Today in class we continued yesterday’s discussion of tone in a few examples from Thompson, Ware, Miller, and Eisner, then moved to Imagery in graphic works.

If you were absent today, please see me tomorrow so I can catch you up, as we completed an assignment worth 20 points in class.

Homework: 1st hour, read chapter 15 of Dracula

2nd hour, read chapters 17-Book II Ch 1 of War of the Worlds

Today we went over a few terms specific to graphic works with this handout, which I found on TeachingComics.org (cite your sources…):

(Click the image to expand.)  The most important terms in this handout are those surrounding the sample panel, but dropping "recto" or "verso" into conversation is always good for a strange look.

Then, we went through a super-neat slide show of graphics and images, discussing the tone and diction of each.  If you were absent, I can email the images to you.  We looked at examples of Chris Ware’s bleak and often depressing style, noting the simple lines and use of subdued color.  In a frame from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, we noticed the use of irony in the frame’s idyllic tone and imagery. From many frames from Craig Thompson’s Blankets we noted the dark, oppressive, shameful, and sometimes fearful tone of the images depicting a boy’s movement from childhood to adolescence.

Tomorrow we will continue using McCloud’s "five choices" in our analyses.  We will look at the imagery and literary devices employed in a few passages from graphic novels, and discuss the symbols and archetypes in superhero comics.

If any of you have a "Quick Start Guide" that came with an electronic device (one depicting the installation of the device in pictures), bring it to class.  We will be discussing Frame and Flow next week, and the guides are good illustrations of these.

Homework: 1st hour, read chapter 14 of Dracula

                 2nd and 3rd hours, read chapters 15-16 of War of the Worlds

I just ran across this episode from This American Life; thought I’d share.  Entitled "Shouting Across the Divide," it is a compilation of stories describing people divided by misunderstandings.  Worth listening to.

This week we will begin a section on graphic analysis.  Basically, this means that we will be looking at works (mostly outstanding graphic novels, some shorter comics and comix, some advertisements, and possibly a short video) as we do with literature—think T-DIDLS but with Sandman or Jimmy Corrigan. 

So, we began today with an overview of "why we are doing this."  Always my favorite way to begin, as it ensures that our vital time isn’t wasted.  My reasoning is this (please feel free to add another reason in the comments section):

• We are literally surrounded, daily, by images.  Whether it is the cartoon on our Count Chocula in the morning, the pictures we take on vacation, television we watch, instructional videos we watch in psychology or chemistry, movies or television we use to avoid our homework, or webpages we obsess over.  (I’m sure this is one; right?  Um, guys?)
• Because we are surrounded, we become used to these visual messages in our lives, but we rarely think about them.  When is the last time you went to a movie by your favorite director (unless it’s Michael Bay; he doesn’t count) and were able to come out with a good explanation of why it was good, or why it wasn’t (beyond "It seemed real")?
• Because the little illustrations that came with your MP3 player manual are really helpful, but would you know how to create one yourself?
• Because we can apply what we have learned about literature to graphic pieces.  If you still aren’t comfortable discussing tone, diction, detail, imagery, language or syntax in a written piece, perhaps it will click as we move through the visuals.

And,

• Because graphic novels are finally becoming worth reading in the classroom.  Really, what’s more fun than that?

We then discussed Scott McCloud’s terminology for understanding comics (found in his aptly titled work, Understanding Comics), and discussed how these terms can be applied to anything visual.  (What’s the tone of your MySpace or Facebook page?  How do you know?)  Here are his terms alongside our own:

Your homework for tonight:

1st hour: Read chapter 13 of Dracula

3rd and 4th hour: Read chapters 13 and 14 of War of the Worlds

So, how’s the reading going? We will begin discussing the first eight chapters of Wilde’s novel (The Picture of Dorian Gray, remember?) on Monday. If you did your reading at the beginning of the break, it would be a good idea to skim over it so it’s fresh in your mind.
As you read (or re-read), refer to Wilde’s aphorisms from the preface. How do these aphorisms apply to the characters, specifically Dorian, Lord Henry, and Basil Hallward? And what’s the deal with Dorian’s reaction to Miss Vane’s death/suicide?
Wilde’s final pithy statement in the prologue:

We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as hedoes not admire it. The only excuse for making a uselessthing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless

My question, in the form of a quotation:

What-a is it good for?
-Edwin Starr