Paper #2: Due via e-mail by 5:00 PM on Friday, 4/29/2011
With this paper, we will aim to demonstrate the way in which comics and graphic novels can be read as social commentary -- or at the very least, the way that comics comment on and re-present problems in our so-called "real" world. There are aspects to every text that we've read so far -- from the shortest short story to the most mainstream titles -- that allude to and/or interrogate something deeply interesting, challenging, or problematic about the way things are today. Through a very careful and thorough analysis of the words and images of a particular text, this paper should offer a strong critical interpretation of the way that these ideas are at work (or at play) in that text. In what way does the art or layout contribute to a deeper understanding of the subject matter? What kind of irony or affect is established by the juxtaposition of the visual and the verbal? In what way do we literally see something in this text, and how is this different that what we are used to? These are just a few questions with which you might get started.
In addition to your thoughtful analysis of the text, the overall interpretation in this paper should be supported by academic writing on the topic that you choose. For many of the books and stories that we've read so far, you might look to the current critical discourse of disability studies, critical animal studies, gender studies, queer theory, and writing about class or ethnicity. Because not all of what we've read -- or even most of it -- will have articles specifically about that text, you might look first at more general theoretical works or readers/collections on your topic. Please include at least three secondary sources in the paper, which should be 4.5 to 5 double-spaced pages in length.
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Paper #1: Due via e-mail by 5:00 PM on Friday, 3/11/2011
This paper will observe and explore the way in which the form of comics -- sequentiality, framing, layout, caricature, etc. -- influences and imposes itself upon the content of the book itself. By looking closely at a few key panels or pages, please provide a concise, descriptive analysis of what you literally see, and then apply this information to a critical interpretation of the text. You may choose any theme of any single text that we've read by the due date of the paper (including the shorter pieces that we've read as PDF files). Part of the challenge of this paper, then -- in addition to establishing a connection between the visual and thematic content of the text -- will be to choose a salient aspect about the text to explore.
We will spend some time in class discussing this idea in more depth, as well as some potential topics. The length of this paper should be 3.5 to 4 pages, double-spaced. No additional outside research is required; your interpretation should rely on your own thinking about the text.
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Short Writing Assignment #2: Due in class on Friday, 2/18/2011
For this short essay, please write a response to the piece "Images" by David B. (PDF), which he published in a comic book called Babel in 2004. In this brief mediation on the power of images, he explores some of the expressive impulses that guided the composition and illustration of Epileptic. Please try to develop some connections between his theory of images in this piece and how we may (or may not) see this in action in Epileptic. Use specific examples! Also, what can his ideas about images, here, tell us about both his comics and comics in general?
The paper should be roughly one-half to three-fourths of a page, single spaced.
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Short Writing Assignment #1: Due in class on Wednesday, 1/26/2011
Choose one title from the extensive library of early American comic strips at Barnacle Press and read maybe four or five of the individual episodes. Then write a short descriptive essay that provides an overall characterization of the art, humor, and key themes of the strip. You might want to think about this strip in light of some of the essays that we've read on the subject so far.
The paper should be roughly three-fourths to one full page, single spaced.
(For anyone completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of titles to choose from, the following are some of the more historically important and/or beloved strips: Barney Google, Bringing Up Father, Buster Brown, Citizen Fixit, Foxy Grandpa, Happy Hooligan, Katzenjammmer Kids, Little Sammy Sneeze, Minute Movies, Polly and Her Pals, and Two Jolly Jackies, just for starters! Enjoy!)
