How Great the Graphic Novel
Our argument for using graphic novels in the ELA classroom
Welcome to From the Teacher’s Desk, where we take turns further reflecting on our episodes and applications to the classroom.
I first fell in love with graphic novels during my undergrad. No really, I have the PowerPoint presentation to prove it:
My collection started with a few Manga Shakespeare editions - but it has now blossomed into a whole shelf in my personal library. I love graphic memoirs like Relish. I appreciate comic adaptations of classics like Jane. And I thoroughly devour original stories like the Fables series.
It’s interesting that graphic novels have been around for almost a century. And while many teachers have embraced this genre in the classroom, the battle for graphic novels is far from over. Parents and administrators alike still dismiss graphic novels as “light” reading or “fluff” content.
But if we look beyond the surface, it’s not that simple.
They complicate the story
We need to start by admitting that graphic novels are not just about superheroes.
Sure, Marvel and DC helped invent the modern comic genre through Captain America and Superman comics back in the 1940s. But the world of graphic novels has expanded drastically since then. A 2014 study points out that only 12% of comics at that time followed superhero storylines (see graphic). And the publication of graphic novels has more than doubled since that time!
Coming back to classroom application - the English classroom has always been multimodal. Now, through the reading and study of graphic novels, you give students an opportunity to go beyond traditional text analysis. When I’ve taught graphic novels before, we’ve covered basic art analysis terms. We’ve completed a biopsy of a comic strip to help students understand the difference between panels and gutters and balloons. And we’ve still always come back to the core literary analysis of plot, character development, and theme.
In short, graphic novels introduce a “yes, and…” space for text analysis with your students.
They drive home imagery
If you want to cover the power of visual language with your students, there is no better place to do this than in a graphic novel. One of my film study friends once told me that you only introduce an image in a movie if you plan to come back to it - and this is also true in graphic novels.
As the art style shifts in the telling of a graphic novel’s story, so too does the tone and symbolism of the visual text. For example, in Lucy Knisley’s Kid Gloves, she shows her readers her experience of falling into a coma by slowly filling the images on the page with static. Then the part of her story that was relayed to her later is devoid of color (the color only returns when she returns as the conscious narrator of the memoir).
Check it out:
Sharing images like these can open doors for powerful conversations with students, just as is true for any in-depth reading of a passage. What do they notice? Why did the author make these decisions? How does this impact the progress of the story?
They invite others to the table
The main game-changer for graphic novels came to me when I heard about their connection to English Language Learners (ELLs). Unlike traditional text-based stories, graphic novels add body language and tone to both the internal and external dialogue of characters. This can mean the difference between literal language and sarcasm - for ELLs and legally deaf students as well.
And why do we assume our reluctant readers are only boys? Too often, I found that students struggled with reading a text simply because they couldn’t see themselves in the story. But graphic novels can change that through the basic work of their illustrations!
Think about Ms. Marvel and American Born Chinese (yes, I mean the original graphic novels). Part of why we love these stories so much at Lit Think is because they open up the mirror for even more students to see themselves in the narrative’s reflection!
Resources
Want to learn more - or start the conversation about graphic novels in our classroom? Then check out these resources:
Here’s my original graphic novel research presentation from my undergrad (it still has great information, despite the adolescent formatting 😂).
Here’s a great Washington Post article about graphic novels (by a librarian).
Want to take it a step further? Get your students talking about it on Jamboard!
Here’s my intro discussion presentation on graphic memoirs in the classroom.
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