INSIGHTS
INSIGHTS
Insights: Research and Findings
Chapter 3
A Transcultural Narrative: Maus
In support of the significance of minority representation in the graphic novel industry, author Christian W. Chun discusses the role of graphic novels in establishing multimedia literacy for English learners and other audiences alike in “Critical Literacies and Graphic Novels for English-Language Learners: Teaching Maus.” In developing a course design and his analysis for the use of graphic novels within the classroom, Chun examines Maus by Art Spiegelman in detail. As Chun summarizes, there are many narratives within Maus: “those of a difficult relationship between a father and son, a son’s painful remembrance of his mother’s legacy, and thee courtship and travails of his parents, all of which are overshadowed by the living past of the Holocaust that haunts three survivors and their children.” Attune with his arguments, we call attention to how Maus resonates with English learners as they are able to connect their own life experiences with themes in the book, which include complex topics such as racism, immigrant otherness, and linguistic diversity. Substantive graphic novels such as these, in addition to other literary works such as Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Palestine by Joe Sacco, emphasizes how the most successful graphic novels are those written by minorities as they confront significant challenges that speak to the human condition.
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Visualization 5 – Number of Mentions of Graphic Novels by Average Rating
Viz. 5 shows the main list of books plotted on a dot plot by the amount of their average ratings on the x-axis and the number of mentions on the y-axis. Meanwhile, the size and shade of the individual dots represents the number of ratings each book was reported to have received. There is a general positive correlation between the two main variables. As clearly illustrated, the two books that are significantly mentioned much higher from the rest are Maus by Art Spiegelman and Watchmen by Alan Moore. The immense reception of these books indicate a movement towards stories that, unlike the action of traditional superhero comics, speak more to the human experience of the readers. In Crossing Cultural Boundaries with Graphic Novels, author Cathy Sly elaborates more about the “growth in the number of graphic narratives that cross cultural boundaries… [illustrating that] publishers and readers are recognizing the inherent worth of the comics medium for expressing voices and ideas that differ from those which generally dominate Western culture.”
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Knowing the potential power that narratives hold in inspiring others to empower themselves, take action, and champion certain beliefs, it proves to be increasingly essential for audiences to be critical of its content; “As such, as both narrative and cultural production, the medium of the graphic novel warrants our careful attention and critical analysis.” With this in mind, we shift our attention to the number of translations that certain graphic novels have from our dataset.
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Visualization 6 – Number of Translations per Graphic Novel
Viz 6. This treemap displays the top books by their number of translated editions. By and large, it corroborates the successful picture painted by previous data insights of these works which are not only well received in their native Anglophone countries, but as one can see in this visualization, also in multiple other linguistic regions. The highlighted novels—with Art Spiegelman’s Maus staying at the forefront≠—continue to be those with a deep personal story which perhaps are more easily conveyed through this medium across cultural and language barriers. Even so, there is no distinct gap between the spread of translated copies as many books of all genres are represented which may signify that broad appeal of the literary medium to many international audiences.
Beyond the Page: A Summary
Understanding that graphic novels “are an important form of expression that [has the potential to cross] ...national and cultural boundaries,” audiences have the opportunity to personally engage with the reading, allowing them to delve deeper into the topic at hand. In Maus in particular, readers are able to see the narrative in the making as Spiegelman includes frames of him interviewing his father. This visual tactic not only increases engagement with the reader, but serves as an invitation for the reader to do the same, i.e. to explore their own histories, experiences, and identities. For example, upon learning more about Spiegelman’s history, students were inspired to learn more about their heritage. In this way, graphic narratives are a gateway for critical reflection. This is particularly meaningful for marginalized populations as they can identify with the story at hand and with the right understanding within the context of their experiences, use these narratives to empower themselves. This applies to those who may not have experienced the same trials as well, for powerful narratives such as Maus can allow audiences to gain a better understanding and to empathize with others, expanding their world view. This is directly related to the establishment of power and silence within the graphic novel industry within individuals and specific communities as they are able to realize that they too are equipped with the skills and understanding to document and interpret their own narratives. In doing so, they offer alternative perspectives and combat the notion that there is one ‘true’ account to history.
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