"What is a Graphic Novel? (Part II)": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

Summary

This video script delves into the visual aspects of graphic narratives, using Art Spiegelman's 'Maus' as an example. It introduces five key terms for analysis: comic panels, gutters, bleeds, speech bubbles, and captions. The script discusses how these elements, including the juxtaposition of past and present, contribute to the narrative's complexity and invites viewers to interpret their meanings, emphasizing the reader's role in engaging with and completing the story.

Takeaways

• 📚 The script discusses the unique juxtaposition of images and text in graphic narratives, emphasizing their interplay in conveying the story.
• 🔍 It delves into the visual aspects of graphic narratives, introducing five key terms essential for analyzing their form, using 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman as an example.
• 🐭 'Maus' portrays Jews as mice, Nazis as cats, and Poles as pigs, raising questions about the function of this symbolic representation.
• 🎨 The concept of comic panels is introduced as the basic unit of time in a graphic narrative, with different styles like bordered and unbordered panels to distinguish between different time settings.
• 🤔 The script encourages viewers to consider why certain images are divided into panels rather than presented as a single image, prompting deeper analysis of the artist's choices.
• 🌐 'Gutters' are the spaces between panels, and 'bleeds' occur when elements of a panel extend into these spaces, creating visual continuity or emphasis.
• 💬 Speech bubbles are used for direct dialogue from characters, while captions provide narration or context, often placed near the panel border to avoid image distraction.
• 📐 The script highlights the importance of recognizing and analyzing visual narrative features like panels, gutters, bleeds, speech bubbles, and captions for a complex understanding of graphic narratives.
• 🧩 In a specific passage from 'Maus', the use of varying panel sizes, character appearances in gutters, and repeated panels with differences are noted as sophisticated narrative techniques.
• 💭 The placement of speech bubbles and captions in 'Maus' is pointed out as a significant narrative choice that can influence the reader's interpretation.
• 🔑 The script concludes by inviting viewers to engage with the text, find their meanings, and participate in the conversation that both the textual and visual narratives of 'Maus' initiate.

Q & A

What is a central question of the text in the video?

The central question of the text is the function of the juxtaposition between the textual and visual narratives in graphic narratives, specifically in Art Spiegelman's 'Maus'.

What is the significance of the term 'juxtaposition' in the context of graphic narratives?

Juxtaposition in graphic narratives refers to the way images and text operate side by side, highlighting both differences and similarities between the visual and textual elements of the story.

What role does the graphic narrative 'Maus' play in the video?

'Maus' serves as an example to illustrate the terms and concepts discussed in the video, such as comic panels, gutters, bleeds, speech bubbles, and captions.

What are the basic units of time in a graphic narrative?

The basic units of time in a graphic narrative are the comic panels, which segment the chain of events into discrete units.

Why does Spiegelman choose to have bordered and unbordered panels in 'Maus'?

Spiegelman uses bordered panels for Vladek's past experiences in Auschwitz and unbordered panels for the present, helping to distinguish between the two time settings.

What is the purpose of separating a larger image into discrete panels?

Separating a larger image into discrete panels allows the artist to control the pacing, focus, and narrative flow, as well as to convey specific meanings through the arrangement.

What is the term used for the space between panels in a graphic narrative?

The space between panels is called a 'gutter', which can sometimes be used creatively to create effects like 'bleeds'.

What is a 'bleed' in the context of graphic narratives?

A 'bleed' occurs when an element from one panel extends into the gutter, creating a visual continuity or effect that spans across panels.

What are the two kinds of words that appear in panels of a graphic narrative?

The two kinds of words are direct dialogue spoken by characters, placed in speech bubbles, and narration spoken by a narrator, placed in captions.

How does the placement of speech bubbles and captions contribute to the narrative?

The placement of speech bubbles and captions can guide the reader's attention, provide context, and avoid distracting from the images, contributing to the overall narrative flow and understanding.

What does the video encourage viewers to do with their observations of the graphic narrative's formal features?

The video encourages viewers to engage in the process of interpretation, finding their own meanings in the passages and entering into a conversation with the narrative.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Graphic Narratives Analysis

This paragraph introduces the topic of graphic narratives, focusing on the interplay between images and text. It highlights the use of Art Spiegelman's 'Maus' as a case study to explore visual storytelling elements. The narrative juxtaposes the experiences of Vladek, a Holocaust survivor, with symbolic animal representations of different groups involved. The central question of the function of this juxtaposition is posed, but the focus shifts to the visual aspects of the narrative, specifically comic panels, which are the basic units of time in graphic narratives. The paragraph also touches on the distinction between past and present narratives through bordered and unbordered panels.

