I made down to Zandua Comics on 3rd ave and what a fun experience. The book store has such ambience's. All the customers i seen with exception myself all looked like comic fanatics. Emily is the owner and she was real helpful. l told her i was interested in GN by women and she gave me her picks. So i brought Persepolis and an Anthology of women GN and i cant wait to begin. I plan on going back next week when i can really spend time and look around. I love book stores especially the funky/hip stores.
I just begun reading the GN Persepolis and so far I like it. The graphics are very basic but powerful. there is one scene where she is describing how Shah of Iran killed 400 students during a protest and she demonstrates the horror with a childlike drawing of ghost descending to heaven. I've only read about 30 pages so far but l can tell this is my kind of GN (history,politics, memoir)
Friday, July 27, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Mid Term July 20,007
Tracey Thompson
Graphic Novels
Mid Term Exam
Describe the different art & writing styles of graphic novels you have examined so far. How are the styles similar/or different.
I would describe the graphics in Ethel & Ernest as lush- this my own term in my reading of McCloud he doesn’t use this term on his chapter on vocabulary. Both authors in my graphic novels used first person point of view along with narrative story telling. Fun Home I noticed the frame narrative approach which is a story line within a story. There is a scene in GN where the mother is reading for a play and the material is similar to her life at that moment. (Craig l loaned my book to classmate so I can’t give page #). Both novels I read used interior monologue especially in Fun Home where the narrator is having conversations within herself. Using McCloud picture plane on page 52/53 I would say that Blechdel is in middle and Briggs is toward the lower because his character were more abstract with the facial features were not that defined as in Fun Home where the facial expression were explicit down to the age lines in the parents faces to the style of clothing.
What/How does gender play in the narrative of Graphic Novels
(Plot, character, narrative point of view
In both GN I read both dealt with issues around gender and their roles in the lives of the characters. In Ethel and Ernest is a first person point of view memoir by Raymond Briggs about his parents lives set in early 1920 and ends with their deaths in 1970’s.
The gender issues is subtle, with a strong connection to history
. For example before his parents met his mother worked as a maid and his father worked as delivery man. After their marriage his mother quit work and it wasn’t until the war that she went back to work. During WWII with the men at war and the need for labor many women went to work in factories and airplane plants. On page 51 she announce to her husband that she has been promoted from warehouse to office clerk and they both celebrate. I don’t see any tension around her working outside of home what is illustrated that although she was a working woman the sequences show her doing a lot of housework (washing clothes manually, pressing clothes with old fashion steam iron pg 66 etc..) while her Ernest sat smoking and reading the paper or listening to radio.
Fun Home the gender roles are defiantly more controversial. It also a memoir by Alison Bechdel about her life. The story is told from first point of view which creates questions around how reliable of a narrator is she? Her voice is the only point of view we the reader can draw on. The novel is set in a rural town on the East Coast during the 1960-1970’s.
From page one it is clear without fore knowledge that there is something peculiar about her father. It isn’t stated what those issues are until later but based on the dialogue and graphics such as scenes of father in short shorts, hanging pictures and shining and totally absorbed in decorating the house and making it look like at how piece that her father isn’t the typical father? The sequences show her mother the exact opposite, totally not involved in the care and upkeep of her father. Actually through out the memoir Blechdel has painted a picture of her mother as a bored housewife with ambition of being a great theater actress and l feel kind of a free spirit. She portrays herself as a tomboy (short hair cut, athlete)When you consider the social construct of the time of the three character only the narrator was able to have degree of freedom. The father wasn’t free to be who is due to the expectations placed on him by society. The mother was locked in a box also, l got the impression based on the narration that the mother would have happy to give him the children and she could be free to pursue her acting career. She didn’t come across as the typical nurturing Suzy home-maker type…
How do Graphic Novels address, but aid/problemaitze our understanding of history, and are they historical texts?
