Prudius I.G.

Interpretation of wartime events in graphic novels of late 20th — early 21st century. Pp. 149–159.

UDC 821.161.1-76::31.09″19/20″

DOI 10.37724/RSU.2025.86.1.016

 

Abstract. The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of three contemporary graphic novels that deal with the theme of war. The works analyzed show events related to World War II and feature characters who did not fight but were directly affected by the war. The hybrid genre of the graphic novel, which combines features of the comic book and the novel, allows the authors to offer their readers the possibility of multiple readings of the same book, due to its combination of iconic imagery and textual components. As a result of comparative analysis, the author of the article comes to the conclusion that there is a noticeable tendency in literature of recent decades: the writers focus not on the description of military actions, but on the representation of the lives of people who are ostensibly far from the military combat, but no less affected by the war than its participants. The representation of their traumatic experiences becomes a subject of reflection for contemporary writers. The authors of the three books analyzed choose the graphic novel as one of the genres most accessible to the modern reader who appreciates adept of visual culture, and by crossing genre types in one graphic novel (which is observed in all three works) they present the horrifying experience of the past through the representation of tragedy from the point of view of an ordinary, unremarkable person. The visual component, which is inseparable from the textual component, allows us to enhance the characteristics of the chosen sub-genre (historical romance of J.-P. Gibrat, young-adult novel of J. Billet and C. Fauvel, biography and autofiction of Keum Suk Gendry-Kim) by choosing a specific color palette, graphical style, contour framing, fonts, and adding elements that are not typical of the narrative (e.g., Gendry-Kim’s geometric figures).

 

Keywords: Julia Bille, Claire Fauvel, Jean-Pierre Gibrat, Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, World War II, graphic novel, subgenres of the graphic novel.

 

Bibliography

 

