MAUS I - Annotated Resources
Managing Editor: Jessica Dehoyos
Introduction: 1992 Pulitzer Prize Winner, Maus I, by Art Spiegelman, depicts the history of his father's (Vladek Spiegelman) past as he journeyed through and survived the Holocaust. This novel could be considered a memoir, a bibliography, and/or a graphic novel, but no matter how you classify it; it is evident that this book is a necessary read. This novel is a well crafted mix of beautiful illustrations as well as narrative. Spiegelman's spin on creativity is evident in this novel as he uses animals to represent his characters as well as choosing a comic-strip format to detail scenes from his father's past. The annotations below mark how Maus I was able to break boundaries. Although, this format was not commonly used in earlier novels nor used for educational purposes; Spiegelman was able to forge his own path by becoming one of the first authors/illustrators to successfully create a "graphic novel."
1. Campbell, Julia. “Picture This: Inside the Graphic Novel.” May 2004. Ebsco Host: Humanities International Complete. http://web.ebscohost.com. 10th June 2011. May 2004.
The first of the resources I chose is called “Picture This: Inside the Graphic Novel” and is by Julia Campbell. Campbell discusses four graphic novels which she feels have changed other’s outlooks or perspectives of the graphic novel which differentiate from comics. These titles are; Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi,Ghost World by Daniel Clowes, “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, and Maus I by Art Spiegelman.
This resource could be used for the Maus I webpage as well as the Defining the Genre Webpage. Campbell gives some information on Maus and how Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize award in 1992 gave graphic novels a turning point in their popularity. However, Campbell also mentions other graphic novels that do not follow the traditional comic format. Instead they forged the path into the graphic novel by having a beginning, middle, and end to the story being told/illustrated, as well as having a more serious story-line as in a prose.
2. Chute, H. ""The Shadow of a Past Time": History and Graphic Representation in "Maus."." Twentieth Century Literature 52.2 199-230. Web. 21 Jun 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com.easydb.angelo.edu/ehost/detail?sid=9bb18ed0-cdfe4faa8938e065a59e0da4%40sessionmgr14&vid=1&hid=14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=24424651>.
In this resource, Hillary Chute compares how Art Spiegelman uses Maus to represent his actual life story of World War II and the events that he experienced. Chute also represents Spiegelman’s different comic strategies that he used to represent different meanings he tried to portray within Maus.
Symbols and characters with Maus have far different meanings than some readers think and I believe this resource helps readers to understand the representations of different symbols and characters within the book. Also, Spiegelman wrote/drew everything in his book for a reason and this resource gives insight into why he might have done some things within his graphic novel.
3. Gonshak, Henry. “Beyond Maus: Other Holocaust Graphic Novels.” An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies. 2009: 55-79.
“Beyond Maus: Other Holocaust Graphic Novels” is an article that discusses how the Holocaust is presented in graphic novels. Most people are aware of Maus I and II, but in this article Gonshak talks about the graphic novels A Life Force by Will Eisner, Yossel: April 19, 1943 by Joe Kubert, and Auschwitz by Pascal Croci.
This article offers more options to readers who are interested in graphic novels that cover the topic of the Holocaust. The article also provides a synopsis of the graphic novels so that readers can decide what novel they would like to read next. This article is useful to reader to show there are multiple options for readers other than those they may be familiar with.
4. Heller, Dana A. "Memory's Architecture: American Studies and the Graphic Novels of Art Spiegelman." The Modern Language Association of America 2009. Print.
This content includes how Art Spiegelman incorporates Americas finding of culture through the use of graphic novels. MAUS focuses on “generational shirts and representations of myth and origin” (Heller, 158). Spiegelman claims that “everything I know I learned from comic books” (Heller, 161), making his creations all more realistic in world where culture is the primary aspect of how to create a world.
This resource can be useful to both readers, and scholars of comics when trying to understand how American studies and graphic novels correlate. Furthermore, it helps gather an additional understanding of how Spiegelman creates his comics based on culture.
5. Leckbee, Jodi. "I Got Graphic!" Young Adult Library Services 3.4 (2005): 30-31.
Print.
This is an article written by a teacher explaining how she discovered the power of using graphic novels in the classroom. Leckbee states that graphic novels don' replace but actually enhance the learning of literary analysis for students. She used Maus by Art Spiegelman as a topic for discussion after teaching it in her classroom.
This article could be resourceful in explaining why graphic novels should be recognized in how they can be used to engage students and inspire learning.
6. Marks, Clifford J. "Maus and Bitburg." EBSCO 2002. Print.
The comparison and contrast between President Regan and Spiegelman’s actions to “move forward” from the Holocaust are highlighted. Regan uses his time to have a memorial service in Germany in order to “be-rid” of the negative; while Spiegelman brings the truth and the inability to forgive what has happened through his works in MAUS I/II.