Graphic novels and history go hand in hand. A good writer can incorporate history into the text with out it being too preachy of burden down the plot. This is way I look at it, History serves as the backdrop its there and when need be it speaks and then retreats back into its place. For example in Ethel & Ernest this is not only a memoir but a historical time piece also. The story is a simple love story of two people in the early 1920’s set against the historical back of WWII and the invention of automobiles, and household appliances such refrigerator, wash machine. It also tells the subtle story of how women become an integral part of the workforce due to lack of male labor cause by WWII. In Watergate Sue, we the reader get a subtle education on the Watergate scandal of he 1970’s. Again it is told from a point of view of the narrator which we the reader only get one side the scandal. Its there in the back ground as the narrator tells the story of her parents and her journey into womanhood. To bring it all the together I would say that history definitely aids in the telling of a story if used appropriately and not in a judgmental fashion.
Graphic Novels
Mid Term Exam
Describe the different art & writing styles of graphic novels you have examined so far. How are the styles similar/or different.
I would describe the graphics in Ethel & Ernest as lush- this my own term in my reading of McCloud he doesn’t use this term on his chapter on vocabulary. Both authors in my graphic novels used first person point of view along with narrative story telling. Fun Home I noticed the frame narrative approach which is a story line within a story. There is a scene in GN where the mother is reading for a play and the material is similar to her life at that moment. (Craig l loaned my book to classmate so I can’t give page #). Both novels I read used interior monologue especially in Fun Home where the narrator is having conversations within herself. Using McCloud picture plane on page 52/53 I would say that Blechdel is in middle and Briggs is toward the lower because his character were more abstract with the facial features were not that defined as in Fun Home where the facial expression were explicit down to the age lines in the parents faces to the style of clothing.
What/How does gender play in the narrative of Graphic Novels
(Plot, character, narrative point of view
In both GN I read both dealt with issues around gender and their roles in the lives of the characters. In Ethel and Ernest is a first person point of view memoir by Raymond Briggs about his parents lives set in early 1920 and ends with their deaths in 1970’s.
The gender issues is subtle, with a strong connection to history
. For example before his parents met his mother worked as a maid and his father worked as delivery man. After their marriage his mother quit work and it wasn’t until the war that she went back to work. During WWII with the men at war and the need for labor many women went to work in factories and airplane plants. On page 51 she announce to her husband that she has been promoted from warehouse to office clerk and they both celebrate. I don’t see any tension around her working outside of home what is illustrated that although she was a working woman the sequences show her doing a lot of housework (washing clothes manually, pressing clothes with old fashion steam iron pg 66 etc..) while her Ernest sat smoking and reading the paper or listening to radio.
Fun Home the gender roles are defiantly more controversial. It also a memoir by Alison Bechdel about her life. The story is told from first point of view which creates questions around how reliable of a narrator is she? Her voice is the only point of view we the reader can draw on. The novel is set in a rural town on the East Coast during the 1960-1970’s.
From page one it is clear without fore knowledge that there is something peculiar about her father. It isn’t stated what those issues are until later but based on the dialogue and graphics such as scenes of father in short shorts, hanging pictures and shining and totally absorbed in decorating the house and making it look like at how piece that her father isn’t the typical father? The sequences show her mother the exact opposite, totally not involved in the care and upkeep of her father. Actually through out the memoir Blechdel has painted a picture of her mother as a bored housewife with ambition of being a great theater actress and l feel kind of a free spirit. She portrays herself as a tomboy (short hair cut, athlete)When you consider the social construct of the time of the three character only the narrator was able to have degree of freedom. The father wasn’t free to be who is due to the expectations placed on him by society. The mother was locked in a box also, l got the impression based on the narration that the mother would have happy to give him the children and she could be free to pursue her acting career. She didn’t come across as the typical nurturing Suzy home-maker type…
How do Graphic Novels address, but aid/problemaitze our understanding of history, and are they historical texts?
Graphic novels and history go hand in hand. A good writer can incorporate history into the text with out it being too preachy of burden down the plot. This is way I look at it, History serves as the backdrop its there and when need be it speaks and then retreats back into its place. For example in Ethel & Ernest this is not only a memoir but a historical time piece also. The story is a simple love story of two people in the early 1920’s set against the historical back of WWII and the invention of automobiles, and household appliances such refrigerator, wash machine. It also tells the subtle story of how women become an integral part of the workforce due to lack of male labor cause by WWII. In Watergate Sue, we the reader get a subtle education on the Watergate scandal of he 1970’s. Again it is told from a point of view of the narrator which we the reader only get one side the scandal. Its there in the back ground as the narrator tells the story of her parents and her journey into womanhood. To bring it all the together I would say that history definitely aids in the telling of a story if used appropriately and not in a judgmental fashion.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Ernest & Ethel
I really liked this graphic memoir. I find it interesting that my first two GN are very similar in that there both memoirs with a strong historical emphasis.
