Maggie Simon, an assistant professor of English at NC State spoke on the increasing prevalence of nonfiction graphic novels in D.H. Hill Thursday afternoon.
The world of nonfiction comics is growing rapidly according to Simon. Novels Simon mentioned like “Palestine,” “The Arrival” and “A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge” are gaining critical acclaim.
“I think it’s a developing genre,” Simon said. “There are such an array of issues to write about.”
Simon’s focus is on Renaissance literature. She explained how she stumbled upon the world of comics by accident.
“I really got into them by chance,” Simon said. “I was asked to teach a course I didn’t have a ton of experience in. I suddenly had to teach myself a whole new field. I get to learn a lot more about the field when I talk to students.”
Simon spoke on the misconceptions of graphic novels.
“Comics are often viewed as picture books,” Simon said. “Illustrated texts are juvenile, and adults who read them are deemed silly. When text and image coincide on the same page, the seriousness of the comic takes a hit. In some cases these views are accurate; however, graphic narratives are successful in depicting serious events.”
A serious comic Simon praised was the graphic novel “Palestine,” a comic by Joe Sacco about his memories and experiences in the Gaza Strip in the early 1990s. Sacco writes about the hardships and struggles Palestinians face.
But the main comic Simon spoke about was the critically acclaimed, “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.” “Fun Home” is a graphic memoir about the author Alison Bechdel’s life.
“The story focuses on Bechdel’s strained relationship with her father Bruce,” Simon said. “Bruce is a closeted homosexual who obsesses over his family’s image, which leads to his abusive anger toward his children.”
Simon uses works like “Fun Home” as teaching tools to her students. She will use a novel like “The Arrival,” a comic with no words, only pictures, and instruct her students to “reverse annotate.”
“In a traditional classroom, students are often asked to pluck themes and motifs from readings,” Simon said. “Using comprehension tacts like reverse annotation allows the student to see the novel in a different light. Graphic narratives can be used in innovative ways.”
Simon demonstrated some techniques she used in her lectures to the audience.
“I provided three images to the students, a balloon, a pinball machine and a squid,” Simon said. “The students were instructed to take the pictures and construct a comic and rewrite it in words.”
“Constantly testing out a new medium in education to see what works well is beneficial for both the student and the professor,” Simon said. “This learning causes the professor and student to get out of their comfort zones.”
Allen Coates, a senior majoring in film studies, attended the event.
“In literature in general, we definitely need to gain a better understanding of graphic novels,” Coates said. “It gives us a great insight to what classical literature can only do sometimes. It’s a deeper thinking.”
“Teaching literature is like teaching a set of transferable skills, and part of being a successful reader is thinking deeply about the classics, to comics like ‘Watchmen,’ ‘Fun Home’ and others,” Simon said. “The canon is constantly changing and it’s good to have a balance.”
“Comics and Graphic Novels—The New Literature” is the second of four events in the Focus on Comics series for NC State. The next event will be a panel discussion called “What’s So Great About Comics” on Monday at 7:00 p.m. in D.H. Hill Library in the West Wing Auditorium.
Coates will be a mediator for the panel discussion on Monday.
“The North Carolina Comic Con is coming up and we want to give students a new perspective on graphic novels, and give exposure to those who don’t really know much about comics,” Coates said.
Maggie Simon, an assistant professor of English at NC State, came out to D.H. Hill to discuss how academics are using comics and graphic novels in literature classroom lectures on Thursday. Simons explains the relationship between comics and traditional journalistic writing, along with the advantage they may bring to us.