🖌️ Artistic Techniques in Graphic Narratives

This section delves into the visual techniques used in graphic narratives, such as gutters and bleeds, which are spaces between panels that can be creatively manipulated for various effects. The 'bleed' is exemplified by a character's emotion extending beyond the panel border into the gutter. Additionally, the paragraph discusses speech bubbles and captions, two types of textual elements in panels that serve different narrative purposes. Speech bubbles are used for direct dialogue, while captions provide narration or context. The importance of recognizing these features for a deeper analysis of graphic narratives is emphasized.

🔍 Analyzing 'Maus': A Sophisticated Passage

This paragraph provides an in-depth analysis of a specific passage from 'Maus', illustrating the use of various visual narrative techniques. It discusses the unconventional panel sizes, the use of a 'bleed' where characters appear in the gutter, and the repetition of panels with significant differences to challenge the linear progression of time. The placement of speech bubbles and captions is also examined for its potential impact on interpretation. The paragraph concludes by encouraging viewers to engage with these observations and find personal meanings in the narrative, emphasizing the reader's role in completing the story.

Keywords

💡Graphic Narratives

Graphic narratives are a form of storytelling that combines visual art and text to convey a narrative. They are the central theme of the video, which discusses how images and text work together in these narratives. In the script, 'graphic narratives' is used to introduce the topic of the video and to set the stage for the analysis of 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman, a notable example of the genre.

💡Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition refers to the act of placing two or more elements side by side to compare or contrast them. In the context of the video, it is used to describe how the textual and visual narratives in graphic narratives are placed in relation to each other, highlighting both their differences and similarities. The script mentions the juxtaposition of the textual story of Vladek's experiences with the visual narrative in 'Maus', where different groups are depicted as different animals.

💡Comic Panels

Comic panels are the individual frames that make up a comic strip or graphic narrative, each containing a portion of the story. They are defined as the basic unit of time in a graphic narrative. In the script, Spiegelman's use of panels in 'Maus' is analyzed, with particular attention to how he uses bordered and unbordered panels to distinguish between past and present narratives.

💡Gutters

Gutters are the spaces between comic panels, serving to separate one moment or idea from the next. They are an essential part of the visual language of graphic narratives. The script discusses how artists can manipulate gutters to create effects, such as 'bleeds', where elements from one panel extend into the gutter, affecting the interpretation of the narrative.

💡Bleeds

A bleed in graphic narratives occurs when an element from one panel extends into the gutter, creating a visual continuity between panels. This technique can be used for various effects, as mentioned in the script with the example of Artie's shock extending beyond the panel border, thus connecting the emotional state across the narrative.

💡Speech Bubbles

Speech bubbles are graphical elements used in comics and graphic narratives to indicate dialogue spoken by characters. They usually contain a tail that points to the speaker. In the script, speech bubbles are mentioned as a way to differentiate direct dialogue from narration within the panels of 'Maus', contributing to the narrative's complexity.

💡Captions

Captions are used in graphic narratives to provide narration or additional information that is not spoken by a character. Unlike speech bubbles, captions are typically attached to the border of a panel. The script explains that captions in 'Maus' offer crucial information and are used to avoid distracting from the visual narrative.

💡Interpretation

Interpretation in the context of the video refers to the process of analyzing and finding meaning in the formal features of a graphic narrative. The script encourages viewers to use their observations about the visual elements of 'Maus' to interpret the narrative's deeper meanings, rather than being told what those meanings are.

💡Maus

'Maus' is a specific graphic narrative by Art Spiegelman that tells the story of his father, Vladek, a Holocaust survivor. The script uses 'Maus' as an example to illustrate the concepts being discussed, such as the use of panels, gutters, speech bubbles, and captions, and the juxtaposition of text and images.

💡Visual Narrative

A visual narrative is a story told primarily through images, as opposed to text. In the video, the term is used to describe the part of a graphic narrative that is depicted through illustrations. The script discusses how the visual narrative in 'Maus' works in conjunction with the textual narrative to convey the story of the Holocaust.

💡Textual Narrative

A textual narrative is a story conveyed through written or spoken words. In the context of the video, it refers to the part of a graphic narrative that is told through text, as opposed to images. The script discusses how the textual narrative in 'Maus' is juxtaposed with the visual narrative, creating a unique storytelling experience.

Highlights

Graphic narratives often juxtapose images and text, highlighting differences and similarities between the textual and visual narratives.

The video delves deeper into the visual aspects of graphic narratives, focusing on 5 key terms for proper analysis.

Art Spiegelman's 'Maus' is used as an example to illustrate the terms, telling the story of Vladek, a prisoner at Auschwitz.

The juxtaposition of the textual story of Vladek's experiences with the visual narrative depicting different groups as animals raises central questions about its function.

Comic panels are the basic unit of time in graphic narratives, with artists choosing between bordered or unbordered styles.

Spiegelman uses bordered panels for Vladek's past and unbordered for the present, distinguishing between the two time settings.

