So far, the two graphic narratives we've read in class have been powerful memoirs--1st-person stories of violence and loss. Given what we remember from McCloud, particularly his assertion that comics artists encourage reader identification through their use of icons, the gutter, and closure, can we say that comics are a medium particularly appropriate for telling first-person stories? What do you think?
For more on comics and the first-person, check out:
this book on comics, gender, and first-person storytelling
or this great article on the "I" and comics
I think that comics are really good for first person story telling. When writing a novel a writer almost has to work harder (in my opinion) to write a story from certain perspectives and to encourage reader identification. Whereas with comics you can simply draw the world as your character sees it. Although I would never say that the creation of a good comic is ever easy or simple, I would say that comics allow a simpler form of story telling and can take a viewer/reader to a certain perspective with more ease.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that I also have to say that the art style and quality also plays a very important role in encouraging a reader to embrace the work. With Maus I was deterred from committing to the reading due to the quality of the letters/writing of the text. While with Persepolis, I find the idea/story to be interesting thus far, I also find myself not connecting to it as a comic, but could almost rather see it as a novel/book. The artwork feels slightly too "Sunday Comics". However I think that it just be my bias as a comic lover. I tend to favor certain styles and feel put out when reading a good comic story with lack luster artwork.
But in defense of Persepolis, the artwork showcases the characters in a manner that, at times, makes it difficult to tell male characters apart from female characters and perhaps that it the idea behind such drawing styles. The drawing style of Persepolis makes all the characters blend in together and somewhat difficult to tell apart.
I believe the use of comics is highly appropriate for conveying first-person stories. Both MAUS and Persepolis do an amazing job at engaging the readers’ senses and intellect in order to tell a story. McCloud explains how it’s easier for readers to see themselves depicted in minimalistic art, as opposed to realistic images. We feel a greater connection to characters with minimal features because we see our own friends and relations in them. In this way, the graphic novel has a distinct advantage for depicting first-person accounts because of the intimacy created between the reader and the story. In MAUS, the use of anthropomorphic mice helps distance the reader from the traumatic experience; but in Persepolis I believe the characters are designed to have an opposite effect. I personally feel connected with Marji’s experiences and her family members, even though I’ve never been in such a situation. As readers, we’re privy to her inner thoughts and intangible feelings in a way that would be lost in a conventional novel. Use of the gutter and closure in the images of Persepolis also enhances the readers’ involvement in the story because it demands the use of our own imaginations. This is effective because it requires the audience take on some of the responsibility in creating the story and helps extend the experience beyond the page.
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