Although I do agree that the subject of Maus is not one that should be categorized as a comic, I also see where the gray area lies. Defined by dictionary.com a comic is, “A book of comics strips or cartoons, often relating a sustained narrative”. Also defined by dictionary.com, a graphic novel is noted as being “a novel whose narrative is related through a combination of text and art, often in comic-strip form”. To me, the mere style of the two genres are very similar, let a lone the similarities in the definition. Again I agree that there is a definite difference in the subject matter of Maus and other “comics”, but what about other “graphic novels”? Are one’s that have a lighter subject considered more comical? My impression was that the length of the comics strips and narrative determined if the text was considered a graphic novel or a comic. Is that right to assume? Or maybe, in the end, they are the same exact thing.
You're correct. Comic strips are little snippets of story that is relayed to the reader through a combination of text and image. Graphic novels are longer. Tomorrow, we'll be watching a clip from American Splendor. Harvey Pekar writes comic strips that he later anthologizes into a longer work. He also writes "Our Cancer Year," which is a graphic novel because it is longer and follows the traditional story arc.
Although I generally think that a distinct difference between graphic novels and comic strips is in the tone (graphic novels need not be, and often aren't, funny, whereas comic strips are "comic" by default). However, this is a generalization, and given my lack of personal knowledge regarding either graphic novels or comic strips, I am doubtful of my own interpretations. Other than that, I see the difference as being that a comic strip is short and often recurring in a series, whereas a graphic novel encompasses a much greater story (is, in a sense, a novel with pictures) to form a complete work.
Welcome to the official WR121: Genre Blog. This site will allow students to take classroom converstions out of the private sphere of the classroom and into the public realm.
3 comments:
Although I do agree that the subject of Maus is not one that should be categorized as a comic, I also see where the gray area lies. Defined by dictionary.com a comic is, “A book of comics strips or cartoons, often relating a sustained narrative”. Also defined by dictionary.com, a graphic novel is noted as being “a novel whose narrative is related through a combination of text and art, often in comic-strip form”. To me, the mere style of the two genres are very similar, let a lone the similarities in the definition. Again I agree that there is a definite difference in the subject matter of Maus and other “comics”, but what about other “graphic novels”? Are one’s that have a lighter subject considered more comical? My impression was that the length of the comics strips and narrative determined if the text was considered a graphic novel or a comic. Is that right to assume? Or maybe, in the end, they are the same exact thing.
You're correct. Comic strips are little snippets of story that is relayed to the reader through a combination of text and image. Graphic novels are longer. Tomorrow, we'll be watching a clip from American Splendor. Harvey Pekar writes comic strips that he later anthologizes into a longer work. He also writes "Our Cancer Year," which is a graphic novel because it is longer and follows the traditional story arc.
Although I generally think that a distinct difference between graphic novels and comic strips is in the tone (graphic novels need not be, and often aren't, funny, whereas comic strips are "comic" by default). However, this is a generalization, and given my lack of personal knowledge regarding either graphic novels or comic strips, I am doubtful of my own interpretations. Other than that, I see the difference as being that a comic strip is short and often recurring in a series, whereas a graphic novel encompasses a much greater story (is, in a sense, a novel with pictures) to form a complete work.
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