1a) “The uniqueness of a work of art is inseparable
from its being imbedded in the fabric of tradition.” (Benjamin, Lit Theory, 1236).
1b) “No scream in the world could have relieved my
suffering and my anger” (Satrapi 142).
2) How do the historical aspects, or “tradition”, of
Perseopolis affected the “uniqueness”
of the work? In other words, why use the graphic novel
approach to tell about the Islamic Revolution?
3) As I
read “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, I was having a
difficult time connecting it to Persepolis.
Walter Benjamin has a very Marxist approach in his article, someone that
Satrapi brings up multiple times throughout the graphic novel. The idea of how “reproduction” removes an “aura”
from work was fascinating, especially when looking at his reasoning behind
it. The idea that the removal of this “uniqueness”
is political in nature allowed me to make a connection to Persepolis. While the graphic novel may be a reproduction,
the pictures or drawings, unlike, say photographs of “revolution,” provide a unique
approach to the story.
The
graphic novel approach allows Satrapi to use this medium to find the “aura” in tradition. She is able to explain the brutality and
sadness of the Revolution in a simple comic square. As Satrapi explains the time where she founds
her friends’ body in the rubble, the story cuts to a completely black stare,
and she says “No scream in the world could relieved my suffering and anger”
(142). This “unique” approach to the
story allows the reader to remove the “politicized” nature that a straight-forward
story about this situation might bring.
It is merely using the “uniqueness’ of the medium to explain the “historical
aspects” of her life in much different life. Explaining her emotions with a simple black
box allows the reader to understand the emotional “traditions?” that this
revolution caused, rather than the politicized ones.
P.S. This post may not make that much sense. Had a hard time connecting the two.
No comments:
Post a Comment