Could it be possible that comics is being considered literature?The cartoony, flashy, larger-than-life picture books are actually being studied by literary scholars? Charles Hatfield of Cal-State University Northridge is one of those literary scholars.Hatfield has created a unique opportunity for students at Cal-State Northridge to study comics in his class Comics as Literature.
Thus far Hatfield has been recognized for his effort in pioneering this field and published a book on the subject titled Alternative Comics: An Emerging Literature.In the interview below he shares with JIVE the wonderful world of comics and the unique ways they communicate and deal with dynamic issues.
JIVE: At what age did you start reading comics?
Hatfield: I’ve been reading comics since before I can remember, probably about four or five years old.Early on I can remember my brother showing me comics that he made.But I started regularly reading comics when I was about eight or nine years old.
JIVE: What did you enjoy about reading comics as a kid?
Hatfield: I’m not sure what it was about comics back then.Perhaps comics were about the fantastic and the unexpected.They set the imagination on fire.The pictures and stories together form an interesting plot line.Comics have explosiveness, especially when dealing with heroic content.It is an interesting way to get across any story, pictures and plot in one package.
JIVE: What is the appeal about comics in general?
Hatfield: Well, a comic is similar to a movie, a combination of words and pictures, but the comic is in your hand.You control it.The reader controls the pace of acquisition.A comic can be overwhelming and exciting like a movie, but quiet like a book.Comic book readers tend to like this balance between excitement and silence.
JIVE: How do you define comics?
Hatfield: Comics cannot be defined in an airtight way.There is a big debate about what comics are.The traditional definition tells us that comics are a word/image or verbal/visual relationship.This works with either one or multiple pictures.
Another definition from Will Eisner says comics are sequential art.Comics are story-telling through a series of still pictures, without words.In this definition, the popular comic Family Circus would not be seen as a comic because it is not sequential, it is only one picture.
On the other hand comics can also be seen as what is called a graphic narrative, a work of fiction or nonfiction that tells stories and explains ideas, but this is achieved graphically with images.And yet from a social point of view, comics are what you find in a newspaper or book store.
JIVE: How would you define literature?And in what ways can you characterize comics as literature?
Hatfield: Well, comics and literature talk to each other.Literature should never be defined because constant dialog on the subject keeps it fresh.What is popular usually isn’t literature.But literature is a movie target.I always try to test what literature is, and it’s true, that it doesn’t mean the same as it did when I first started teaching.
Some believe that comics are just reflections of the mass mind, mores, and stereotypes.But it’s a mistake to think that comics only reflect popular trends.Comics can also shape people, society, and debates.It is a two-way relationship between comics and society, they influence each other.You can only go so far with your understanding of comics if you only see comics as a reflection of society or a sign of the times.To see comics as literature allows you to look at a broader and interesting view of comics, understand the art, the point of view, and significant impact comics make on their readers.
JIVE: How do comics communicate in ways traditional literature doesn’t?What effect does that have on the reader?
Hatfield: Comics are dependent on using visuals.Some suggest that comics, and their use of visuals, has a negative effect on readers because it takes away the necessity of visualizing.However, although comics provide the reader with a basis for visualization, they keep the reader on their toes because the pictures do not allow you to visualize everything.And when the pictures indicate change, these trigger a change in the reader’s processing. And this can take readers by surprise by occurring in unexpected places like the middle of the page.This can create a very fragmented style of story-telling and definitely keeps the reader engaged.
The rhythm of a comic is very dynamic and provocative.In the space of one page the rhythm can go from volatile words to absolute silence.The visuals make the readers aware of this immediately.Silence is conveyed without words, which communicates an even more genuine feeling of silence to the reader.
Also, cartooning affects people before they even read words.It is also suggested that abstract cartooning makes people vulnerable.An example of abstract cartooning is Peanuts.By creating simple representations of children, Charles Schwarts made his drawings abstract and representational of a greater number of people, therefore making people more vulnerable to the drawing because it was symbolic of themselves.These abstract drawings are even more affective at reaching a reader with complex emotions.The reader is more vulnerable to the complex emotions and they feel them more deeply.
JIVE: What do you say to people who think comics are silly, flashy, picture books for little kids?How has that belief persisted or changed over the years?
Hatfield: This belief is changing for a lot of people.Some comics are reluctant to get pigeonholed, so they don’t want anything to do with kids.But it’s also a mistake to assume that things for children are simple.I’d say it’s a matter of temperament rather than age.In fact, some picture books can be very disarming.Comics are part of children’s literature but not all comics are for children.My own sons can read comics some scholars have trouble reading.As a writer, you should not make default assumptions about your audience.
JIVE: People also refute the idea that comics are an actual genre.What is the thinking behind this argument?
Hatfield: Many people believe comics to be a genre of literature, but this term is misleading.Comics aren’t usually defined that way.Instead comics are usually discussed as a form or a medium that has multiple genres within it: science fiction, detective, romance, mystery, superhero genre, and the list goes on.To describe comics as a genre gives too limited a sense of what comics are.
