![]() ![]() ![]() Both Eisner's A Contract With God (1978) and any given Charles Schultz creation convey the "primary criterion" of truth to individual experience that the novel embodies (Watt 13). 2) because each displays Ian Watt's definition of formal realism: "the premise, or primary convention, that the novel is a full and authentic report of human experience" (Watt 32). A 300-page comic book is not necessarily more of a " graphic novel" than a four panel Peanuts strip (Fig. Forester describes the story as the "backbone of a novel," the perpetually ticking clock that propels our page turning: "we want to know what happens next." According the Forester, time inside the novel is undeniable time allows for experience, the essence of a novel's realism. Forester, "is its story-telling aspect" (Forester 44). "The fundamental aspect of the novel," argues E.M. In this sense, all comics can be considered novels - even the single panel cartoon or comic strip the defining characteristic of a novel is not length, but the realism of storytelling. ![]() the intellectual frame on which all artwork rests" (Eisner, 1996 2). In Narrative and Graphic Storytelling, Eisner writes that "the story is the most critical component in a comic. Rather, a definition of graphic novel should consider the implications of linking the words ' graphic' and 'novel' to describe this specific medium. The most essential definition of ' graphic novel' will not be predicated on issues of size, shape, cost or content. Critics debate whether the term implies certain content: can an anthology of comics be considered a graphic novel, or does a work have to be envisioned and published as a graphic novel to be one? Furthermore, does a graphic novel have be about a subject worthy of serious consideration, such as the holocaust or coming of age, or can they be about superheroes, elves, and supernatural beings? Graphic novels are said to cost x% more than comic books. For example, graphic novels are described as longer or sturdier than the average comic book. Like the OED, most try to define ' graphic novel' in terms of attributes relative to comic books. Comic book illustration reproduced in Seduction of the Innocent with caption: "Children told me what the man was going to do with the red-hot poker." An acknowledged master of the art, Eisner worked on comics in some form until his death in 2005.įigure 1. Eisner was no doubt familiar with comic book criticism. 1), during which the government took a serious look at the content of comic books and other popular culture media. Most notable is the attack on the American comic book industry in the 1950's, significantly propelled by Frederic Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent (1954, Fig. science fiction or fantasy) story published in comic-strip format" (OED).Įisner likely invented the term in order to distinguish his new work from comic books, artifacts of popular culture with a long history of stigmatization for their alleged less-than-edifying content. The Oxford English Dictionary currently carries a definition of ' graphic novel': "a full-length (esp. ![]() Eisner's creative word-play failed to convince the publishers to whom he first offered his work, yet the designation ' graphic novel' has since entered the lexicon of literary genres (Weiner 17). Eisner used the term ' graphic novel' to describe a number of his comic book tales collected under a single title, forming a book-length publication. New York: Rinehart & Company, Inc., 1954.Īccording to the now legendary story, comic book artist and writer Will Eisner first linked the words ' graphic' and 'novel' in 1978. New York: NBM Publishing, Inc., 2003.įredric Wertham. Berkley: University of California Press, 1957. Lovain, Belgium: Leuven University Press, 2001. "Relatedness: Aspects of Textual Connectivity in Comics." The Graphic Novel. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1995. Graphic Novels: A Bibliographic Guide to Book-Length Comics. "Life: A Story in Search of a Narrator." A Ricoeur Reader: Reflection and Imagination. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003. "Word and Image." Critical Terms for Art History. Milwaukie, Oregon: Dark Comics, Inc., 1993. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1994.įrank Miller. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1927. Tamarac, Florida: Poorhouse Press, 1985: 38. ![]()
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