WRPR 135: American Autobiography (HC): Finding Books

The first collection of critical essays on Maus, the searing account of one Holocaust survivor's experiences rendered in comic book form. This collection of essays by prominent scholars in a variety of fields explores many aspects of Spiegelman's text, including his use of animal characters, the influence of other "comix" artists, the role of the mother and its relation to gender issues, the use of repeating images such as smoke and blood, Maus's position among Holocaust testimonials, its appropriation of cinematic technique, its use of language and styles of dialect, and the implications of the work's critical and commercial success. [Adapted]

Some of the most noteworthy graphic novels and comic books of recent years have been entirely autobiographical. In Graphic Subjects, Michael A. Chaney brings together a lively mix of scholars to examine the use of autobiography within graphic novels, including such critically acclaimed examples as Art Spiegelman's Maus, David Beauchard's Epileptic, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Alan Moore's Watchmen, and Gene Yang's American Born Chinese.

Includes a chapter on Maus titled: "The Graphic Memoir: Art Spiegelman's Maus: A Survivor's Tale" (p. 63).

In this study Joseph Witek examines the rise of the comic book to a position of importance in modern culture and assesses its ideological and historical implications. Jack Jackson, Art Spiegelman, and Harvey Pekar are among the creators whom Witek credits for the emergence of the comic book as a serious artistic medium. As American codes of ethics, aesthetics, and semiotics have evolved, so too has the comic book as a mode for presenting the weightier matters of history.

This collection of interviews and profiles spans 1976-2006 and covers Spiegelman's career as an artist, critic, educator, and art historian. A previously unpublished interview conducted by the volume's editor discusses themes rarely touched upon in earlier profiles.