1. Do you think comics are a children’s or adult genre/media?
2. How does Farr (1991) justify Tintin’s appeal to adults?
3. According to the second Farr extract (p.50-59), how did Hergé research China for The Blue Lotus? How might Hergé’s The Blue Lotus address or relate to the issue of what Said (1977)terms ‘orientalism’?
4.Does Varnum (2001) define the difference between a cartoon, comics, and graphic novel?
5. According to Varnum, what distinguishes comics from other media?
6. How and why are comics becoming more accepted as an art form? Can/should they be regarded as a literary genre?
7. What do you think of McCarthy's(2006) ideas about Tintin?
1. I reckon comics are suitable for all-age readers in the reader. It's not a shame for adults to read comics in public. In my opinion, comics has its own attraction and some comics are only suitable for adult to read, just as violent and sex. Some authors will write comics to make irony to the government which makes the public have the same ideas or alert the government what the public thinks. I don't think young kids can understand those kind of comics.
At first, I am kind of agree with Edmond's view. I believe everyone can read a comic regardless of their age. As a child,they can learn the simple words or idioms from the comic as well as the foreign language learner. As an adult, they can relax themselves by reading the comic.For my view, I really enjoy reading ( THE BLUE LOTUS)as it is very easy to understand and I have learnt the Far East history from it as well as some new verbs.I will definitely recommend it to my younger cousin.As soon as Blue Lotus is concerned,Farr(1991)says that Tintin's appeal to adults is self-generating,soon after the children become adults and then parents themselves, letting the ' Tintin tradition to be continued. It is familiar to J.M.Barrie's ever youthful Peter Pan.
Refering to kiniko's comment, in Hong Kong, newspapers usually have a English graphic novel/comic topic, for example, they post on a "four-square" snoopy graphic novel, and then explains the vocabularies for the readers.
I think it depends on what the comic is about as to who reads it. e.g a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle comic might appeal more to younger readers like children and teenagers, than a comic that is featured in a newspaper. I think this is because children can see comics as entertaining and funny, but a cartoonist writing about a news event in a newspaper is more about satire. But this can have a funny element too. I think comics are for all ages, but some comics appeal more to people of different age groups.
-For Q1&2- It looks like all of us got the same idea weather comics are a children’s or adult genre. Yes, I agree with you guys – comics are for both children and adults, at least nowadays, although it might have written for (mainly) children at first. For instance, Simpson, Maori Town (not sure about the name - channel4), Spiderman, Batman, Superman and ‘Tintin’. They’ve got adventures, actions, friendships, good, family and love between characters or places as well as violence, crimes, evil, swear languages, and etc. Doesn’t it a bit ‘not right’ or hard to just say ‘Ok, it’s made for children only or adults’? Like ‘Tintin’s the Blue Lotus’. Children will pick up (not understand) the story or the picture of other countries and people through CUTE characters (or drawings) and teenagers will look deeper side of other countries and people with different cultures or find what the story wants to tell whereas adults will deal with something like histories, politics, and prejudices. Farr (1991, CR p5) stated that “Tintin was aimed at all young people aged from seven to seventy-seven" and, moreover, “the child will be gripped by the excitement of Tintin, the comedy, even farce … and … the adult will additionally find political satire and parody, puns and prescience”.