This GN is by Raymond Briggs a well known and prolific writer with a amazing career I would say that Ernest & Ethel is an autobio because it is based on the life of his parents. And since he was there he would be a first person narrator. The story itself appears to be a simple tale of two people falling in love during the turn of the century and settling in for a relatively unremarkable and comfortable life ( like my parents). But Briggs thanks to Briggs masterful story telling it is much more.
The story is set in England, which is another interesting aspect of this memoir because I the reader get to see what it was like in England during WWII and learn about the political parties and social unrest going on during that time. Also the language is very British and Ethel is kind of a Mss Priss while Ernest is blue collar Joe and Ethel is a maid in a mansion.. In one sequence they buy a simple Victorian house with a beautiful iron gate and indoor plumbing including a claw foot tub. Later in the memoir we then see the same house in shambles with gate missing due to World War II when iron and other precious metals were scarce and hard to come by. I remember my parents talking about rations of pantyhose, food and other stuff. We see the birth of her one and only child and his development from pampered child to long haired hippie. Also the simple things like their first bed and he ask to try it out and Ethel refuse because its broad daylight. In this day of reality televising where all your business is out there scenes like this are a reminder of how prudish our world once was.
What really captivated me about the GN is the graphics, since I'm a visual person the imagery really came alive. The art work is very detailed. For example on pg 7 there are only 3 panels but the last is huge and lush with bright colors of red and the detail down to the maids uniform and on the previous page again the details of the ivy sprouting up the brick home is very impressive.
In McCloud on pg 51-53 he talks about the picture plane? he say most comics lies near the bottom of the picture plane" he then gives an example of Charlie Brown and i mention this because although the graphic art is very detailed through out the book the faces of the characters are about a 55 on the chart (pg53)
Themes: life cycles, politics, love, class, gender roles.
Subjective: Love it i want to his novel When the wind Blows next
The role of the reader: Pull a chair and come along for the ride. Its like if i sat down with an elderly person and ask them to tell me about their life this is the story i would get.
History: World War II, Socialist Politics, great inventions of mankind (television, car, refrigerator), Aquarius age (long hair art student)
I'm really glad i chose this book as my first graphic novel because it wet my appetite for more and also let me see that there are many genres. My 65 yr old Aunt would read this and love it. two thumbs up
This GN is by Raymond Briggs a well known and prolific writer with a amazing career I would say that Ernest & Ethel is an autobio because it is based on the life of his parents. And since he was there he would be a first person narrator. The story itself appears to be a simple tale of two people falling in love during the turn of the century and settling in for a relatively unremarkable and comfortable life ( like my parents). But Briggs thanks to Briggs masterful story telling it is much more.
The story is set in England, which is another interesting aspect of this memoir because I the reader get to see what it was like in England during WWII and learn about the political parties and social unrest going on during that time. Also the language is very British and Ethel is kind of a Mss Priss while Ernest is blue collar Joe and Ethel is a maid in a mansion.. In one sequence they buy a simple Victorian house with a beautiful iron gate and indoor plumbing including a claw foot tub. Later in the memoir we then see the same house in shambles with gate missing due to World War II when iron and other precious metals were scarce and hard to come by. I remember my parents talking about rations of pantyhose, food and other stuff. We see the birth of her one and only child and his development from pampered child to long haired hippie. Also the simple things like their first bed and he ask to try it out and Ethel refuse because its broad daylight. In this day of reality televising where all your business is out there scenes like this are a reminder of how prudish our world once was.
What really captivated me about the GN is the graphics, since I'm a visual person the imagery really came alive. The art work is very detailed. For example on pg 7 there are only 3 panels but the last is huge and lush with bright colors of red and the detail down to the maids uniform and on the previous page again the details of the ivy sprouting up the brick home is very impressive.
