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Thursday, June 23, 2011

Beyond the Page



"Aside from engagement, comic books also help to develop
much needed analytical and critical thinking skills . . .
A common goal, regardless of the level we teach is to help
students reach beyond the page in order to ask and answer
deeper questions that the given work suggests about art,
life, and the intersection of the two."

-- Rocco Versaci,
How Comic Books Can Change the Way Our Students See Literature




Beyond the Page

Charting Radical Change


We are still in the awkward, early adolescence -- the teens -- of the digital age. Remarkably, the radical changes to literature in the 21st century's cyber paradigm shift are also analogous to the development markers of adolescence.  This can all be demonstrated through a Radical Technological Developmental Marker Matrix (RTDMM) graphed into three ideas: YouTube, iPod, and Google!


TYPE ONE - YouTube
Radically Changing Forms and Format

TYPE TWO -- iPod
Radically Changing Perspectives

TYPE THREE -- Google
Radically Changing Boundaries




RTDMMatrix




Beyond the Page

These "radical change" trends are identified in several popular works of YAL that push young readers beyond the page toward metacognition. There is the cinematic deconstruction of Meyers' novel, Monster, the boundary breaking typography and risky subject matter of Rosoff's, How I live Now, and the time shifting, hip-hop lyricism of Morgan's, Sons.

Radical change is also evidenced by the emergence of digital comics, webcomics, photographic comics, and graphic novels such as Gene Yang's Printz Award-winning achievement,  American Born Chinese.


ABC

In terms of human development, American Born Chinese (ABC) is assessed as being squarely focused on the central question of adolescence -- and of young adult literature itself: Who am I? It is an age-old question, but with the invention of his cosmic comic book, Gene Yang found a new way to ask it. The novel suggests, in form and in substance, that unique new problems in life may relate to past solutions and prior cultural knowledge.


Everything Old is New Again 

The electrifying birth of the techno era brings unfamiliar changes, but those changes come in the consistent shapes and predictable patterns that have been identified throughout history at times of great technological change. The introduction of Gutenberg's printing press around 1440 was certainly such a time.

Assessing ABC in terms of literary development and style, what is most surprising is not how new, but rather how very old Yang's techniques are! Much as it magically connects a modern-day middle schooler with the ancient Monkey King of Chinese folklore -- Yang's crazy cartoon is closely tied to art of the Late Middle Ages and Early Renaissance.



Stop Me if You've Heard This One

Developmentally and stylistically, ABC's three, parallel plotlines make the work a triptych. Yang's multi-level frame succeeds in introducing the aspect of temporality, much like the Renaissance-era triptych with its three painted or carved panels -- generally representing past, present and future.

Similar to many Early Renaissance works, ABC's drawings consist of motionless compositions. The funniest and most poignant moments in Yang's novel are the panels of people standing motionless, staring directly out from the page.

Additional characteristics ABC and many other graphic novels share with Early Renaissance art include the use of iconography and objects as symbols to deliver meaning or point of view, and the mixing of mythic heroes and religious figures with ordinary, everyday contemporary people.


Back to the Future

Gene Yang's crazy cryptic triptych toon turns out to be the perfect vehicle for subtly  expressing some extremely sensitive issues pertaining to cultural identity, self-acceptance and personal responsibility. American Born Chinese exemplifies the type of work Rocco Versaci speaks of in, How Comic Books Can Change the Way Our Students See Literature:

"There are several graphic novels that provide a sophisticated and interesting approach to various events and issues . . . and several titles that would work well in a historical [lesson] unit."

Just as a parent might remind a teenager, we techno-pioneers must remember . . . we're not the first to go through this!  History holds lessons. Through literature, in all its creative new forms, we can connect to past lessons and chart the radical changes ahead.


 
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