Comparative Literature 135 - Intro/Graphic Novel

This course is an introduction to the graphic novel, including consideration of the history, narrative structure, aesthetics, and genres of the graphic novel. From the awarding of a Pulitzer Prize to Art Spiegelman?s Maus in 1985 to today, graphic novels have grown in literary and academic recognition, been embraced by major publishers in the United States and around the world, and attracted artists and writers of the highest caliber to this field. This course will include graphic novels by diverse creators, working in multiple genres to explore issues of gender, race, and class through autobiography, science fiction, and nonfiction works. The course will also consider questions of adaptation, as graphic novels have become a major source for adaptations into film, television and theater, and important novels and academic works have been adapted into this visual and literary medium. (Gen. Ed. AL, DU)