Persepolis Discussion

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Question posted by Kathy Halverson

How do you feel the graphics contributed to your understanding of this book?

posted by Kathy at 2:42 PM

7 Comments:

  • I was surprised at how powerful the book was. I'd never read a graphic novel before, although I'd heard excellent things about Maus and other outstanding examples of the genre.

    Because of the visuals, Satrapi is able to communicate great emotional power through very few words. Some of my favorite visuals show Marji in wordless shock, such as the image of her lying in bed listening to her uncle Anoosh's stories at the bottom of p. 58, the image of her watching Mali's children sleeping at the bottom of p. 91, and the all-black panel that expresses Marji's grief when she discovers Neda's death (p. 142).

    I think it's interesting that all three of these wordless panels appear at the bottom of their respective pages. It's as if Satrapi wants to leave us with a silent, emotionally evocative image as the "last word."

    By Blogger Lorianne, at 10:36 AM  

  • I didn't think that I would enjoy this book, or graphic novel as it was, to be honest but for me, I am very interested in other cultures all around the world and this book gave me great insights. I became glued! Comics are great just in a general sense! Satrapi did a great job explaining her whole life in an understandable but simple way, all at the same time, which I also loved!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:35 PM  

  • Marjane is such an appealing character. We watch her grow from a little girl with a big imagination and dreams of heroism to a feisty young woman with a short fuse for senseless authority. Marjane and her family speak for people all over the world who demand the right to criticize their governments. Marjane could be from Baghdad or WAshington.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:11 PM  

  • i think that the graphics helped so much. they showed you excetily what the author was tring to say. the graphics also helped people who are not as good at reading they can look at the pictures if they did not uderstand something.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:13 AM  

  • Much like Lorianne, I had not read many graphic novels until we chose Persepolis for the common reading last spring. I grew up reading comics; and I have read and reread Speigelman's Maus books.

    Most recently, a friend recommended that I read Alison Bechdel's Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. What I discovered in reading Fun Home was that I had learned something from Satrapi about how to read (and enjoy) graphic novels.

    I recommend Bechdel's book to anyone interested in sequential art and/or the use of the genre in the work of autobiography. It is fun, interesting and complex. Check it out!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:24 PM  

  • The pictures helped me to understand the book very much. Without them i do not think it would of have gotten the message across as well as it did. It also made the book a lot more interesting also.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:50 PM  

  • I haven't read the book but couldn't resist commenting on how cool it is that you are keeping a blog for this purpose. Please keep up the good work!
    -Larry

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:47 PM  

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