Maiya Letourneau

Gothic Graphica: Learning Genre and Other Literary Devices in Graphic Novels

WHAT I WANT TO DO
I want to examine how graphic novels can be used in the classroom to contribute to a students
understanding of genre and other literary devices such as setting, character, mood and symbols. I
want to focus on Gothic graphic novels as a case study, and create a unit plan where graphic
novels are used to teach the gothic genre in an English Language arts classroom. The purpose of
this unit would be to engage struggling readers, provide visual examples of literary devices and
draw attention to the ways in which visual narratives employ symbols, colours, and common
drawing techniques to create a genre.

WHY ITS IMPORTANT TO ME

As Jennifer DeLong notes in her lesson plan structured around Gothic literature, many of the
themes in this genre reflect adolescent experiences and can help individuals understand not only
the genre, but themselves as individuals1. Creating such a connection and helping students
discover something new is one of the reasons I chose to become a teacher. At its core, the gothic
genre is all about being different, and I love this genre because it has brought a certain
fascination and appreciation for differentness, that many students will relate to and perhaps
find comfort in. In addition to this, gothic literature is particularly suited to the graphic novel

DeLong, Andrea. Things That Go Bump in the Night. http://smago.coe.uga.edu/VirtualLibrary/

DeLong_2012.pdf

format2 because it is a very visual culture. Gothic graphic novels provide a strong example of
the ability for images to evoke emotion and sensations, something Scott McCloud discusses in
chapter 6 of his book. Gothic graphic novels are full of powerful, grim images that evoke strong
emotions, making them a good framework for exploring how other graphic novels can inform
ones understanding of literary devices such as mood, imagery, setting, and symbols/motifs.
An understanding of genre allows students to study culture from a literary perspective,
and can provide a framework for understanding how people and their behaviours influence
literature over time. For instance, modern Gothic art is far different than renaissance Gothic art,
but studying the Gothic genre in graphic novels can provide a visual perspective for how the
term has changed over time. Also, studies have shown that understanding how genre functions in
both written and visual narratives can help students recognize different literary elements3, and
recognize that different purposes and audiences influence communication choices such as
vocabulary, sentence structure, rate of speech, and tone during talk,4 which will inform them of
their own communication choices when addressing different audiences.

HOW I WILL ACHIEVE THIS

I will accomplish this work by using five different graphic novels of varying reading
levels. I have chosen to use the following novels: Hatter M., The Sandman, Coraline, Batman
Gothic, and Anyas ghost. I chose these novels because, while they all fit under the gothic genre,

Issit, Mica. Goths: A Guide to American Subculture. Greenwood, California. 2011

3Dallacua,

Ashley. Exploring Literary Devices in Graphic Novels. Language Arts, Volume 89

Number 6, July 2012
4

Grade 7 English Language Arts Curriculum of Nova Scotia

they are very different stories that will appeal to a wide range of readers. An important part of
this unit plan will be identifying recurring images and researching their origins and relation to
the gothic genre. I will be doing more research on specific techniques employed in gothic art,
and will incorporate these techniques into my unit plan. Students will be expected to incorporate
their research on images and icons into an understanding of theme, motif, and symbols. Another
aspect of the unit would be to examine literary devices such as characters, setting, and mood in
graphic novels. Death in Neil Gaimans Sandman would provide an excellent framework for
examining character, as she is drawn using modern Gothic techniques but her persona is far more
upbeat and cheerful than one might expect from Death. 5 Students will be expected to look at
colour schemes and settings and explain how images evoke different emotions. It would be
useful to do another unit on a different genre, such as adventure or comedy, to compare how they
differ from the gothic genre.

5Comic

Vince. Death of the Endless http://www.comicvine.com/death-of-the-endless/

4005-7280/ 2015

In addition to this, Graphic novels provide a particularly interesting framework for

studying gothic literature because they are visual mediums. As Micha L. Issit explains in
her book Goths: a guide to an american subculture, goth horror is particularly suited
to the graphic novel format because many aspects of the overall goth aesthetic are
visual. For one, setting is very important to the genre, and often consists of an isolating
environment or perhaps a large, eerie mansion. Also, Gothic architecture often plays a
significant role in the literature, and many gothic novelists use architecture almost as
another character, providing opportunities for long, ominous descriptions of the
scenery. In graphic novels, the use of gothic art and architecture plays an important
role and takes the place of these long descriptions without losing the ominous
experience. Finally, Gothic fashion is an important aspect of the culture and plays a
significant role in gothic graphica as well. For instance, Neil Gaimans character Death
is a prominent character in the genre who encapsulates the Gothic fashion while also
deviating from the typical dark image of Death.
Ultimately I want to explore this topic more because adolescents enjoy reading
gothic graphica, and as a teacher I want to validate and support the types of books they
are reading outside the classroom and find ways to bring them into the classroom. I find
it baffling that there is so little research available on the use of gothic graphica in the
classroom, and see plenty of areas where this medium can be used to enhance the
readers understanding of genre, theme, symbols, and motifs. Moreover I think that
gothic graphica in particular will enhance the readers experience of an important genre,
because the gothic genre is so visual.

