25th Annual Student Research Conference
(Re)Locating the Subject and Verb: How Graphic Elements in Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis Replace and Enhance Its Linguistic Components
Casey L. Henderson
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
In the 1930s and '40s, a surge of criticism against comic books was triggered by the fear that comic books would lead to the loss of traditional literacy, including the focus on plain text, the act of reading from left to right, and the misleading perception that traditional literature addressed acceptable, non-controversial subject matter, whereas comic books did not. This criticism extended to graphic novels as they emerged. Using fundamental photographic principles, this paper will analyze how the visual portions of Persepolis replace and enhance textual linguistic information. Furthermore, my analysis of Persepolis will be framed within the larger thesis that an understanding of the ways in which graphic novels/comic texts operate and how they impact readers in ways distinct from plain texts will lead to their greater acceptance and status in the literary canon.
Keywords: graphic novels, Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi, photographic principles, plain text
Topic(s):English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 203-3
Location: VH 1320
Time: 10:00