Are Graphic Novels literature or art? This PowerPoint explores this question.

1. Graphic Novels
Literature or Just Art?
J. Marshall Pickard, English Professor: ENG 106
Alvernia University

2. What Is
Literature?
Literature with a Capital “L”
Etymologically, the term
derives from Latin
litaritura/litteratura “writing
formed with letters,”
Written works, especially
those considered of superior
or lasting artistic merit
Works worthy of scholarly
study

3. Who Decides?
Scholars, writers, critics, and publishers
College Curriculums
Teachers and Professors

4. What About
the Novel?
Criticized by 18th Century Scholars & Critics
“Novel” means “New”
Youth could not distinguish between reality
and fantasy
Text misinformed readers about love, morals,
and social class

5. Elements of Great Literature
Explore complex themes
Reveal aspects of the author’s culture
Universal appeal
Unique style
Compelling characters
Unique style
A clear beginning, middle, and end
A central narrative (or A-story)
supplemented by optional B-stories
Precise, carefully considered dialogue and
narration

6. The 14 Main
Literary Genres
Literary Fiction Works with artistic value and literary merit. Often
include political criticism, social commentary, and reflections on
humanity. Character-driven vs. plot-driven (James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s
Room)
Mystery Detective fiction. Plot driven. Solve a case. (The Hounds of
Baskerville Arthur Conan Doyle)
Thriller Dark, mysterious, and suspenseful plot-driven stories. Plot
twists, red herrings, and cliffhangers. (Joseph Conrad The Secret
Agent).
Horror Meant to scare, startle, shock, and even repulse readers (Bram
Stoker Dracula)
Historical Novels that take place in the past. Written with a careful
balance of research and creativity. (War and Peace Leo Tolstoy)
Romance Often revolve around love stories between two people
(Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen)
Western stories of cowboys, settlers, and outlaws exploring the
western frontier and taming the American Old West. (The Ox-Bow
Incident Walter Van Tilburg Clark)

7. The 14 Main
Literary Genres
Bildungsroman “Novels of education”. Feature characters growing
psychologically and morally from their youth into adulthood. They
experience emotional loss, set out on a journey, encounter conflict, and
grow into a mature person (coming of age) (The Catcher in the Rye JD
Salinger)
Speculative Fiction Encompasses different types of fiction, from science
fiction to fantasy to dystopian. It knows no boundaries; there are no limits to
what exists beyond the real world (1984 George Orwell)
Science Fiction Stories with imagined elements that don’t exist in the real
world. (The Time Machine George Orwell)
Fantasy Stories with imaginary characters set in imaginary universes. (Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll)
Dystopian A genre of science fiction. They’re set in societies viewed as
worse than the one in which we live (Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury)
Magical Realism Fantastical elements set in an actual world that are
accepted (One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel García Márquez)
Realist Literature Set in an actual time and place. They depict real people,
places, and stories in order to be as truthful as possible (A Farewell to Arms
Ernest Hemingway)

8. Elements of Graphic Narratives
A clear beginning, middle, and end
A central narrative (or A-story) supplemented by optional B-stories
Character development and personal journeys
Thematic messaging
Precise, carefully considered dialogue and narration

9. Elements of Graphic Narratives
Cultural and societal references
Unique style — combine art & text
Different genres
Appeal to many people

10. What Is the Difference Between a
Graphic Novel and Comic Book?
Graphic novels are longer.
Graphic novels cover a wide array of
genres and subject matters.
Graphic novels contain complete
narratives.
Comic books contain excerpts of
serialized narratives.
Both comics and graphic novels can
contain complex characters with detailed
backstories and inner conflict.
Comic books are produced with greater
frequency than graphic novels, often
arriving on a weekly or monthly schedule.

11. Classic Graphic Novels
Maus by Art Spiegelman (which won the Pulitzer Prize)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
American Born Chinese By Gene Luen Yang
V for Vendetta is a British by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

12. "Two Questions"
by Lynda Barry
American born, mother
Fillipina, Father Irish &
German Ancestry
Graduated high school at 16
and was independent of her
family (night janitor)
Met and worked with Matt
Groening (The Simpsons) in
college
Syndicated comic in the
1980s & 90s
The Good Times are Killing
Me (1988, about her biracial
childhood)
Cruddy (1999, illustrated
novel narrated by a 16-year-
old)
"What is art?" — Barry
believes it is something “at
the center of everything we
call the arts.”

13. Sources
Chute, Hillary. "Comics as Literature? Reading Graphic
Narrative." PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of
America, vol. 123, no. 2, Mar. 2008, pp. 452-465.
Connors, Sean P. "‘The Best of Both Worlds’: Rethinking the Literary Merit
of Graphic Novels." Virginia Tech Scholarly Communication University
Libraries, scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v37n3/connors.html.
Hansen, Kathryn S. "In Defense of Graphic Novels." The English Journal,
vol. 102, no. 2, Nov. 2012, pp. 57-63, JSTOR. jtor.org/stable/23365398.
“Graphic Novels Are Not Literature.” The Canon, 7 Oct. 2017,
psucanon.wordpress.com/2017/09/24/graphic-novels-are-not-literature/.