Literary Elements in Graphic Novels Set up a page for Cornell notes. Your notes will be collected and graded at the end of class.

What is the key difference between graphic novels and traditional literature?  In traditional literature (novels, poems, plays, etc.) the author’s skill is expressed entirely in words  In graphic novels the writer and artist(s) skills combine to express meaning through words and visual information  We understand literary elements in graphic novels through words and pictures

 Plot  The plot is the action of the book. Plot is what happens in the story.  Example: Roger killing Piggy is part of the plot of Lord of the Flies

Plot  Example from Ultimate Spider-Man

 Symbolism  When an author uses objects or events to represent an idea  Example: In Lord of the Flies the conch symbolizes order and civilization

Symbolism  Example from A Contract with God by Will Eisner  What do you think the rain symbolizes?

 Setting  The place and time period where the book takes place  Example: The setting of Lord of the Flies is a tropical island during World War II

Setting  Example from Palestine by Joe Sacco  The setting of this scene is a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza strip

 Tone  Tone is the emotional atmosphere, the mood of a book  The tone of Lord of the Flies becomes increasingly serious and frightening as the book goes on

Tone  Example from Powers by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming

 Characterization  Characterization is how we learn about what kind of a person a character is  We learn about characters from 3 things:  What the author says about them  What they say and do  What other characters say about them In graphic novels we also learn about characters from how they are drawn. Often, the picture gives us the most information about a character

Characterization  Example from Fables by Bill Willingham and Lan Medina

 Theme  Theme is the main idea of a book, the message the author wants to convey to readers  The theme of Lord of the Flies is that humans are more savage than civilized

Theme  Example from Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima  One of the themes of this series is the ability of one strong individual to stand against many

Summary  At the bottom of your Cornell notes write a brief summary of your notes. What’s the main idea of what you learned today?

Classwork  Choose three literary elements  For each one discuss in at least three full sentences how the author or artist of the graphic novel you’re reading develops it.  Be specific! Make sure to include the title and creators of the book you’re using.