From Maus to The Rabbi's Cat: The Jewish Graphic Novel

Catalog description

The graphic novel has emerged in recent years as a key text in Jewish cultural discourse. Though related to the array of superheroes and other comic book figures created by American Jewish artists from the mid-20th century, the Jewish graphic novel -- a book-length, illustrated narrative -- has taken off in the last couple of decades as a genre unto itself. This trend shares interesting connections with graphic novels engaging other ethnic and cultural histories, yet the sheer proliferation of titles by Jewish authors, with expressly Jewish themes and content, points to a meaningful shift: consonant with the observed move from brick-and-mortar forms of institutional affiliation to other kinds of communities, the graphic novel also marks the birth of a new form of Jewish storytelling. Indeed, defined by the co-narration of text and image, the graphic novel seems equally at home in print and online, making it potent creative force in postmodern culture. At the same time, the graphic novel as a genre may also recall traditional forms of Jewish iconography (e.g. illuminated manuscripts, the Passover hagadah) in ways both confounding and familiar. The course will tackle this paradox head on but will not attempt to resolve it. Students will read graphic novels for their critical attention to central themes, and their place within Jewish history; we will also learn how to navigate the challenges of "reading" discrete volumes shaped by both word and image. Attention will be paid to the formal aspects of storytelling and narrative construction, as well as the contextual frame necessary for understanding work published nearly-simultaneously in three different geographic/cultural settings (US, France and Israel). Offered as ENGL 267 and JWST 267 and WLIT 267 . Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.