In regards to comics, I think that they are both a child’s and an adult’s genre. One reason I say this is because Farr (1991) mentions how the author of Tin Tin said “Tin Tin was for all young people aged from seven to seventy-seven. I have also noticed that in countries such as Japan it is often men in their forties who are in the bookstores coveting the comics. If anyone has watched the television series “The Big Bang Theory” they will know how popular the comic store is, among the main characters in this sitcom. The weeks power point mentions an article published by the New Zealand Herald on the 19th July 2007 in which the comic “ Tin Tin in the Congo” was deemed not suitable for the children’s section of a bookstore. Tin tin had to be displayed in the graphic section. This action tells us that comics are an adult genre as much as a children’s genre. There are likely adults out there who would not let their children near their comic collection, perhaps because some rare comics are very valuable today.
Farr (1991) mentions such things as political satire, foresight, and parody as elements of Tin tin that appeal to adults.
Herge’s The Blue Lotus has situations where the European characters see themselves as superior to the non European characters. While the Europeans may not be the majority they come across as authoritative, dominating and even condescending. Terms such as yellow skin and useless natives are perhaps related to Said (1977) ideas on orientalism?
Comics like other art forms have a history about them and tell a story and perhaps even inform us of the attitudes of different societies in different periods of time. We all have our own views on what we define as art so why not include comics. Perhaps comics are a literary genre in their own right but if not they have something to contribute and that is why they are included as part of literary studies in some universities.
Hi Shayne,
ReplyDeleteThanks for getting online and contributing!
Could you please put the questions up on the blog, so we can easily see which questions you are answering? Thank you.
It's great that you have referred to the literature when answering the questions. It would also be great to see more references/ quotes/ examples from your critical readings and also from the primary texts under discussion themselves.
If "Tin Tin in the Congo" can easily be argued as a good example to prove comics are suitable and intended for adult readership, how can we also use this example in proving comics suitable for children?
I like the "Big Bang Theory" at times - but are these not just big big kids? :)
A good job Shayne, well done
Hi Shayne
ReplyDeleteI’m with you on the art issue. Anything seems to be taken as an art form nowadays. So, why not comics? Perhaps we can say they are a literary genre because they make up a specific grouping or type. In the end I suppose it’s a bit like the Olympic Games: as the times change, new forms of sport are included. So, why not enlarge the boundaries of literature as well?