An overview of representative genres of the modern graphic novel, considering sequential art in light of theories of reception, adaptation and representation.
This paper offers a selection of representative genres of the modern graphic novel, including the woodcut novels of the early twentieth century, the superhero canon and intensely personal modern narratives. The graphic novel will be examined as a distinct literary and visual form, with its own critical vocabulary. We will consider the sequential art of the graphic novel in light of theories of reception, adaptation and representation, considering both its treatment and resistance of conventional literary forms.
| Paper title | Special Topic: Word and Image: The Graphic Novel |
|---|---|
| Paper code | ENGL251 |
| Subject | English |
| EFTS | 0.1500 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2019 |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2019 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 36 points
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Contact
To be advised
- More information link
- View more information about ENGL 251
- Teaching staff
To be advised
- Paper Structure
- Modules:
- Module 1: The Graphic Tradition
- Module 2: Life Writing and Memorial Narrative
- Module 3: 'Lowbrow' Narrative
- Module 4: Crossovers, Mashups and Palimpsests
- Script Exercise: 10%
- Research Essay: 30%
- Final Exam: 60%
- Teaching Arrangements
- Three 2-hour lectures per week
One 1-hour tutorial per week
One film screening per week
All teaching is undertaken on campus. - Textbooks
- Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud (Harper)
- God's Man by Lynd Ward (Dover)
- Blankets by Craig Thompson (Top Shelf)
- The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon)
- In the Shadow of No Towers by Art Spiegelman (Viking)
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller (DC)
- The Unwritten (Vol. 1, 'Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity') by Mike Carey (Vertigo)
- Fables (Vol. 1, 'Legends in Exile') by Bill Willingham (Vertigo)
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Communication, Critical thinking,
Cultural understanding, Information literacy, Research
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
- This paper will introduce students to the academic study of graphic narratives as
literary texts. Students will
- Recognise and debate the personal, cultural, metaphorical and philosophical meanings in graphic novels
- Explore the theoretical and critical discourse of graphic narratives
- Develop skills in the design and critical analysis of visual texts
- Appreciate and accurately describe the complex interplay between text and image in sequential art
- Gain an appreciation of the historical evolution of narrative techniques specific to visual narrative