In McCloud on pg 51-53 he talks about the picture plane? he say most comics lies near the bottom of the picture plane" he then gives an example of Charlie Brown and i mention this because although the graphic art is very detailed through out the book the faces of the characters are about a 55 on the chart (pg53)
Themes: life cycles, politics, love, class, gender roles.
Subjective: Love it i want to his novel When the wind Blows next
The role of the reader: Pull a chair and come along for the ride. Its like if i sat down with an elderly person and ask them to tell me about their life this is the story i would get.
History: World War II, Socialist Politics, great inventions of mankind (television, car, refrigerator), Aquarius age (long hair art student)
I'm really glad i chose this book as my first graphic novel because it wet my appetite for more and also let me see that there are many genres. My 65 yr old Aunt would read this and love it. two thumbs up
Water Gate Sue
I'm still trying to figure this bloc stuff out. I just post and pray it goes to write discussion board. I'm getting a true education in ways i hadn't planned. I'm always up for a challenge.
On Mondays class we discussed the comic Watergate Sue. The professor raised so interesting talking pints for the class to consider.
History, reliable narrator and character development. The class was a lot more lively than usual. My thoughts on the comic were that the protangist was looking for her mother for a connection and she was hoping that by announcing she was pregnant that would be the link. Watergate Sue due to she was conceived during the Watergate hearings, lam old enough to where i remember that time along with whole Patty Hearst kidnapping crisis. The mother like a lot of women during that time were pressured by society to conform to a certain perspections such homemake, wife and mother. She seemed to be a woman who desired higher learning and most of all wanted her daughters to experience life on their own terms. Was this said - no- but i added that based my own assumptions.
On Mondays class we discussed the comic Watergate Sue. The professor raised so interesting talking pints for the class to consider.
History, reliable narrator and character development. The class was a lot more lively than usual. My thoughts on the comic were that the protangist was looking for her mother for a connection and she was hoping that by announcing she was pregnant that would be the link. Watergate Sue due to she was conceived during the Watergate hearings, lam old enough to where i remember that time along with whole Patty Hearst kidnapping crisis. The mother like a lot of women during that time were pressured by society to conform to a certain perspections such homemake, wife and mother. She seemed to be a woman who desired higher learning and most of all wanted her daughters to experience life on their own terms. Was this said - no- but i added that based my own assumptions.
Watergate Sue
I'm still trying to figure this bloc stuff out. I just post and pray it goes to write discussion board. I'm getting a true education in ways i hadn't planned. I'm always up for a challenge.
On Mondays class we discussed the comic Watergate Sue. The professor raised so interesting talking pints for the class to consider.
History, reliable narrator and character development. The class was a lot more lively than usual. My thoughts on the comic were that the protangist was looking for her mother for a connection and she was hoping that by announcing she was pregnant that would be the link. Watergate Sue due to she was conceived during the Watergate hearings, lam old enough to where i remember that time along with whole Patty Hearst kidnapping crisis. The mother like a lot of women during that time were pressured by society to conform to a certain perspections such homemake, wife and mother. She seemed to be a woman who desired higher learning and most of all wanted her daughters to experience life on their own terms. Was this said - no- but i added that based my own assumptions.
PS more to come i got to get dinner ready.
On Mondays class we discussed the comic Watergate Sue. The professor raised so interesting talking pints for the class to consider.
History, reliable narrator and character development. The class was a lot more lively than usual. My thoughts on the comic were that the protangist was looking for her mother for a connection and she was hoping that by announcing she was pregnant that would be the link. Watergate Sue due to she was conceived during the Watergate hearings, lam old enough to where i remember that time along with whole Patty Hearst kidnapping crisis. The mother like a lot of women during that time were pressured by society to conform to a certain perspections such homemake, wife and mother. She seemed to be a woman who desired higher learning and most of all wanted her daughters to experience life on their own terms. Was this said - no- but i added that based my own assumptions.