The decision to separate a larger image into discrete panels can provide insight into the meaning and function of comic panels.

Gutters are the spaces between panels, while bleeds occur when elements extend beyond the panel border into the gutter.

Speech bubbles contain direct dialogue from characters, usually with a tail pointing to the speaker.

Captions provide narration and crucial information, often attached to the panel border to avoid image distraction.

Recognizing features like panels, gutters, bleeds, speech bubbles, and captions is essential for analyzing graphic narratives.

In a sophisticated passage from 'Maus', the use of varying panel sizes, bleed, and unconventional panel progression challenges traditional narrative techniques.

Spiegelman's placement of speech bubbles and captions in 'Maus' is a key aspect of the narrative's visual storytelling.

The formal features of 'Maus' invite readers to engage in interpretation and find their own meanings in the narrative.

Both the textual and visual narratives of 'Maus' tell a powerful story that requires reader participation to complete.

Transcripts

In last week’s video, we discussed a curious feature of graphic narratives, namely, the

fact that the images and text in these stories often operate in juxtaposition with one another,

calling attention to differences as well as to similarities between the textual and visual

narratives.

In this video, I want to dive a little deeper into the VISUAL side of graphic narratives

and give you the 5 most common terms you’ll need to properly analyze their form.

We’ll be using Art Spiegelman’s graphic narrative Maus to illustrate these terms.

Maus tells the story of Art’s father, Vladek, who was a prisoner of the Auschwitz concentration

camp during the second world war.

As you would expect from last week’s video, throughout this graphic narrative, the textual

story of Vladek’s experiences is placed in juxtaposition with the visual narrative,

which depicts Jews as mice, Nazis as cats, and Poles as pigs.

A central question, of course, is what is the function of this strange juxtaposition?

There are many ways to answer this question, and I encourage you to give it some thought

(it is THE central question of the text).

However, in this lesson, I want to put that question aside and look at the details of

Spiegelman’s visual work.

First up: comic panels.

In this passage from Maus, you’ll notice that Spiegelman has segmented the chain of

events into six discrete panels.

These panels constitute the basic unit of time in a graphic narrative.

Artists can choose to make their panels bordered or unbordered, and Spiegelman here has chosen

to leave the panels where he is speaking to his father in the present unbordered while

Vladek’s past experiences in Auschwitz are bordered.

This decision helps us to distinguish between the two time settings—past and present—that

are also juxtaposed with one another here.

You might have noticed that the second, third, fourth, and fifth panels in this passage can,

with a little imagination, be made to form a single image, and you might wonder why Spiegelman

has separated out this larger image into discrete panels.

Asking this question (and trying to answer it for yourself) will give you greater insight

into how a comic panel works and what meaning Spiegelman’s decision might be conveying

here.

Next up: gutters and bleeds.

Artists usually leave some space between the panels of their visual narratives.

That space is called a “gutter.”

While most of the time, gutters cleanly separate out one panel from another, graphic artists

will sometimes play around with this space.

In the panels you see here, for example, Artie’s shock in the left panel extends beyond its

border and into gutter between the two panels.

That effect is called a “bleed” and can also be used to a variety of effects.

Finally: speech bubbles and captions.

In graphic narratives, there are usually two kinds of words that appear in panels—direct

dialogue spoken by characters, and narration spoken by a narrator.

Whenever a character speaks, his or her words are placed into what are called speech bubbles,

which usually contain a tail directing us to the character who is speaking.

When the narrator wants to offer crucial information on the images depicted in the visual narrative,

their words are placed into what are called captions, which are usually, but not always,

attached to a border of a panel to avoid distracting from the images.

Panel, Gutter, Bleed, Speech Bubble, Caption.

If you can recognize these features of visual narratives, you’ll be well on your way to

thinking about and writing about graphic narratives in a complex manner.

Let’s try to put them all together in this disturbing and formally sophisticated passage

from Maus.

You’ll notice that there are five panels in this passage of varying sizes.

You’ll also notice that Artie and Vladek appear in the gutter between the fourth and

fifth panels and seem to hover above these panels in a strange kind of bleed.

You’ll see that the third and fourth panels repeat one another with some crucial differences,

and thus break from the convention of moving forward in time from panel to panel.

Finally, you’ll notice some very strange and interesting decisions that Spiegelman

has made based upon where he chooses to place his speech bubbles and captions.

So, what are we to do with these observations?

Well, now we can play around with what they might mean through a process we call interpretation.

I have my thoughts on what these formal features of Maus’s visual narrative are doing, but

rather than tell you them, I invite you to find your own meanings in these passages.

Maus has a powerful story to tell us through both its textual narrative and its visual

narrative, but like all narratives, it requires you, the reader, to enter into the conversation

to complete the story.