Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Wallace, Miriam
Keywords
Graphic Novels, Bildungsroman Model, Identity, Trauma
Area of Concentration
Literature
Abstract
The graphic novel, as a form, lends itself well to representing narratives that charter the formative years of the protagonist. The process of identity formation is a central theme in three graphic novels that function on a Bildungsroman model: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel, Le bleu est une couleur chaude by Julie Maroh, and Darkroom: A Memoir in Black & White by Lila Quintero Weaver. In Fun Home, the narrative focus is on gender and sexual identity; in Le bleu the focus is on sexual identity; and Darkroom focuses on racial identity. While the protagonists eventually claim their identity, the narratives focus on the fluctuation of identity. As demonstrated in these works, the graphic novel is an ideal form for coping with traumatic past experiences. It allows the author a method of giving retroactive coherence to memories while also implicating the reader in this process of ‘sense-making.’
Recommended Citation
Schroer, Emerson, "“ALWAYS A BLANK PAGE FOR EACH NEW HAND THAT APPROACHES”: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL AS BILDUNGSROMAN" (2015). Theses & ETDs. 5109.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5109