  1. Eisner W. Komiks i posledovatelnoye iskusstvo. Per. s angl. M. Zaslavskogo. [Comics and sequential art. Trans. from English by M. Zaslavsky]. Moscow, Mann, Ivanov and Ferber Publ., 2022, 192 p. (In Russian).
  2. Alimuradov O. A., Shubitidze V. Z. Graphic novel: milestones in the genre evolution in English-speaking and Russian-speaking cultures. Creolization features in the text Space of the graphic novel as
    a translation challenge. Filologicheskiy aspekt. [Philological aspect]. 2020, iss. 09 (65), pp. 54–74. (In Russian).
  3. Berezina A. V., Bocharova A. V. Book culture: History and Modernity. Literature for youth as fiction for high school students. Kultura: teoriya i praktika.[Culture: Theory and Practice]. 2023, iss. 1 (51). Available at: http://theoryofculture.ru/issues/128/1582/ (accessed: 14.12.2024). (In Russian).
  4. Vasilyeva E. V. Transformation of Gothic poetics in graphic novel adaptations (based on Amy Chu and Su Lee’s “Carmilla. The First Vampire”). Sibirskiy filologicheskiy forum. [Siberian Philological Forum]. 2024, iss. 1 (26), pp. 69–79. (In Russian).
  5. Debrenne M. Situation of polylingual communication in French-language graphic novels about Russia. Polilingvialnost i transkulturnyye praktiki.[Polylingualism and transcultural practices]. 2023, vol. 20,
    1, pp. 66–76. (In Russian).
  6. Drozhzhina O. V. Image of a child hiding from the Holocaust in Ari Folman and David Polonsky’s graphic novel “Diary of Anne Frank. Graphic version”. Vestnik Ryazanskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta imeni S. A. Yesenina. [Bulletin of the Ryazan State University named for S. A. Yesenin]. 2023, iss. 1 (78),
    159–165. (In Russian).
  7. Dubovitskaya M. A. American graphic novel: multimodality and identity. Nauchnyy dialog. [Scientific dialogue]. 2022, vol. 11, iss. 3, pp. 228–246. (In Russian).
  8. Gimranova Yu. A. Graphic novel as a way of adapting classical literary works in modern times: intertextual aspect (based on the graphic novel “War and Peace” by D. Chukhrai and A. Poltorak). Mirovaya literatura glazami sovremennoy molodezhi. Tsifrovaya epokha: sb. materialov X Mezhdunar. molodezh. nauch.-prakt. konf.[World literature through the eyes of modern youth. The digital era: collection of materials of the
    X International youth scientific and practical conference]. Magnitogorsk: Magnitogorsk State Tech. Univ. named after G. I. Nosov, 2024, pp. 276–282. (In Russian).
  9. Griban I. V., Zinnatullina Z. R. Representation of the history of World Wars in comics: from tragic to comic. Politicheskaya lingvistika. [Political Linguistics]. 2021, iss. 3 (87), pp. 133–144. (In Russian).
  10. Karasik O. B., Strukova A. V. Comics about the Holocaust: A. Spiegelman’s “Maus” and
    Chabon’s “The Adventures of Cavalier and Glue”. Filologiya i kultura. [Philology and Culture]. 2016, iss. 3 (45), pp. 101–106. (In Russian).
  11. Kikteva K. S. The reader of young adult fiction in search of reality. Chitatel v poiske. [The reader in search]. Moscow, Bibliomir, 2018, pp. 83–93. (In Russian).
  12. Kim-Gendry K. Trava. s kor. Ye. Pokholkovoy, Ro Chzhi Yun, A. Krapivinoy.[Grass. Translated from Korean by E. Pokholkova, Ro Zhi Yun, A. Krapivin]. St. Petersburg, Bumkniga, 2021, 480 p. (In Russian).
  13. McCloud S. Preface. Aysner U. Kontrakt s bogom. Per. s angl. M. Zaslavskogo.[Eisner W. Contract with God; transl. from English by M. Zaslavsky]. Moscow, Mann, Ivanov and Ferber Publ., 2018, 216 p, pp. 7–12. (In Russian).
  14. Merkulova M. G., Prudius I. G. Graphic novel adaptation: about a definition of the subgenre (based
    on French- and English-language texts). Nauchnyy dialog. [Scientific dialogue]. 2024, vol. 13, iss. 6, pp. 250–265. (In Russian).
  15. Merkulova M. G., Prudius I. G. The genre of the graphic novel: problem statement (based on contemporary French- and English-language texts). Filologicheskiye nauki. Voprosy teorii i praktiki. [Philological research. Theoretical and practical issues]. 2023, vol. 16, iss. 10., pp. 3379–3385. (In Russian).
  16. Osmukhina O. Yu., Kuryaev I. R. Synthesis of comics and noir stylistics in the series of F. Miller’s graphic novels “Sin City”: on the problem of reinterpretation. Filologicheskiye nauki. Voprosy teorii
    i praktiki.     [Philological research. Theoretical and practical issues]. 2018, iss. 3-1 (81), pp. 49–52. (In Russian).
  17. Pastoureau M. Istoriya tsveta. Per. s fr. N. Kulish. [Red. History of color. Transl. from French by N. Kulish]. Moscow, Novoye literaturnoye obozreniye Publ., 2019, 153 p. (In Russian).
  18. Prudius I. G., Shalimova N. S. Features of the initiation novel in the biographical graphic novel by Pierre Christin and Sebastien Verdier “Orwell”. Filologicheskiye nauki. Voprosy teorii i praktiki.[Philological research. Theoretical and practical issues]. 2024, iss. 3, pp. 762–767. (In Russian).
  19. Skaf M.K. Tradition of sequential visual narrative in the USA: stages, genres, poetics. Detskiye chteniya.[Children’s Reading]. 2013, iss. 2 (4), pp. 63–82. (In Russian).
  20. Strunevskaya Ya. I. Features of adaptation of a classic work in the graphic novel genre (R. Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” as an example). Nauchnyy start-2024: st. aspirantov i magistrantov.[Scientific Start —
    2024: Collection of articles of postgraduate and Master’s Students]. Moscow, Yazyki narodov mira Publ., 2024,
    pp. 667–672. (In Russian).
  21. Tsvetkova A.A. Graphic novel. Vestnik molodykh uchenykh Sankt-Peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta tekhnologii i dizayna.[Bulletin of young scientists of the St. Petersburg State University of Technology and Design]. 2020, iss. 3, pp. 165–168. (In Russian).
  22. Baetens J. Le roman graphique. La bande dessinée: une médiaculture. [Comics: a media culture]. Paris, Armand Colin, coll. “Médiacultures”, 2012, pp. 200–216. (In French).
  23. Baron-Carvais A. La bande dessinée. [Comics]. Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, 1994, 127 p. (In French).
  24. Billet J., Fauvel C. La guerre de Catherine. [Catherine’s war]. Paris, Rue de Sèvres, 2017, 168 p.
    (In French).
  25. Chute H. Comics as literature? Reading graphic narrative. Publications of the Modern Language Association of America. 2008, iss. 123 (2), pp. 452–465.
  26. Eastlake Е. Photography. The London Quarterly Review. 1857, iss. 101, pp. 442–468. Available at: https://www.nearbycafe.com/photocriticism/members/archivetexts/photohistory/eastlake/pf/eastlakephotography1pf.html (accessed: 08.01.2025).
  27. Gabilliet J.-P. Du comic book au graphic novel: l’européanisation de la bande dessinée américaine. Image & Narrative. [From comic book to graphic novel: the Europeanization of American comics. Image & Narrative]. 2015. Available at: http://www.imageandnarrative.be/inarchive/tulseluper/gabilliet.htm (accessed: 11.10.2024). (In French).
  28. Gibrat J.-P. Le Sursis. [Postponement]. Paris, DUPUIS, 2010, 128 p. (In French).
  29. Groensteen T. La bande dessinée: une littérature graphique. [Comics: graphic literature]. Toulouse, Milan, Les Essentiels Milan, 2005, 63 p. (In French).
  30. Gundemann Ch. Real Imagination? Holocaust Comics in Europe. Revisiting Holocaust Representation in the Post-Witness Era. London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2015, 309 p.
  31. Mansanti C. Le roman graphique. Fabula. 2013. Available at: https://www.fabula.org/actualites/
    journee-d-etudes-sur-le-roman-graphique-amiens-le-5-juin-2014-departement-d-anglais-de-l_58818.php     (accessed: 13.10.2024). (In French).
  32. Romero-Jódar A. Comic Books and Graphic Novels in their Generic Context. Towards a Definition and Classification of Narrative Iconical Texts. Journal of the Spanish Association of Anglo-American Studies. 2013, iss. 35.1, pp. 117–135.
  33. Ross C. Young adult realism: conventions, narrators, and readers. The Library Quarterly. 1985,
    55, iss. 2, pp. 174–191.
  34. Stephens J. Young adult: a book by any other name…: Defining the Genre. The ALAN review. 2007, vol. 35, iss. 1, pp. 34–42. Available at : https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v35n1/stephens.html (accessed: 24.12.2024).
  35. Tremblay-Gaudette G. Tensions, prétentions et galvaudage; gains et écueils du roman graphique comme stratégie du cheval de Troie en Amérique du Nord. Kinephanos. 2008. Available at: https://www.kinephanos.ca/
    2011/romans-graphiques     (accessed: 13.10.2024). (In French).
Uncategorized