Are Graphic Novels... Novels? (Feat. Princess Weekes) | It's Lit

Summary

This video script explores the evolution of the graphic novel from its early roots in sequential art forms like cave paintings and comics to its recognition as a serious literary form. It discusses the first graphic novel, the impact of works like 'Maus' and 'Persepolis', and the importance of the medium in telling diverse stories, including those of the LGBTQ+ community. The script challenges the notion that graphic novels are inferior to traditional books, highlighting their educational value and their ability to engage a wide range of readers.

Takeaways

• 📚 The script clarifies that 'It’s Lit' is not just for literary elites but also for nerds, and it discusses the evolution of literature to include graphic novels.
• 🎨 Narrative art and storytelling have ancient roots, from cave paintings to Egyptian hieroglyphics, leading to the development of comics.
• 🇨🇭 Rodolphe Töpffer is considered a precursor to the graphic novel with his 1828 work 'Histoire de M. Vieux Bois', which combined sequential images with text.
• 📚 The term 'graphic novel' was coined in 1964 but gained popularity with Will Eisner's 'A Contract with God', which aimed to elevate the medium for adult audiences.
• 📖 The script highlights the distinction between comics and graphic novels, noting that the latter often features higher quality materials and a more substantial narrative.
• 🏆 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman is a landmark graphic novel, being the first to win a Pulitzer Prize and recognized for its postmodern expression and narrative innovation.
• 🌐 The script emphasizes that graphic novels are not inherently superior to other forms of literature but can be equally powerful for storytelling.
• 🏫 Graphic novels like 'Persepolis' and 'Fun Home' have been incorporated into educational curricula, offering diverse perspectives and engaging students.
• 🏳️‍🌈 The rise of independent comic publications and creators has allowed for a broader range of stories, including those from LGBTQ+ creators and protagonists.
• 👧👦 The script argues that graphic novels can cater to various readerships, from energizing disinterested students to challenging advanced readers to consider visual elements.
• 📘 The final takeaway is a critique of those who dismiss graphic novels, asserting that the value of literature is in the stories told and their resonance with the human experience, not the format alone.

Q & A

What is the misconception about 'It’s Lit' that the script addresses?

The script addresses the misconception that 'It’s Lit' is only about the 'Ivory Tower Literary Elites' with great hair, but clarifies that they are also nerds who appreciate literature in its expanded form, including graphic novels.

What is the historical significance of 'Histoire de M. Vieux Bois' in the context of graphic novels?

Histoire de M. Vieux Bois, created by Rodolphe Töpffer in 1828, is considered a significant precursor to the graphic novel due to its use of sequential imagery accompanied by text to tell a story, which is a fundamental aspect of the graphic novel format.

Who is credited with coining the term 'graphic novel'?

The term 'graphic novel' was originally coined by Richard Kyle in a 1964 comic fanzine called Capa-Alpha.

What was the first work to popularize the term 'graphic novel'?

The term 'graphic novel' was popularized by Will Eisner with his work 'A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories', which was intended for adults and sought to be published in bookstores.

Why did Will Eisner hesitate to label his work as a comic book?

Eisner was conscious of the negative implications that the comic book label carried and wanted his work to be recognized as a more serious literary form, which led him to use the term 'graphic novel'.

What impact did 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman have on the recognition of graphic novels?

'Maus' was the first and only graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize, which significantly elevated the status of graphic novels as a serious literary form and brought them into mainstream recognition.

How did 'Persepolis' by Marjane Satrapi contribute to the perception of graphic novels?

'Persepolis' has been praised as a postcolonial text that offers a nuanced view of Iranian women's lives, contributing to the understanding of graphic novels as a powerful storytelling device for coming-of-age stories.

What role did 'Sandman' play in the evolution of the graphic novel market?

'Sandman' demonstrated to the industry that the future of comics lay not in monthly serials but in bound collections, influencing the market towards long-form storytelling in graphic novels.

What is the significance of 'Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic' in the context of queer graphic novels?

'Fun Home' was an important moment for queer graphic novels as it received mainstream literary, academic, and cultural recognition, and helped push the comics industry to pay more attention to LGBTQ material.

How have independent comic publications contributed to the diversity of stories in graphic novels?

Independent comic publications, such as First Second Books, have allowed for a wider range of stories to be told, including those by queer creators and stories that highlight diverse experiences, thus enriching the diversity of the graphic novel genre.

What argument does Kathryn Strong Hansen make in 'In Defense of Graphic Novels'?

