Graphic Novels

“The New Literacies, as they have been labelled, are concerned with multimodal texts…Together these “texts” fill the lives of students, and meaning is accrued as students combine the messages from the different media in to their own construct of the world.” (Booth and Lundy, 2007)

When I began my exploration of Young Adult Literature I hadn’t given much consideration to multi-modal texts, such as internet, audio, or graphic novels. Some presupposition existed in my mind that Graphic novels, at least, were not real literature, and thus shouldn’t be used in the classroom. The more we have discussed the content and medium in class, however, the more I’ve realized that graphic novels not only could be used in the classroom, but should. After all, as Rudiger and Schliesman (2007) have pointed out, "their content parallels the wide range of literature that librarians already collect in other forms, including biographies, poetry, and novels" (p. 57). The other myth which purveyed my mind, moreover, was that the graphic novel was a way to scoop up delinquent readers who have become overtly accustomed to the visual world through internet and television. While this might be an argument for graphic novels (as well as a reason to keep introducing text-based literature with it) I do not feel that this is the primary reason Graphic novels should be included in the teaching cannon. This perspective comes across as a compromise which condescends the visual genre, while, in fact, introducing strictly text-based mediums is a dis-service in a world where we constantly have interactions with many kinds of media. As such, and as responsible teachers, we need to train students to interact with various mediums. Graphic novels not only provide a gateway into reading for struggling readers, but offers a completely different way to read. Color, panel size and sequence are just a few tools the graphic artist can use to play which character, time, nuance, allusion, sequence, suspense, emotion, sense of place, etc. Booth and Lundy (2007) note that,

“[i]n order to become proficient readers, we need to learn how to question, visualize, infer, predict, connect our thougts and respond to the text that is before us. With graphic novels, the scaffolding necessary to create proficient readers is built into the way the graphic novel is constructed. The pictures not only support the text, but are also a part of the text.”(Chapter 1)

I will admit that much of my ignorance of graphic novels came from the fact that I hadn’t read any until recently. If this is your experience, I highly recommend picking up an acclaimed title to help you experience what is possible through this incredible medium. The first one I picked up was the multiple-award-winning Maus, by Art Spiegelman, parts one and two. I was amazed by the metacognitive strategies it employed as well as its unique and inductive way of dealing with a sensitive historical subject.

After Maus I read Pyongyang, a book by Guy Delisle, a cartoonist from Quebec, who wrote about his journey to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in his 2004 graphic novel of the same name. In true visual form, its easiest to show what some of his conventions accomplish by showcasing a sample of his work:

This full page image strikes me for its ability to connote silence in a way which text has difficulty conveying. Contrary to those who suggest graphic novels do not leave enough room for self-construction of meaning, interpretation, and imagination, I point out that this single frame could spin off a myriad of discussion topics (why is the room empty? What is the author trying to say? Where are the people?) Further, the novel is in black and white, which is a very interesting choice to leave the interpretation of color up to the readers.

Consider how this frame creates a sense of place and attitude of the protagonist.

Sarcasm and humor can be tricky to create as a part of the writers persona. Consider how the visual medium works to this end, and how it could spur conversation on the aptness or appropriateness of humor when dealing with other cultures.

How much can be said or suggested in just two frames! In this case a commentary on a Westerner's perspective of North Korean music and patronage to the North Korean leader.

Another single page frame. This one seems to be a statement on uniformity and false fronts. The problem of how race is represented is also illustrated well here. Representation poses both a difficulty and a discussion opportunity for the classroom.

It would be too simple to say that all graphic novels should be allowed in the classroom, or that they are, as a rule, simple to teach. While perusing my university's library I encountered a book called Teaching the Graphic Novel which has over thirty chapters written by different authors on particular topics or viewpoints of teaching visual medium in the classroom. The fact that so much is being written on this medium proves that any stigma which had been attached to graphic novels as cheap entertainment, is wearing thin.



Works Cited:

Booth, D., & Lundy, K. (2007). In graphic detail: Using graphic novels in the classroom. Markham, ON: Rubicon Publishing Inc.

Hatfield, Tucker, et al. (2009). S. Tabachnick (Ed.), Teaching the Graphic Novel (2 ed.). New York: The Modern Language Association of America.

Schliesman, M., & Rudiger , M. (2007). Graphic novels and school libraries. Knowledge Quest, 36(2), 57-59. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=29968298&site=ehost-live&scope=site