Hi~ I think I’ll move on to the next question now. -For Q3- According to Farr (1934), Herge was introduced to Father Gosset and a Chinese young man Chang Chong-chen who helped Herge to learn a lot about Chinese arts in different aspects. Chang showed Herge a true China from the areas of history, culture, religion and philosophy, which helped Herge to sweep away the prejudices and to portray an accurate picture of China and Chinese. “Herge willingly took the advice” (Critical Reader 2008, p.7). Herge said “Chang made me discover and love Chinese poetry, Chinese writing...” (P, 51, critical Readers). Moreover, Chang opened Herge’s eyes to political situation of China at that period. And this could relate to ‘Orientalism’ as Said (1977) defined as “the Orient is an idea that has a history and a tradition of thought, imagery, and vocabulary that have given it reality and presence in and for the West (CR p.89) … Orientalism is more particularly valuable as a sign of European-Atlantic power over the orient than it is a veridic discourse about the orient (CR p90).” This definition may sound a bit tricky and too complex – How I understand this is that Said is objecting European’s or Western’s way of looking at Asia(n) – Asians are lazy, passive, emotional, non-logical meaning they are inferior whereas Europeans are superior. Therefore it is definite that Asians should put under the control of Europeans. It is shown on ‘the Blue Lotus’ as well as Herge addresses European prejudices against Chinese, “lots of Europeans still believe that all Chinese are cunning and cruel and wear pigtails … Chinese rivers are full of unwanted babies… ” (CR p7).
How do you think guys? Am I reasonably arguable here?
And for the last ^^~ -Q4&5- No. Varnum (2001) didn’t define the difference between a cartoon, comics and graphic novel although he analyses them as “none of the members shares one feature in common with all the others, but any two share common features (pp. xvi- xvii).” And I don’t see the differences either. The feature that can distinguish comics from other media may be its systematical sequence or combination of words and pictures: “Words and pictures are like partners in a dance and each one takes turns leading” (pp. xiv)
Orientalism expresses and represents that part culturally and even ideologically as mode of discourse with supporting institutions, vocabulary , scholarship, imagery , doctrines , even colonial bureaucracies and colonial styles. (Edward, pg 87)
I do think Orientalism is related with Asian people and not limited to Chinese (i.e Japan , Korea)
Orientalism was spread in worldwide. When there are Chinese or Asian people living at there. You will observe the Oriental culture. Like Chinese takeaways , Korean BBQ.
^^~ yes I agree with Alan's point that it's not limited to only chinese. (I just took the example from TinTin's Blue Lotus here.) Anyway... I think you've got a very good and easy-to-understand definition for orientalism there.
10 comments:
Discussion threads:
1. Do you think comics are a children’s or adult genre/media?
2. How does Farr (1991) justify
Tintin’s appeal to adults?
3. According to the second Farr extract (p.50-59), how did Hergé
research China for The Blue Lotus? How might Hergé’s The Blue Lotus address or relate to the issue of what Said (1977)terms ‘orientalism’?
4.Does Varnum (2001) define the difference between a cartoon, comics, and graphic novel?
5. According to Varnum, what distinguishes
comics from other media?
6. How and why are comics becoming more accepted as an art
form? Can/should they be regarded as a literary genre?
7. What do you think of McCarthy's(2006) ideas about Tintin?
1. I reckon comics are suitable for all-age readers in the reader. It's not a shame for adults to read comics in public. In my opinion, comics has its own attraction and
some comics are only suitable for adult to read, just as violent and sex.
Some authors will write comics to make irony to the government which makes the public have the same ideas or alert the government what the public thinks. I don't think young kids can understand those kind of comics.
At first, I am kind of agree with Edmond's view. I believe everyone can read a comic regardless of their age. As a child,they can learn the simple words or idioms from the comic as well as the foreign language learner. As an adult, they can relax themselves by reading the comic.For my view, I really enjoy reading ( THE BLUE LOTUS)as it is very easy to understand and I have learnt the Far East history from it as well as some new verbs.I will definitely recommend it to my younger cousin.As soon as Blue Lotus is concerned,Farr(1991)says that Tintin's appeal to adults is self-generating,soon after the children become adults and then parents themselves, letting the ' Tintin tradition to be continued. It is familiar to J.M.Barrie's ever youthful Peter Pan.
Refering to kiniko's comment, in Hong Kong, newspapers usually have a English graphic novel/comic topic, for example, they post on a "four-square" snoopy graphic novel, and then explains the vocabularies for the readers.
