Understanding Graphic Novels: Context and Analysis for Reading

Introduction

Graphic novels are stories illustrated in comic form but have the length of a novel. “The term graphic novel was invented in 1970 however, the time of its origin is not concluded yet” (“Levitz”). Graphic novels have been debated for decades since some readers believe it is not a “novel” but rather just a form of communication. This can be assumed since graphic novels have fewer words compared to standard novels. In class, we have been reading Maus which is a graphic novel written and illustrated by the American author Art Spiegelman (“Spiegelman”). The novel sparked a lot of debate due to its means of storytelling. The novel is based on the holocaust and is telling the story from the eyes of the author’s father who survived the holocaust and moved to America later on. The novel portrays the Jews as mice and the Nazis as cats. To have a better understanding of the novel, the past few classes have been used to learn about graphic novels in general, how we can read them and the context of the book. After the past few lessons, I have learned that it is better to learn graphic novels in detail before actually starting Maus. This is because it allows the reader to analyze and have a better context. This reflective summary will allow me to explain why learning about graphic novels before reading one is important.

Discovering the Elements of Graphic Novels

One of the first things I learned in class was how to read a graphic novel. When I found out that is what I will be learning during the lesson I had thought it was not necessary since reading a graphic novel would be simple. However, after learning about it I realized that there are certain elements to it that I had not considered. This includes the vocabulary used in graphic novels. “For example, the space between panels is called a gutter. Dialogue balloons include communication between characters whereas thought balloons includes what the character is thinking” (“Weaver”). Before the lesson, I did not know this nor did I know how to differentiate them. But later on, I have learned the difference making it easier for me to read Maus. Another thing I learnt was the importance of analyzing the cover and the author. This is because it gives you context about the story and how you understand it. The book cover was what allowed me to understand the use of animals in the novel and why they were specifically chosen to portray the characters. Without learning about the author, the graphic novel seemed as a historical fiction to me since it tells the story of the holocaust. However, after learning about Spiegelman’s history and that this story does not just depict an event but rather his father’s trauma and the horrors he faced the novel becomes much more deeper and realistic. This showed me how important it can be to do a bit of research before reading someone’s work.

Analysis of the Poem and Graphic Novel

One of my personal favorite activity done in class was analyzing and annotating the poem “A song on the end of the world” by Czeslaw Milosz. While this was homework, the discussion we did next class was what I enjoyed. When I first annotated the poem, I did so by identifying the literary devices used and what each stanza symbolized. After the discussion, I learnt that there was a direct connection between the poem and the graphic novel. “I learned that the poet wrote the poem during the time of the Holocaust. In addition, the poet was Polish” (“The Nobel Prize in Literature 1980.”). This information gives a better context to the poem in relation to the novel. My previous analysis of the poem was that it was about the end of the world and that he was talking about the future but after doing the background research I believe he was expressing how he felt that the holocaust would bring the end of the world because while the rest of the globe continued daily activities, the lives of millions were ending from where he was situated. This activity further proves the importance of doing research about the content given and its creator.

The last thing we did before actually starting to read the novel was a group activity. Each group was assigned a topic regarding graphic novels which they had to present to the rest of the class. The topic I had been assigned to was literary devices. This was a topic I was familiar with since I learnt about it last year. However, the topics that the other groups presented were something I was not familiar with. This included how to annotate a poem, historical graphic novel and symbolism. I was familiar with annotation using previous knowledge but it was good to review it. I did not have any knowledge about historical graphic novels so the slideshow presentation was very helpful. I got to learn about what they are, examples of historical graphic novels and why they are beneficial. I also got to learn about symbolism and how it connects to Maus.

Conclusion

During this period of learning about graphic novels, I have reflected on my strengths and weaknesses. The strengths I have when it comes to graphic novels are understanding the details that are included in the panel in detail. Another strength was understanding the use of literary devices in the novel itself and in general. This is an important skill to learn since it can relate to several topics. One of my weakness was the lack of research I had done for the different pieces of work we reviewed. This is something I would like to improve since I have understood its importance. I would like to improve my annotation skills and think critically. This will be done through class activities. The teacher gave us several different activities to learn from. This included group work, analyzing, answering questions and researching. Overall, this learning experience has been something new and challenging for me.