Monday: November, 5th 2012

"According to McCloud, there are two important effects of cartooning; the first enables a focus on specific details; the second is 'the universality of cartoon imagery. The more cartoony a face is, for instance, the more people it could be said to describe' (31). Cartooning, he argues, is a way of seeing, to just a way of drawing, so the simplification of characters and images toward a purpose can be an effective tool: '[W]hen you look at a photo or realistic drawing of a face-- you see it as the face of another but when you enter the world of the cartoon--you see yourself' (36).


Estranging the Familiar: "East" and "West" in Satrapi’s Persepolis
Naghibi, Nima. 


"They insulted me. They said that women like me should be pushed up against a wall and fucked. And then thrown in the garbage. ...And that if I didn't want that to happen, I should wear the veil..."
Persepolis, 74 

Question: What effect does the usage of cartooning have on the reader's perceptions of the novel?


In reading Persepolis the reader becomes immersed in a cartoon version of a young girl's story of her experiences pertaining to the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Not only does the format enable the reader to have an easier time navigating through Satrapi's story, but it also enables the reader to feel a part of the story itself. McCloud argues that when looking at the image of a cartoon, you see yourself. In reading the portion of Persepolis during which Maryjane's mother is exposed to the mysogynistic nature of the Islamic regime the reader is exposed to the sadness. When reading this in cartoon version, it feels like it relates to all of the audiences. This imagery McCloud describes is entirely evident within Satrapi's Persepolis.