Kathryn Strong Hansen argues that graphic novels can energize students with hard-to-capture interests, aid low-level and nonnative English-speaking readers through the combination of words and images, and challenge higher-level readers to expand their analytical skills to include visual elements.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Evolution of Graphic Novels

This paragraph delves into the history and evolution of graphic novels, starting from the earliest forms of narrative art like cave paintings and hieroglyphics. It highlights the Swiss artist Rodolphe Töpffer, who is considered a precursor to the graphic novel with his work 'Histoire de M. Vieux Bois' in 1828. The paragraph discusses the development of the graphic novel as a distinct form from traditional comics, emphasizing the higher quality format and the impact of works like Max Ernst's 'Collage novel' and Milt Gross's 'He Done Her Wrong'. It also touches on the coining of the term 'graphic novel' by Richard Kyle and its popularization by Will Eisner with 'A Contract with God', which aimed to reach an adult audience and be recognized as a literary work. The paragraph concludes by mentioning other influential works that contributed to the prestige and recognition of graphic novels as a serious storytelling medium.

05:02

🏆 The Rise of Graphic Novels in Literature and Society

The second paragraph focuses on the rise of graphic novels in the literary world and their impact on society. It begins by discussing the significance of 'Sandman' in demonstrating the potential of graphic novels as a long-form storytelling medium, moving away from monthly serials to bound collections. The paragraph then highlights the major milestone for graphic novels with Art Spiegelman's 'Maus' winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1992, which was a groundbreaking achievement for the medium. It also mentions other influential works like 'Persepolis' and 'Blankets', which have contributed to the recognition of graphic novels as a powerful storytelling device for memoirs and coming-of-age stories. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of graphic novels in education and their ability to engage a diverse range of readers, including students and nonnative English speakers. It concludes by arguing against the dismissal of graphic novels as an inferior art form, asserting that storytelling transcends format and that what makes a book literary is the depth and resonance of its stories.

Keywords

💡Graphic Novel

A graphic novel is a format of comic that presents a complete story or several interconnected stories in a book format. It is distinguished from traditional comics by its length and complexity, often exploring mature themes and narratives. In the video, the term is used to discuss the evolution of the medium from comic books to a recognized form of literature, as seen in works like 'Maus' and 'Persepolis'.

💡Sequential Imagery

Sequential imagery refers to the arrangement of pictures in a specific order to tell a story, a technique foundational to both comics and graphic novels. The script mentions Rodolphe Töpffer's work as an early example of using sequential imagery with text to create a narrative, which is a precursor to the modern graphic novel.

💡Comics Theorist

A comics theorist is an individual who studies and analyzes the art form of comics and graphic novels, often contributing to the understanding of their cultural and artistic significance. Scott McCloud is mentioned in the script as a comics theorist who has influentially referred to Töpffer as the 'father of the modern comic.'

💡Pantomime Tale

A pantomime tale is a story told without words, using only visual elements to convey the narrative. The script cites Milt Gross's 'He Done Her Wrong: The Great American Novel and Not a Word in It—No Music, Too' as an example of a pantomime tale, which influenced the development of the graphic novel.

💡Nazi Censorship

Nazi censorship refers to the strict control and suppression of public communication by the Nazi regime in Germany, which targeted various forms of media, including the 'wordless novels' that were part of the German Expressionist movement. The script explains how this censorship affected the evolution of the graphic novel.

💡Long-Form Storytelling

Long-form storytelling refers to narratives that are extended over a longer period or in a more detailed manner. The script discusses how 'Sandman' demonstrated the potential of long-form storytelling in graphic novels, moving away from the traditional monthly serials to bound collections.

💡Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is a prestigious award in various fields, including literature. In the context of the script, 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman is highlighted as the first and only graphic novel to win a Pulitzer, signifying the recognition of graphic novels as a serious literary form.

💡Postmodernism

Postmodernism is a cultural and artistic movement characterized by its rejection of grand theories and ideologies, often employing techniques like pastiche and irony. The script mentions 'Maus' as using postmodernist expression by representing Jews as mice and Germans as cats, which contributed to its literary acclaim.

💡Memoir Graphic Novel

A memoir graphic novel is a subgenre that combines the autobiographical storytelling of a memoir with the visual narrative techniques of a graphic novel. The script cites 'Persepolis' and 'Blankets' as examples of memoir graphic novels that have been influential in the medium and have found a place in educational settings.

💡LGBTQ Material

LGBTQ material refers to content that represents or is created by individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. The script discusses how 'Fun Home' by Alison Bechdel was an important moment for queer graphic novels, both in terms of its mainstream reception and its impact on the comics industry.

💡Independent Comic Publications

Independent comic publications are comic books or graphic novels produced outside of the major comic book companies, often allowing for more creative freedom and diversity in storytelling. The script mentions First Second Books as an example of a publisher that has enabled a variety of stories to be told in the graphic novel format.

Highlights

The evolution of literature to include graphic novels as a form alongside traditional novels.

The history of narrative art from cave paintings to Egyptian hieroglyphics and English serialized engravings.

The Swiss artist Rodolphe Töpffer as a precursor to the graphic novel with 'Histoire de M. Vieux Bois' in 1828.

