looking at Graphic novels, I think that it is important to evaluate it in two different ways: content of the book – illustrations and text, and the audience/original format of the book. First, I think when looking at graphic novels the illustrations and text are of the utmost importance because that is the reason the book is published in this style. Second, I like to think about the audience (age range of the audience) and if the book is being published for the first time in graphic novel format (original) or if it is a book that has been adapted for graphic novel format. I think this is also important because the intent of the author might be slightly different from original publishing to an adapted version. When looking at a graphic novel that was adapted from an original source, when looking at the text and illustrations you can compare them to the original source- what did the author/adapter choose to keep or get rid of, how does the art add to the original story line? I think that the exemplary texts that have been adapted into graphic novels that have done these things well end up nearly surpassing their original texts. I recently read Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll and I really had a fun time looking at the interpretations and additions/omissions that were made to make such a successful graphic novel. The use of an all black and white artistic style added to the overall story. Melinda is constantly living in a gray area (not knowing what is right or wrong, not knowing how to tell the truth about what happened to her) while the use of black and white allows the reader to see between the lines of how traumas like hers can be so significant as to how you see the world. Also, since Speak centers around a girl that has elected to be a selective mute because of her trauma, the use of pictures and art to portray and move the storyline forward without a single word on the page is moving! When looking at books that are originally created as graphic novels like American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, we can see how the art and text work together as one and cannot be separated. These original works often play on the intertextuality and complexity of text while often have fewer physical words than a collection of poetry or other short works. The artwork in American Born Chinese allows complex storylines weave in and out of each chapter while not confusing the reader. If this book was produced as a traditional narrative it would probably not be as successful because the readers would be jumping through space and time to the 3 different storylines without any sense of the movement that you are able to get from the art.


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