Intersections, intertextuality and interpretation: The graphic novel as postmodern literary pastiche
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to promote the scholarly and academic discussion of the contemporary graphic novel as a postmodern literary medium characterized by intertextual connections across disciplines and elements unique to pastiche arts. Graphic novels are highly complex visual-verbal texts that require the orchestration of sophisticated reading strategies and an understanding of domain-specific literary terminology that can be applied to critical analyses of the medium. As visual-verbal narratives, graphic novels are also examples of metafictional texts; therefore interpretation may be dependent upon the reader’s ability to enter the text and to uncover multiple layers of narrative. This study presents an analysis of specific graphic novels that represent postmodern literary pastiche as a structural device that contributes to the complexity of the visual-verbal medium. The graphic novels of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, David B., and Bryan Talbot are a major focus of this study.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Alsup, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Modern literature|American literature
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