Topffer's innovative approach to storytelling through sequential imagery and text.

The distinction between comics and graphic novels in terms of format and quality of the book.

German Max Ernst's creation of the 'Collage novel' as a precursor to the graphic novel.

Milt Gross's 'He Done Her Wrong' as an influential wordless novel in the graphic novel lineage.

The impact of German Expressionist movement and Nazi censorship on the development of graphic novels.

The term 'graphic novel' coined by Richard Kyle in 1964 and popularized by Will Eisner.

Eisner's 'A Contract with God' as a seminal work that brought graphic novels into mainstream bookstores.

The emergence of 'prestige' graphic novels like 'Sabre', 'Batman: Year One', 'Sandman', and 'The 'Nam'.

The significance of 'Sandman' in shifting the comic market towards bound collections.

Art Spiegelman's 'Maus' as the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1992.

The educational value of graphic novels like 'Persepolis' in teaching about historical and cultural contexts.

The rise of memoir graphic novels as a powerful storytelling device for personal narratives.

The impact of 'Fun Home' on queer representation and the comics industry's attention to LGBTQ+ material.

The broadening of graphic novels beyond the traditional audience to include diverse creators and stories.

The importance of storytelling in graphic novels and its relevance to the human experience.

The role of graphic novels in education to energize students and challenge analytical skills.

Transcripts

Here at It’s Lit it could be misconstrued that we are just Ivory Tower Literary Elites

with great hair, but the truth is … we are that, but we’re nerds too.

In the past few decades literature has expanded to not only mean the “novel”, but “graphic

novels” as well.

Today we are gonna break down how the graphic novel went from the comic book store to the

classroom.

Narrative art that tells stories has existed in some form since before civilization.

From cave paintings, to Egyptian hieroglyphics, to English serialized engravings.

And then we got COMICS!!

But the first big precursor to the graphic novel is thought to be Histoire de M. Vieux

Bois, drawn by Swiss artist and writer Rodolphe Töpffer in 1828.

Topffer used sequential imagery accompanied by text to tell the story of the titular Monsieur

Vieux Bois’s comic misadventures.

By 1841, unauthorized English translations of Topffer’s work had made their way to

the United States under the title “The Adventures of Obadiah Old Buck”.

Topffer, in the note to Mr Jabot wrote: “This little book is mixed in nature.

It is made up of a series of pictures [...] each one of which is accompanied by a line or two

of text.

The pictures without the words would only have a very obscure meaning, while the text

without the pictures signifies nothing at all.

The whole taken together is a kind of novel.”

….a…

GRAPHIC one

While mostly forgotten to modern audiences now, comics theorist Scott McCloud has called

Topffer the “father of the modern comic,” "cartooning and panel borders" along with

"the first interdependent combination of words and pictures seen in Europe"

Broadly speaking, a graphic novel is a collection of related comic strips that form a story

and are all published together as one book.

Back in the day what really separated comics from graphic novels was the higher quality

format of the book itself.

Better paper and being bound rather than stapled.

Surrealist painter German Max Ernst is credited with creating the proto-graphic novel.

In what was called the “Collage novel” Ernst would take images from other publications

and link them together with a narrative.

American Cartoonist, Milt Gross, published the pantomime tale He Done Her Wrong: The

Great American Novel and Not a Word in It — No Music, Too, in 1930 a “wordless novel”

that many consider another precursor to the graphic novel.

While not super popular it was impactful in the industry and was a huge influence on Osamu

Tezuka aka “the God of Manga” so like super niche.

These “wordless novels” were part of the German Expressionist movement of the early

20th century that were killed off in its nation of origin following the rise of Nazi censorship

in Germany.

However, it’s influence already gave birth to the artistic idea that would become the

“graphic novel.”

Now, you might be asking, “Princess, why not use the word “comic” or “comic book”

instead of “graphic novel?

It sounds like the same thing to me.

And--well--you’re not necessarily wrong; the term “graphic novel” is a fairly nebulous

one that artists, writers, critics, and fans have debated over the last few decades, but

we’ll get into that momentarily.

The term was originally coined in 1964 comic fanzine called Capa-Alpha, by Richard Kyle

but it didn’t take off as a popularized term until Will Eisner wrote A Contract with

God and Other Tenement Stories.

Sara J. Van Ness it was shared that:

When he first proposed the book to a New York publisher, Eisner recalls, “A little voice

inside me said, ‘Hey stupid, don’t tell him it’s a comic or he’ll hang up on you.’

So I said, “It’s a graphic novel.”

Eisner’s intuitive hesitation in labeling his work as a comic book suggests that he

was conscious of some negative implications that the comic book label carried.”

This collection of four stand-alone stories was something Eisner intended for “adults”

and wanted to be published in bookstores.