PS more to come i got to get dinner ready.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Fun House
Fun House by Alison Bechdel is a memoir told in comic book form. The novel takes place in a small town. Her parents once held illusions of grandeur of living abroad among the more cultured but were forced home to take over the family funeral home. Bechdel and her siblings grew up helping out at the family business which they called Fun Home, ironically the funeral home provided more freedom and entertainment than their house. When i picked this book i didn't read the description too well however it was no big surprise that by page 10 we the reader knew that her father was gay and a Martha Stewart way before his time and the protagonist was dealing with her own sexuality. Bechdel uses subtle narrative and graphics to relay this. I appreciate how she intertwines Greek mythology through out the book.
Themes:
Secrecy, fate, sexuality, family traditions and hope deferred.
The Role of the reader:
She challenges the reader as we delve into her dysfunctional family to look into our own crafted realities. As we reflect on the past were challenge to view events in context of what we really know to be true.
Objective Response:
Themes:
Secrecy, fate, sexuality, family traditions and hope deferred.
The Role of the reader:
She challenges the reader as we delve into her dysfunctional family to look into our own crafted realities. As we reflect on the past were challenge to view events in context of what we really know to be true.
Objective Response:
Understanding Comics by Scot Mccloud.
I've been reading comics since i was 3 yrs old who knew there was art to it?
Who knew comics were an art form? I certainly never did. I always enjoyed reading the comics or funnies for the visual and cool story lines. Here it is some 30 yrs later and now I'm learning about juxtaposed sequential visual art. By itself i have n clue what that means but the beauty of Mccloud is that he does a good job of simplifying the art of comics. According to Mccloud this term means images side by side in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information or produce an aesthetic response in a viewer. McCloud then goes on to break down the history of comic from pre-Colombian picture manuscript in1529 to present day form. McCloud gives us the reader the language of comics by introducing us to words such as : iconic imagery. In the following chapters Mccloud talks about time frame; the concept of blood in the gutter(which i have read 3x and i still couldnt explain it); Closure now i thought this would be simple but again I'm reading and thinking what the hell is he talking about. In closing as i write this blog I'm not going to even pretend, l believe in keeping it real. As I'm reading this i feel like 'I'm in the mind of a demented genius. In order for me to be as authentic as possible and not spout of a bunch of academic garble I think my teacher wants to hear I would rather read and discuss this book in depth with others especially those who have more insight into graphic novels. I found this book hard to read and understand which is a trip since i have read two other graphic novels in between and it just flows.
I've been reading comics since i was 3 yrs old who knew there was art to it?
Who knew comics were an art form? I certainly never did. I always enjoyed reading the comics or funnies for the visual and cool story lines. Here it is some 30 yrs later and now I'm learning about juxtaposed sequential visual art. By itself i have n clue what that means but the beauty of Mccloud is that he does a good job of simplifying the art of comics. According to Mccloud this term means images side by side in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information or produce an aesthetic response in a viewer. McCloud then goes on to break down the history of comic from pre-Colombian picture manuscript in1529 to present day form. McCloud gives us the reader the language of comics by introducing us to words such as : iconic imagery. In the following chapters Mccloud talks about time frame; the concept of blood in the gutter(which i have read 3x and i still couldnt explain it); Closure now i thought this would be simple but again I'm reading and thinking what the hell is he talking about. In closing as i write this blog I'm not going to even pretend, l believe in keeping it real. As I'm reading this i feel like 'I'm in the mind of a demented genius. In order for me to be as authentic as possible and not spout of a bunch of academic garble I think my teacher wants to hear I would rather read and discuss this book in depth with others especially those who have more insight into graphic novels. I found this book hard to read and understand which is a trip since i have read two other graphic novels in between and it just flows.
Monday, July 9, 2007
I have complete reading Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. This novel details the authors strained relationship with her late father. The author and her siblings grew up helping out at the family business, the local funeral home hince the name Fun Home. Ironically the funeral home provided more fun and life than their own home. Bechdel's father ran the home with the flair of a Martha Stewart like tyranny. Bechdel is a gifted story teller she puts you right inside her life and she tells the story of her father not as just a tortured soul but as a multifaceted man of many passions. She doestn come right and say that her father is gay but she lets you the reader draw your own conclusions on the matter.
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