Tag: Scott McCloud

YA Lit Dream Interpretation: Snakes

In your dream you are walking along a path in the woods when suddenly the trail becomes writhing snakes.  You cannot walk, you slip, fall and land among them.  The snakes climb over and above you.  You cannot see the sky.  You are suffocating.  

You wake up suddenly. Startled and confused you wonder, what did it all mean?  Freud might have a lot of explanations for your dream.  But a better interpretation is: you need fiction to solve your nightmarish concerns.  No need to psychoanalyze when some reader’s advisory  has the cure.

As a positive symbol, snakes represent healing, transformation, knowledge and wisdom. It is indicative of self-renewal and positive change. (DreamMoods)

This nightmare about snakes sounds like an impetuous for growth.  Are you heading to college soon?  Are you taking driving lessons this spring?  What other opportunities are you facing?  The following titles will inspire and guide you to reach your potential.

14830774The Look by Sophia Bennett

Ted has the ultimate epiphany about modeling while on a photo shoot.  There is never a wrong time to choose what is right for yourself.  Learn to be yourself by reading about Ted’s struggle to escape her beautiful sister’s shadow.

 

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Black Boy White School by Brian F. Walker

Ant is going to get out.  He’s getting out of dangerous neighborhood.  He is going to find a new life at a new school.  Too bad the new school has its own problems.  Now lines have been crossed and choices have been made.  Its time for Ant to take a stand and prove wherever he is, he can make a difference.  Continue reading YA Lit Dream Interpretation: Snakes

Take a Closer Look at Comics

Magnifying Glass
Magnifying Glass by Auntie P. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

This fall I have had an opportunity to delve into comic books and graphic novels in the course of writing my Women in Comics posts here, while taking a Coursera MOOC entitled “Comic Books and Graphic Novels,” and as an attendee at a symposium entitled Comics and the Classroom. Though I have long been a fan of comics and graphic novels, these activities have given me a new appreciation for the depth of comics and the artistry that is on view in some of the best examples of the genre. I have also learned some great strategies for analyzing comics similar to the way that one would analyze other types of literature or art. While some might feel that this takes the fun out of reading them and makes the process too academic, for me, it has opened up meanings that I might have missed, and subtleties that demonstrate the way that comics allow authors and artists to come together to create a complete work that is greater than the sum of its parts.

If this sounds interesting, here are some thoughts and suggestions on getting started doing close readings of comics.

Layout & Design: When analyzing comic books it is important to take the time to consider all of the elements both separately and together. This means looking at the overall layout of the page, whether it is broken into separate “panels” (the term for each box of a comic), the size and shape of each panel, the color and shading choices of the images, the layout and type of text, and the text, to name just a few potential elements. Ask yourself why each decision was made: What does each panel’s size convey? If the style of the lettering changes, what is this meant to say about the tone? All comics exist in the historical framework of those that have come before in the genre, so also consider what the style of art evokes in terms of genre, tone, and period?  Continue reading Take a Closer Look at Comics