Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Fun Home

Before we get wrapped up in Blankets (so to speak), I wanted to put down a few thoughts about Fun Home, which is a book I love. I taught it last year in Gay and Lesbian Literature, but we focused mostly on the narrative, the pure story. In this class, of course, we're focusing on the relationship of text and image, and I got a lot more out of reading it this time around. I was really happy about some of the things that came up in our discussion, like how Henry said the father is drawn with strict, taut lines, while Bechdel draws herself much softer, like the child she is. That helped me point out the spot yesterday where the father's eyes seem larger and softer than in any other part of the text, signaling his shift in perspective at that moment. I also think Lauren is up to something when she pointed out the womb-like images of Bechdel lying on the floor with the telephone as a kind of umbilical cord. Kim's points about the father being drawn in drakness during one of his kinder moments earlier in the book is also spot on.

Now, the question will be how Blankets is similar and different. I'm already finding some interesting connections in my reading tonight.

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