It was a wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not. (Auster, 1985; 3)
Paul Auster’s anti-detective novel City of Glass is the story of a man, whose life accidentally angles off. More and more, he blunders into the complexity of a criminal case in search of the significant principle. Obsessively, he adapts his action to the stranger until he finally loses hisself.
Although Auster’s novel, which is based on the nature and the function of language, is rather non-visual, Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli succeeded in adopting it into a graphic novel that is more than just a translation from one genre into another. They managed to create a visual language full of metaphors, symbols and icons that add a new layer of meaning to the story.
This is the reason why I decided to pick City of Glass: The graphic novel as the basis of my term paper. This thesis will argue that a graphic adaptation of a literary work can be more than just an illustrated copy of a superior novel and worth an analysis on
its own. Furthermore, I will take a deeper look at the visual language, specifically, the visual metaphors and symbols, which build up the graphic novel and how these finding can be adapted into learning situations.
First of all, I will give a summary of City of Glass: the novel followed by a definition of the anti-detective genre with the intention to point out, that the visual language of City of Glass: the graphic novel reflects this genre. Afterwards, a survey of the
graphic novel as well as an analysis of its structure and composition and its visual language and symbolism is given. A brief outline of how these findings can be useful in teaching and learning situations will precede the conclusion.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- City of Glass: The novel
- The Genre of the Anti-Detective Story
- City of Glass: The graphic novel
- Structure and composition
- Visual language and symbolism
- Exploring visual language in teaching and learning situations
- Conclusion
Objectives and Key Themes
This thesis analyzes the graphic novel adaptation of Paul Auster's City of Glass, arguing that such adaptations can be more than mere illustrations of the original work and warrant independent analysis. The study focuses on the visual language, metaphors, and symbols employed in the graphic novel and explores their potential application in educational settings.
- Analysis of the graphic novel as an independent work of art.
- Examination of the visual language and symbolism used in the graphic novel.
- Exploration of the relationship between the novel and its graphic adaptation.
- Discussion of the anti-detective genre and its visual representation.
- Application of visual analysis to teaching and learning contexts.
Chapter Summaries
Introduction: This introduction sets the stage by introducing Paul Auster's City of Glass and highlighting the unexpected shift in the protagonist's life triggered by a wrong number. It establishes the core argument that the graphic novel adaptation adds a significant layer of meaning through its visual language, making it worthy of independent analysis. The introduction outlines the thesis's structure, promising to explore the novel, the graphic novel's structure and visual language, and the pedagogical potential of this visual analysis.
City of Glass: The novel: This section provides a summary of Auster's novel, classifying it as an "anti-detective story" and comparing its protagonist, Daniel Quinn, to the hard-boiled detectives of classic crime fiction. The narrative traces Quinn's descent into the complexities of a case involving the Stillman family, emphasizing his gradual loss of identity as he becomes entangled in the investigation. The chapter connects the novel to Auster's broader New York Trilogy, highlighting recurring themes of identity, language, and the breakdown of meaning.
The Genre of the Anti-Detective Story: This section defines the "anti-detective story" genre, focusing on its deconstruction of conventional detective tropes. It highlights how City of Glass subverts expectations through its setting, characters, and narrative structure. The chapter draws comparisons to other works in the genre and analyzes how the novel plays with reader expectations, ultimately offering no clear resolution to the central mystery.
City of Glass: The graphic novel: This chapter discusses the graphic novel adaptation by Karasik and Mazzucchelli, noting its publication within the Neon Lit series. While details about the specific content of this chapter are limited in the provided text, it would likely detail the adaptation's choices, comparing and contrasting the visual representations with the literary source material, focusing on how the visual aspects enhance or alter the themes and narrative of the novel.
Keywords
Paul Auster, City of Glass, graphic novel adaptation, anti-detective story, visual language, symbolism, metaphor, visual metaphors, teaching, learning, identity, language, meaning, New York Trilogy.
City of Glass: Graphic Novel Adaptation - FAQ
What is the main focus of this thesis?
This thesis analyzes the graphic novel adaptation of Paul Auster's City of Glass, arguing that such adaptations deserve independent analysis beyond simply illustrating the original work. It focuses on the graphic novel's visual language, metaphors, and symbols, and explores their potential use in education.
What are the key themes explored in the thesis?
Key themes include the analysis of the graphic novel as a standalone artwork, examination of its visual language and symbolism, the relationship between the novel and its graphic adaptation, the anti-detective genre and its visual representation, and the application of visual analysis in teaching and learning.
What is covered in the "City of Glass: The Novel" section?
This section summarizes Auster's novel, categorizing it as an "anti-detective story." It compares the protagonist, Daniel Quinn, to classic hard-boiled detectives, tracing his descent into a complex case and his subsequent loss of identity. The section connects the novel to Auster's New York Trilogy, highlighting recurring themes of identity, language, and the breakdown of meaning.
What is discussed in the "The Genre of the Anti-Detective Story" section?
This section defines the "anti-detective story" genre, showing how it deconstructs typical detective tropes. It explains how City of Glass subverts expectations through its setting, characters, and narrative structure. It compares the novel to other works in the genre and analyzes how it plays with reader expectations, ultimately lacking a clear resolution to the central mystery.
What does the "City of Glass: The Graphic Novel" section cover?
This chapter analyzes the graphic novel adaptation by Karasik and Mazzucchelli, noting its publication in the Neon Lit series. It likely details the adaptation's choices, comparing and contrasting the visual representations with the literary source material, focusing on how visual aspects enhance or alter the themes and narrative.
What is the purpose of the "Exploring visual language in teaching and learning situations" section?
While not explicitly detailed in the provided summary, this section likely explores the pedagogical applications of analyzing the visual language and symbolism of the graphic novel in educational settings.
What are the key takeaways of the introduction?
The introduction sets the context by introducing City of Glass and its unusual plot initiation. It establishes the core argument that the graphic novel adaptation adds significant meaning through its visuals, warranting independent analysis. It outlines the thesis structure, promising to explore the novel, the graphic novel's structure and visual language, and the pedagogical potential of visual analysis.
What are the keywords associated with this thesis?
Keywords include: Paul Auster, City of Glass, graphic novel adaptation, anti-detective story, visual language, symbolism, metaphor, visual metaphors, teaching, learning, identity, language, meaning, New York Trilogy.
- Citation du texte
- M. A. Alisa Westermann (Auteur), 2009, Graphic adaptation of Paul Auster’s "City of Glass" – Visual language and symbolism, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/173349
