Last Tuesday, the Mad Graphic Novel Group meet to discuss the brutally honest autobiographical graphic novel Fun Home by Alison Bechdel as appears to be the case with all book clubs the group split fairly evenly into generally liked, generally disliked and neutral. But without the usual split would the discussion be as fun?
This book covers weighty ground including suicide and sexual orientation and the discussion had a serious tone, I think the most solid consensus of the evening was that this was a work that could only be made as a graphic novel. The narrative isn’t big enough and has a large amount a literary references making a novel unlikely, the art and page structure meanwhile, whilst every good, aren’t enough to tell the story purely visually. Luckily the graphic novel fills the gap between making this work possible.
More mixed feeling were had on the subject of the stories non linear structure, some loving the way it escaped convention and told the story in a more human way, whilst other felt that the non linear nature made 240 pages hard work and static. This being an autobiographical comic there was a lot of speculation about Alison’s personality as well as a about the accuracy or truth of the events that take place within the pages, luckily our excellent advocate Maria was very knowledgeable on subject and unflappable in the face of a pizza disaster (entirely my fault, sorry) managed to adapt these speculations into a more lively discussion on sexuality and the effect it had on the author. Fun Home is a work that portrays itself as completely honest and frank about everything within its pages but is as unknowable as the father who’s life dominates the narrative.
Having has an excellent discussion we attempted to discuss Sin Titulo by Cameron Stewart (http://www.sintitulocomic.com) this however was doomed from the start by the fact that most of the group was hungry and by the fact that usually the vast majority of the group, including me had not had a chance to read it.
The next meeting is on the 3rd August and we shall be discussing the classical Noir Blacksad (hardcover) by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido as well as the web-comic The Abominable Charles Christopher by Karl Kerschl. http://www.abominable.cc/ so feel free to get copy and join us!
guest writer Tom
Tags: Mad_GnG
[...] Here’s a write up of last month’s discussion on Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home. [...]