Persepolis and Graphic Novels

Tonight we discussed Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and the essay Not Funnies by Charles McGrath. Next week the sequence is due.

Some notes on the sequence:

1. It should include at least four panels.

2. It does not have to have text.

3. It must have a narrative. I want you to tell a story, and it can be a personal story.

4. The paper is 1000 words and should include a discussion of your technique, artistic choices, and your narrative strategy.

One of the things I am looking at in these papers is your intention. I don't want to hear that it is in black and white because your printer ran out of color ink or that it is taped because your glue stick dried up. Every choice you make should have some kind of intention. Make it up if you have to. By making excuses it appears that you don't take your work seriously.

Xu Bing's The Living Word

For Tuesday, October 18

For tonight's class, we are creating a visual/textual page and writing a 750-word paper to accompany it. We will present these pages in class and talk about them. We will also tie up loose ends:

Those who haven't presented will--you know who you are

Those who haven't read their Fall for the Book paper will.

We are also discussing the Drucker reading: Material Word.

Love Those Lettrists

This week we will be working on our visual/textual pages and the 750-word paper that accompanies it.

This paper is have two references, which will be cited appropriately in the text and in a short bibliography. These references can be to a book, article, web site, songs, etc.

Tuesday, October 4

We will continue with the presentations in class. We will also discuss Drucker's essay The Material Word and the history of writing (and logos, if you look closely at your handout.

I really enjoyed the essays and thought it was a good assignment. A few of you couldn't help editorializing. That was not the assignment. You were only to describe the event. But I won't hold it against you.

You should also begin reading Persepolis. We will discuss in class on October 18. I think most of you will enjoy it.