I think it depends on what the comic is about as to who reads it. e.g a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle comic might appeal more to younger readers like children and teenagers, than a comic that is featured in a newspaper. I think this is because children can see comics as entertaining and funny, but a cartoonist writing about a news event in a newspaper is more about satire. But this can have a funny element too. I think comics are for all ages, but some comics appeal more to people of different age groups.
-For Q1&2-
It looks like all of us got the same idea weather comics are a children’s or adult genre. Yes, I agree with you guys – comics are for both children and adults, at least nowadays, although it might have written for (mainly) children at first. For instance, Simpson, Maori Town (not sure about the name - channel4), Spiderman, Batman, Superman and ‘Tintin’. They’ve got adventures, actions, friendships, good, family and love between characters or places as well as violence, crimes, evil, swear languages, and etc. Doesn’t it a bit ‘not right’ or hard to just say ‘Ok, it’s made for children only or adults’? Like ‘Tintin’s the Blue Lotus’. Children will pick up (not understand) the story or the picture of other countries and people through CUTE characters (or drawings) and teenagers will look deeper side of other countries and people with different cultures or find what the story wants to tell whereas adults will deal with something like histories, politics, and prejudices. Farr (1991, CR p5) stated that “Tintin was aimed at all young people aged from seven to seventy-seven" and, moreover, “the child will be gripped by the excitement of Tintin, the comedy, even farce … and … the adult will additionally find political satire and parody, puns and prescience”.
Hi~ I think I’ll move on to the next question now.
-For Q3-
According to Farr (1934), Herge was introduced to Father Gosset and a Chinese young man Chang Chong-chen who helped Herge to learn a lot about Chinese arts in different aspects. Chang showed Herge a true China from the areas of history, culture, religion and philosophy, which helped Herge to sweep away the prejudices and to portray an accurate picture of China and Chinese. “Herge willingly took the advice” (Critical Reader 2008, p.7). Herge said “Chang made me discover and love Chinese poetry, Chinese writing...” (P, 51, critical Readers). Moreover, Chang opened Herge’s eyes to political situation of China at that period.
And this could relate to ‘Orientalism’ as Said (1977) defined as “the Orient is an idea that has a history and a tradition of thought, imagery, and vocabulary that have given it reality and presence in and for the West (CR p.89) … Orientalism is more particularly valuable as a sign of European-Atlantic power over the orient than it is a veridic discourse about the orient (CR p90).” This definition may sound a bit tricky and too complex – How I understand this is that Said is objecting European’s or Western’s way of looking at Asia(n) – Asians are lazy, passive, emotional, non-logical meaning they are inferior whereas Europeans are superior. Therefore it is definite that Asians should put under the control of Europeans. It is shown on ‘the Blue Lotus’ as well as Herge addresses European prejudices against Chinese, “lots of Europeans still believe that all Chinese are cunning and cruel and wear pigtails … Chinese rivers are full of unwanted babies… ” (CR p7).
How do you think guys? Am I reasonably arguable here?
And for the last ^^~ -Q4&5-
No. Varnum (2001) didn’t define the difference between a cartoon, comics and graphic novel although he analyses them as “none of the members shares one feature in common with all the others, but any two share common features (pp. xvi- xvii).” And I don’t see the differences either.
The feature that can distinguish comics from other media may be its systematical sequence or combination of words and pictures: “Words and pictures are like partners in a dance and each one takes turns leading” (pp. xiv)
Am I right here?
I will take Q3
Orientalism expresses and represents that part culturally and even ideologically as mode of discourse with supporting institutions, vocabulary , scholarship, imagery , doctrines , even colonial bureaucracies and colonial styles. (Edward, pg 87)
I do think Orientalism is related with Asian people and not limited to Chinese (i.e Japan , Korea)
Orientalism was spread in worldwide. When there are Chinese
or Asian people living at there. You will observe the Oriental culture. Like Chinese takeaways , Korean BBQ.
^^~ yes I agree with Alan's point that it's not limited to only chinese. (I just took the example from TinTin's Blue Lotus here.) Anyway... I think you've got a very good and easy-to-understand definition for orientalism there.
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