Maus Misery

In recent years, Art Spiegelman's Maus has been viewed as a breakthrough in the use of comics to create something of literary merit. While comics are often seen by intellectuals as disposable content that remains outside the literary canon, comics like Maus have proven otherwise. In Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, McCloud points out the flaws in generalizing comics as something for "little kids", and goes in depth to describe the details and complexities in comics that give it literary merit.

In the second chapter of his graphic novel, McCloud describes the use of "Icons" to communicate ideas in various ways. McCloud goes in depth to point out various levels of abstraction in these Icons and the repercussions it has on readers. On page 36, McCloud says that "when you look at a photo or a realistic drawing of a face, you see it as the face of another. But when you enter the world of cartoon you see yourself", this type of abstraction is utilized extensively throughout Maus in order for readers to relate easier with characters. McCloud also points out that artists frequently use a combination of both detail and abstraction in a juxtaposed way to point out details or emphasize certain subjects. In page 72 of Maus II, this strategy is used specifically in the bottom panel. While most of the page uses a simplistic mouse face, Spiegelman uses the entire bottom row to create a much more grotesque, detailed image of mice being burned alive. The detailed eyes, where in other panels are simply dots along with open mouths and drawn teeth force the reader to react differently to this panel. The mice no longer seem cute or lively, but in genuine pain and torment.

Wacky Writers

At first glance, Maus and The Things They Carried contain an obvious crossover in the affects that war has on an individual. However, beyond being stories that contain the subject of war. Both novels contain a narrator that uses writing as a channel to release stress and confusion regarding their identity and place in the world. One of the most interesting features of Maus is the multi point narration that the story is told from. The graphic novel frequently breaks down the third wall, as the writer's process of writing the story is included in the graphic novel itself. More importantly, this allows the reader to see the true intentions and struggles that the author goes through, dealing with family members affected in the holocaust. The Things They Carried does something similar to this, where the narrator acknowledges that the story is a novel, and comments on writing as an avenue for coping with post war situations.

Shakespeare Takes the l in Twelfth Night

According to many critics, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is one of his greatest comedies written. However, because of Shakespeare's large reputation as the greatest playwright to have lived, it becomes hard to gauge how groundbreaking Twelfth Night really is. In fact, the reason behind literary reputability in general is something hard to define objectively. If Twelfth Night were to be written today by Ms. Smit, would it garner the same praise? Of course Twelfth Night has its reasons for its widespread recognition. However, I would like delve in to some reasons why it should not be deserving of such a title. While reading Twelfth Night, finding a purpose deeper than simply entertaining an audience is hard to find. Of course this may be Shakespeare trying to fulfill the very purpose of entertaining an audience which is respectable in its own right. However, Twelfth Night is far from anything satirical or socially critical for its time. Though it does contain some witty and profound statements that undermine issues and social inadequacies regarding love. Much of the play is focused on getting a good laugh out of the audience. Something that lower case literature does today.

Hey Joe! It's 2017

You've been married to your wife for 23 years, and just recently a close friend of yours tells you that she has been having an affair with another man. What do you do?

Well, shoot her of course!

At least this was the sentiment regarding adultery in the 1960's. Jimi Hendrix's song "Hey Joe", is centered around the idea of a man rightfully shooting his wife in response to her unfaithful behavior. While this sort of response has never been totally accepted, the attitude towards adultery in recent times has dramatically changed in comparison to the attitudes of generations past.

With the emergence of technology and changing social expectations regarding marriage, Aziz Ansari explores these generational differences regarding marriage in his book "Modern Romance". At one point, Aziz Ansari mentions the divorce revolution, and the increase in divorce rates during this time. Ansari also found that many women from older generations married in order to gain independence. While this may have granted them liberty from the restrictive homes of their parents, it only led to male dominated relationships in marriage. While women in past generations were restricted, Ansari found that a desire for independence was always present in their lives. This explains the continuing issue of adultery, and the large increase in divorce rates when the women's right to divorce was granted. While Jimi Hendrix's song may not have represented the case of every marriage at the time, it represented an attitude towards adultery and divorces that differs from the views that we see today.