Instruction
Graphic works, although not having come to the literary scene until the mid-twentieth century, are deserving of just as much analyzation as previous literary works. The idea of images complimenting a story or poem adds an extra layer of creativity to see into someone’s mind. Considered non-traditional, graphic works like comics, and stories such as Maus, can visually recount history while solidifying the storyline in one’s mind. The experimentation of such techniques led to an untapped world of expression and storyline deliverance. In addition to analyzing the visual surface of graphic works, this type of literature contains just as much underlying meaning as more traditional works.
With the traditional works of times past, fragmented sentences with condensed material could contain a wealth of information if the reader took the time to delve into the piece. The same could be said for symbolism that graphics would provide. Blatant allusions or subtleties in the background, all providing further investigation. Individual perspective sheds new light on each piece of work. What one may infer may not coincide with the next reader, further encouraging one to analyze the non-traditional works much the same as its predecessors.
However revolutionary at the time of its conception, now seems like a dying art. In my youth, the Archie Comics peaked my interests, and my brother grew up on Marvel and DC. Analyzing such pieces today still portray relevant social circumstances, government control, war, crime, politics, and so forth. Literature accompanied with intense visual stimulation leaves a lasting impact on the reader. This, too, was probably the case with introductions such as Art Spiegelman’s works. Further analyzation of these works points out the obvious careful planning and flow required.