The genre who would benefit from this resource can be all readers, teachers, and scholars of comics. This is because the time structure correlates with Regan’s speech and the exploitation of MAUS. It helps bring forth reasons behind why Spiegelman chose to produce his father’s story in the way.
1. Campbell, Julia. “Picture This: Inside the Graphic Novel.” May 2004. Ebsco Host: Humanities International Complete. http://web.ebscohost.com. 10th June 2011. May 2004.
The first of the resources I chose is called “Picture This: Inside the Graphic Novel” and is by Julia Campbell. Campbell discusses four graphic novels which she feels have changed other’s outlooks or perspectives of the graphic novel which differentiate from comics. These titles are; Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi,Ghost World by Daniel Clowes, “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, and Maus I by Art Spiegelman.
This resource could be used for the Maus I webpage as well as the Defining the Genre Webpage. Campbell gives some information on Maus and how Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize award in 1992 gave graphic novels a turning point in their popularity. However, Campbell also mentions other graphic novels that do not follow the traditional comic format. Instead they forged the path into the graphic novel by having a beginning, middle, and end to the story being told/illustrated, as well as having a more serious story-line as in a prose.
2. Chute, H. ""The Shadow of a Past Time": History and Graphic Representation in "Maus."." Twentieth Century Literature 52.2 199-230. Web. 21 Jun 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com.easydb.angelo.edu/ehost/detail?sid=9bb18ed0-cdfe4faa8938e065a59e0da4%40sessionmgr14&vid=1&hid=14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=24424651>.
In this resource, Hillary Chute compares how Art Spiegelman uses Maus to represent his actual life story of World War II and the events that he experienced. Chute also represents Spiegelman’s different comic strategies that he used to represent different meanings he tried to portray within Maus.
Symbols and characters with Maus have far different meanings than some readers think and I believe this resource helps readers to understand the representations of different symbols and characters within the book. Also, Spiegelman wrote/drew everything in his book for a reason and this resource gives insight into why he might have done some things within his graphic novel.
3. Gonshak, Henry. “Beyond Maus: Other Holocaust Graphic Novels.” An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies. 2009: 55-79.
“Beyond Maus: Other Holocaust Graphic Novels” is an article that discusses how the Holocaust is presented in graphic novels. Most people are aware of Maus I and II, but in this article Gonshak talks about the graphic novels A Life Force by Will Eisner, Yossel: April 19, 1943 by Joe Kubert, and Auschwitz by Pascal Croci.
This article offers more options to readers who are interested in graphic novels that cover the topic of the Holocaust. The article also provides a synopsis of the graphic novels so that readers can decide what novel they would like to read next. This article is useful to reader to show there are multiple options for readers other than those they may be familiar with.
4. Heller, Dana A. "Memory's Architecture: American Studies and the Graphic Novels of Art Spiegelman." The Modern Language Association of America 2009. Print.
This content includes how Art Spiegelman incorporates Americas finding of culture through the use of graphic novels. MAUS focuses on “generational shirts and representations of myth and origin” (Heller, 158). Spiegelman claims that “everything I know I learned from comic books” (Heller, 161), making his creations all more realistic in world where culture is the primary aspect of how to create a world.
This resource can be useful to both readers, and scholars of comics when trying to understand how American studies and graphic novels correlate. Furthermore, it helps gather an additional understanding of how Spiegelman creates his comics based on culture.
5. Leckbee, Jodi. "I Got Graphic!" Young Adult Library Services 3.4 (2005): 30-31.
Print.
This is an article written by a teacher explaining how she discovered the power of using graphic novels in the classroom. Leckbee states that graphic novels don' replace but actually enhance the learning of literary analysis for students. She used Maus by Art Spiegelman as a topic for discussion after teaching it in her classroom.
This article could be resourceful in explaining why graphic novels should be recognized in how they can be used to engage students and inspire learning.
6. Marks, Clifford J. "Maus and Bitburg." EBSCO 2002. Print.
The comparison and contrast between President Regan and Spiegelman’s actions to “move forward” from the Holocaust are highlighted. Regan uses his time to have a memorial service in Germany in order to “be-rid” of the negative; while Spiegelman brings the truth and the inability to forgive what has happened through his works in MAUS I/II.
The genre who would benefit from this resource can be all readers, teachers, and scholars of comics. This is because the time structure correlates with Regan’s speech and the exploitation of MAUS. It helps bring forth reasons behind why Spiegelman chose to produce his father’s story in the way.
