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

Summary

This script explores the complexities of adult graphic narratives, contrasting them with the simpler picture books of childhood. It uses Chris Ware's 'Thrilling Adventure Stories' to illustrate how the interplay between text and visuals can tell two seemingly unrelated stories, urging readers to slow down and appreciate the juxtaposition. The example of Lynda Barry's 'Help You' further emphasizes the emotional depth that can be conveyed through this medium. The video promises to provide tools for analyzing visual narratives in the next installment, encouraging a deeper understanding of graphic narratives.

Takeaways

• 📚 Picture books and graphic narratives both use images and text, but the relationship between them is more complex in adult graphic narratives.
• 🔍 In children's picture books, images typically reinforce or complete the text, as shown in the Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series example.
• 🤔 Adult graphic narratives can be understood as two intertwined stories: a textual narrative and a visual narrative, which may initially seem unrelated.
• 🎨 The visual narrative in Chris Ware's 'Thrilling Adventure Stories' contrasts with the textual narrative, creating a juxtaposition that requires deeper analysis.
• 👓 Reading graphic narratives involves looking for common features and contrasts between the visual and textual narratives to understand the full story.
• 🦸‍♂️ The example from Ware illustrates how a boy's imagination transforms a mundane story into a hyperbolic, cartoonish visual narrative influenced by his comic book obsession.
• 🔑 Identifying shared themes, such as pain, observation, and the concept of 'zips and flys', helps to bridge the gap between the visual and textual narratives.
• 🧐 The process of understanding graphic narratives is akin to translating unfamiliar phrases and events into one's own perspective, as shown by the boy's interpretation of his grandfather's story.
• 📖 Another example from Lynda Barry's 'Help You' shows how textual and visual narratives can be used to juxtapose a girl's anxiety with her father's obliviousness.
• 📘 The script emphasizes the importance of slowing down and considering the juxtaposition of words and images in graphic narratives rather than viewing them as separate entities.
• 📚 The next video in the series promises to provide terms and techniques for analyzing visual narratives, aiming to enhance the reader's understanding and appreciation of graphic narratives.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is to introduce and discuss strategies for reading adult graphic narratives, highlighting the complexity of the relationship between pictures and words in these stories.

How does the script differentiate between picture books for children and graphic narratives for adults?

The script differentiates by explaining that while picture books for children usually have images that reinforce or complete the textual narrative, graphic narratives for adults often present a more complex relationship where the visual and textual narratives can be juxtaposed, offering different or contrasting stories.

What is an example of a simple textual and visual relationship given in the script?

An example of a simple textual and visual relationship is from Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series, where Gerald the Elephant asks about a bowl Piggie is carrying, and Piggie responds directly to his question, with the images clearly illustrating the dialogue.

Can you describe the example from Chris Ware’s 'Thrilling Adventure Stories (I Guess)'?

The example from Chris Ware’s 'Thrilling Adventure Stories (I Guess)' illustrates a young boy's internal translation of a mundane story told by his grandmother into a hyperbolic, cartoonish visual narrative in his mind, showing a discrepancy between the text and the images.

What is the significance of the juxtaposition of narratives in graphic narratives?

The significance of the juxtaposition of narratives in graphic narratives is that it calls attention to differences, contrasts, and unexpected similarities between the visual and textual stories, enriching the reading experience and inviting the reader to interpret the relationship between the two.

How does the script suggest we should read graphic narratives?

The script suggests that we should slow down when reading graphic narratives and consider how the words and images are juxtaposed with one another, rather than viewing the visual narrative as a mere complement to the textual narrative.

What is the example of a short comic called 'Help You' by Lynda Barry about?

The short comic 'Help You' by Lynda Barry is about a young girl named Maybonne who struggles with her typing skills and deals with the emotional trauma of her father's abandonment, with the textual narrative of her anxiety juxtaposed against the visual narrative of her father's obliviousness.

What vocabulary challenge does the script mention for students of English literature when analyzing visual narratives?

The script mentions that students of English literature may not have as developed a vocabulary for close reading visual narratives as they do for literary texts, suggesting a need for specific terms to analyze and discuss graphic narratives effectively.

What does the script promise to provide in the next video of the series?

The script promises to provide a handful of terms in the next video of the series that are useful for analyzing and discussing graphic narratives in a sophisticated manner, similar to how readers analyze textual narratives.

What is the final message or advice given to the viewers in the script?

The final message or advice given to the viewers in the script is to stay healthy and have fun reading their next graphic narrative, encouraging an enjoyable and thoughtful approach to the medium.

How does the script use the term 'juxtaposition' in the context of graphic narratives?

The script uses the term 'juxtaposition' to describe the side-by-side placement of the textual and visual narratives in graphic narratives, which allows for a deeper analysis of the contrasts and similarities between the two forms of storytelling.