Alison Bechdel's
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic was named one of
Time
magazine's 10 best books of the year in 2006. Prior to the publication
of her graphic novel-cum-memoir, Bechdel was best known for her comic
strip, "Dykes to Watch Out For," which was syndicated in a number of
alternative publications throughout the country. In
Fun Home,
Bechdel persists in exploring some of the themes she first examined in
her strips, particularly gender and sexual orientation, as well as the
trials and tribulations of a smart and witty young woman in America.
However, Bechdel's memoir is an even more personal and poignant
account--both of growing up gay and simply growing up. Bechdel's book asks us to
look at the future of contemporary American literature. Will the "great
American novel" be something other than a traditional novel? Have we
moved past the genre of the novel onto more hybrid literary forms, such
as the graphic memoirs of Spiegelman and Bechdel?
See below for resources on Bechdel:
Comics Journal
interview
All About Women Festival
interview
Book with great chapter about Bechdel
Announcement of MacArthus Genuis grant
award
Dykes to Watch Out For strip
Musical
version of
Fun Home
Cvetkovich
article on the queer archive in Fun Home
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