My opinion on Maus
Now that we have finally finished Maus I wanted to share my thoughts on weather or not it should be considered literature. reading the book, my opinion that it should be has not changed. I can see why the ease of read may cause some to believe that it should not be considered literature. However there are many other factors in the book that makes it a piece of literature. For starters the book is littered with many different motifs, with recurring themes such as smoke, or money. Although on the surface they may seem like pretty basic motifs, if you look deeper into the meaning of it you can see that there is a surprising amount of history and connection with Valdeks and other survivors story with these motifs. Another aspect that I feel Spiegelman does very well with is capturing the flow of dialogue, usually between him and his dad. The easy to read storyline makes the book attractive to a far greater demographic, and the addition of pictures in the book add an even deeper level of meaning. The captivating storyline raises Maus from just being a graphic novel to a work of literature.
I agree Maus is a work of literature. The comics illustrations had tone down the graphic content of the storyline, yet did not lose its essence. Most importantly this book delivered a very clear and truthful message of what has been an important occurrence in the world history. Good analysis Ben.
ReplyDeleteThis needs to his the 250 word requirement.
ReplyDelete