GOTH HOORIR IS PARTICULARILY SUITED TO THE GRAPHIC FORMAT. NEIL

GAIMAN, AUTHOR OF BOTH TRADITIONAL BOOKS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS, HAS
BECOME ESPECIALLY POPULAR WITH GOTH ADUEIENCES.

In Scott McClouds book Understanding Comics, McCloud emphasizes the

impact different drawing techniques have on changing or elevating the meaning of
comics. For instance, he discusses how lengthening the width of a panel gives the
reader the impression that more time has passed in the story. Similarly, adding small
lines to a picture can indicate motion, while leaving a panel open or unfinished can
leave the reader with a lingering feeling similar to the use of in written text. These
are all techniques that, in my opinion, the reader takes for granted. However, without
these small techniques the reader would be left with a very dull story void of movement,
emotion, and meaning. In other words, it is evident that the small techniques graphic
artists have been developing over the years do indeed elevate the meaning of the text.
I wanted to draw attention to McClouds book because I believe the same is true
for writing, and as an English Language Arts teacher I am obligated to teach students
how to recognize writing techniques such as theme, motifs, and symbols, because
these are the techniques that writers employ in order to create meaning. One can read

a novel and get enjoyment from it without understanding or recognizing these

techniques, but when one examines theme, motifs, and symbols more carefully the
meaning of the text can be completely altered or elevated. For instance, a first reading
of Coraline by Neil Gaiman will undoubtedly evoke a sense of excitement, suspense,
and fear for the reader. However, a closer reading of the novel with an examination of
literary elements will give the reader a deeper understanding of the novel and they may
discover that there is a double readership to Coraline. On the one hand, Coraline is a
childrens novel about a young girl who moves into a new home only to discover it is
being occupied by a creepy Other family living in an evil parallel universe. On the other
hand, Coraline is very much an adult novel about the dangers of repression, fear, and
refusal to grow up. Of course, the same can be said for other stories such as Peter Pan,
or

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3587890?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

shuz argues that humans collaboratively and communally select, confuse , and
construct from the incoming chaotic flow of experience certain sets of events or situation
types that are deemed as significance and hence recur. Inevitably, situation types vary
by culture and often community.

http://www.gothic.stir.ac.uk/guestblog/on-teaching-contemporary-gothic/

Its also important, when teaching contemporary literature, to ensure that you are
genuinely contemporary that you are reflecting current areas of debate or literary
trends, rather than simply falling back on what you know best.

Goths: a guide to american subculture

- goth culture is deeply rooted in a tradition of artistic expression.

- gothic literature is a subgenre of fiction that began in the 1740s, combinging the
genres of horror and romance.

- gothic fiction was immensely popular for decades, repeatedly invigorated by the
publication of what became seminal works in the genre, like Mary Wollstonecraft
Shelleys frankenstein and Bran Sotkers Dracula.

- most gothic novels share certain basic characteristics: set in a lonely and
forbidding environment, gothic archetecture, - many gothic novelists use
gothic architectre almost as another character, providing opportunities for
long, ominous descriptions of scenery - ENCAPSULATED IN GRAPHIC NOVELS
THROUGH ART RATHER THAN DESCRIPTIONS

- almost always an element of the supernatural

- common thread of terror - also expressed through art
- all gothic novels involve love - the kind where everything goes wrong and ends in
sadness, despair, regret and longing

- gothic fiction spread from england to the US, southern gothic fiction deeply
romanticized souther landscape where willow treses and dilapidated colonial
mansions harbor dark secrets

- THE GRAPHIC NVOEL INDUSTRSY HAS COME A LONG WAY FROM

MARKETING PRIMARILY TO CHILDREN AND A FEW CHILDLIKE ADULTS.
MODEN GRAPHIC NOVELS COME IN ADULT VARIETIES, CONTAINING SEX,
GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, AND THEMES NOT INTENDED OR EVEN REMOTELY
SUITABLE FOR CHILREN. IN THE EITHES AND NINETIES, ADULT-THEMED
COMICS BEGAN CARRYING PARENTAL WARNINGS. AS MANY ASPECTS OF
TEH OVERALL GOTH AESTHETIC ARE VISUAL, GOTH HOORIR IS
PARTICULARILY SUITED TO THE GRAPHIC FORMAT. NEIL GAIMAN, AUTHOR OF
BOTH TRADITIONAL BOOKS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS, HAS BECOME
ESPECIALLY POPULAR WITH GOTH ADUEIENCES.

- Common themes for uncommon minds: whether in film or in print, goth audiences
respond to certain types of characters, certain setting, and certain underlying themes.
Whether drama, horror, or comedy, these shared characteristics are present in nearly
every goth favorite from music to comic strips.

- isolation is a major theme

- intelligence and hidden qualities
- setting is very important
- DIFFERETNESS