The Graphic Novel as Visual Literature
International students
International students
About the course
This course is a theory-focused course within the area of comics and literature, with strong emphasis on analysis of visual style as element of the narrative in graphic literature / graphic novels. It is not a literary history course nor does it include major comics production-exercises, it rather focuses on analysing and contextualising graphic novels, and on applying visual and literary theory.
The course looks into the history, cultural contexts and current definitions of the Novel and Graphic Novel and their application to a selection of examples which will be worked with in depth. Also, it includes minor exercises in translation and re-assembly to help understand consequences of decisions in the placement of narrative elements and their specific design as not only the pacing of events and choice of points of view but also decisions about graphic style have massive consequences for the distinct voice within a comic's narrative.
The course looks into the use of the term graphic novel, into attempts to define it in different cultural contexts. The dominating approaches from Franco-Belgian as well as Anglo-American comics research are discussed to develop a more substantial definition. The course provides a focus on narrative and literary qualities of the graphic novel, including the visual as well as the textual.
Course content
- Introduction to literary theory focusing on the Novel in general and Graphic Novel in particular, and how they have been understood/discussed in literary debate and comics studies.
- Introduction to comics analysis and a short re-introduction into the analysis of prose as used in novels.
- Methodological practice through application and development of analytical routines by analysing several graphic novels in depth.
- Experiments with comics storytelling; translating and re-telling/re-organising existing material to understand the function of style choices, decisions on placement of images, and elements within a narrative, etc.
- The course also includes testing and re-appraisal of theories in application.
Entry requirements and selection
Entry requirements
The equivalent to English 6/English level 2 in Swedish upper secondary school
and 60 hp in Fine Arts, Social Science or Humanities.
Selection
20% Upper Secondary Grades - 20% Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (SweSAT) - 60% University Credits
Course literature
Current literature list is available in the syllabus for the course
Course evaluation
Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).
