Graphic Benefits

Prior to reading Persepolis and Fun Home, I have never even thought about reading a graphic novel. The impression I had of graphic novels were that they were for men only; written by men for men (aka sexist and something in which I would be uninterested). After all the hype about the popular, graphic-novel-based movie Watchmen a few years ago, I was completely done with the whole graphic novel craze and I hadn’t even read one. After reading the two graphic memoirs for class, I realized the graphic genre isn’t so bad after all. Firstly, the text is easy to understand. Several theories, including feminist theory, can be explained in the simplest terms. Graphic novels contradict the concept of academese, which is an institution that feminist writer bell hooks is strongly against. Academese is incredibly complex, academic writing that is difficult for the average person, or even average intelligent person, to understand. Graphic novels challenge this concept by putting theories in an easily understandable form. Secondly, the text is accompanied by pictures. According to Scott McCloud in “Understanding Comic,” “The idea that a picture can evoke an emotional or sensual response in the viewer is vital to the art of comics.” Not only can feminist theories be explained, but they can also be demonstrated. The reader can literally see what feminist theory does and how it affects women. For example, in Persepolis when Marjane’s mother is harassed by a police officer, the reader can see the emotional effect it had on both Marjane and her mother. Finally, graphic novels can attract a lot of readers and reach an audience that normal novels may not reach. Young girls and boys can learn about serious theories at a young age. People who might not otherwise be exposed to feminist theories can be via graphic memoirs. McCloud thinks that “Together, of course, words and pictures can work miracles,” and I agree.