On the trade paperback of the title it said “graphic novel.

Making it the “first” of that mainstream label.

Contract was not the first graphic novel; many cite Jack Katz’s The First Kingdom,

which came out a few years before Contract, but what it did was elevate the term “graphic

novel” and comics as a long-form but contained storytelling device into the mainstream.

This was because Eisner worked to get it stocked in actual bookstores, validating it’s literary

value in the eyes of adult readers.

Following Contract we had titles like Sabre by Don McGregor and artist Paul Gulacy, which

takes place in the year 2020 where “Earth has succumbed to global famine, energy crises,

a plague based on a leaked American-government bioweapon” … huh…

But this is when we began to see the “prestige” division between “super serious” graphic

novels and comics.

Titles like Batman: Year One, Sandman, and The ‘Nam all serve to elevate the way readers

saw the medium.

Sandman is especially notable because as Joe Sutliff Sanders, a specialist in children's

media at the University of Cambridge, explains, “Sandman did not create the market for ongoing

graphic-novel series, did not even exactly drive it, but it did demonstrate to readers,

vendors, distributors, publishers, and writers that the future of comics lay not in monthly

serials but in bound collections.”

Look, as a nerd who loves comics, I don’t view graphic novels as inherently “superior,”

but anyone whose read Fables or Saga can tell you how a good long comic book run can nourish

the soul.

Yes, it is cool when one artist team creates a powerful stand alone story, but just because

it’s long doesn’t mean it’s good.

Which is just solid advice in general.

The major moment for graphic novels came in 1992 when I was born—and when Art Spiegelman’s

Maus became the first (and is still the only) graphic novel to win a Pulitzer.

Noted for using postmodernism expression by representing Jews as mice and Germans as cats,

the story depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a Polish

Jew and Holocaust survivor.

Professor of German and Jewish Studies.

PhD, University of Virginia, Erin McGlothlin explains that:

“Within the field of Holocaust Studies, Maus is considered a key literary text by

the scholarship on testimony and trauma [...] In the cultural sphere of comics, on the other

hand, it is celebrated chiefly on account of its format, narrative, and graphic innovation

and its inventive approach to subject matter previously deemed unsuitable for the comics

medium.”

Maus is now taught in schools along with titles like Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, which

depicts her childhood up to her early adult years in Iran during and after the Islamic

Revolution.

Persepolis has been subsequently praised as a postcolonial text.

As Matthew P. McAllister and Stephanie Orme, wrote in “Cinema’s DIscovery of the Graphic

Novel: Mainstream and Independent Adaptation” for Cambridge Press:

“Instead of depicting Iranian women as universally oppressed and as in need of Western liberation,

Persepolis offers a more complete, nuanced view of Iranian women’s lives--as actively

resisting what they consider “oppressive” on their own terms.”

Through this we began to see the memoir graphic novel really emerge as a powerful storytelling

device for coming of age stories.

Craig Thompson explores his upbringing in an Evangelical Christian family and eventually

leaving Christianity in Blankets.

2006’s Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel, details

her childhood struggles with gender identity and childhood abuse.

It was later turned into a musical that ended up taking home the Tony Award for Best Musical.

Justin Hall explains: “Fun Home was an important moment for queer graphic novels, both because

of its reception by the mainstream literary, academic, and cultural establishments and

because of how it helped push the comics industry to pay more attention to LGBTQ material.”

These stories created the foundation for many younger cartoonists and illustrators to tell

stories using this longer comic book form.

Especially now, with independent comic publications outside of the big two (DC/Marvel), places

like First Second Books and others have really allowed stories to shine.

Queer creators like Noelle Stevenson known for Lumberjanes and Nimona and Tillie Walden

(Spinning) have used the format to tell engaging stories that highlight that comics are not

and have never solely been a format for cis-white hetero dudes.

Jen Wang, writer of Stargazing and The Prince and the Dressmaker and works by Raina Telgemeier

have entered schools as well, which gives students new avenues to explore literature

made for them.

Reducing graphic novels and comics in general to an inferior artform because it’s primary

audience isn’t always adults is just baseless snobbery.

Storytelling doesn’t belong to any one format and what makes a book literary isn’t just

that there are words on a page—it is what stories are being told and how it speaks to

the human experience.

For some of us it’s Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman instead of …(checks high brow list)

Infinite Jest.

So for certain authors who think Graphic Novels aren’t books … well you are wrong.

Kathryn Strong Hansen writes “In Defense of Graphic Novels”:

“Many teachers have shown how graphic novels can help energize students whose interests

are hard to capture, can aid low-level and nonnative English-speaking readers through

the twinning of words with images, and can challenge higher-level readers to expand their

analytical skills to include consideration of visual elements.”

The only people who are still dismissing Graphic Novels are frankly out of touch and maybe

the issue is your own limited idea of what literature is, not that Superman is in it.