Analysis Of The Complete Maus By Art Spiegelman - 1454 Words

The comic book memoir The Complete Maus, written by Art Spiegelman and narrated by both Spiegelman father and son, is a unique novel because it is the first of its kind. The novel received a decent amount of varying reactions from the public but was recognized and rewarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for the originality of the book. A comic strip genre mixed with the memoir of the holocaust, from Art’s father’s first-hand experience, throws a whole different wave of emotions and feelings about the book’s content towards the reader. The use of a comic strip novel with this particular topic and mix of genres balanced the biographical, autobiographical and historical missions that he set to achieve when developing this novel perfectly. He is†¦show more content†¦Spiegelman not only provided accurate historical information, but also incorporated an autobiographical and biographical novel of his own life and his father’s life post holocaust. Using the g enre of a comic strip was key to encompassing all three. Spiegelman’s use of the comic strip genre accomplishes his mission to present historical records as well as to present his father’s biography during and after the war and his own autobiography. The story is set in present day New York and starts with Art going to his father’s, Vladek’s, house and asking him about Poland before the Nazis took control. He uses the current day time frame as his own autobiography in a way. He has short notes that he adds in to give the reader a better understanding of the current situation or further knowledge and tells stories when he was younger, plus after his book was published. Each time after his father finishes speaking about the holocaust, he resumes the days and time between his father’s storytelling and from there his autobiography continues. He chooses to include the comic, â€Å"Prisoner on the Planet Hell†, which he had made after his mother t ook her own life. It is the only part of the story that does not have the characters either portrayed as or dressed up as animals. It gives the reader a quick understand of his mother’s suicide and the impact it had on Art and his father. The entire first part of the novel is really a biography about Vladek Spiegelman in PolandShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of The Complete Maus, by Art Spiegelman1101 Words   |  5 PagesWhen reading a traditional book, it is up to the reader to imagine the faces and landscapes that are described within. A well written story will describe the images clearly so that you can easily picture the details. In Art Spiegelman’s The Complete Maus, the use of the animals in place of the humans offers a rather comical view in its simplistic relation to the subject and at the same time develops a cryptic mood within the story. His drawings of living conditions in Auschwitz; expressions on theRead MoreThe Holocaust : The Most Tragic And Shameful Event13 30 Words   |  6 Pagesespecially through art and literature. Novels, poetry, paintings, films, and other forms of art relating to the Holocaust quickly surfaced after the occurrence and still continue today. Artists search for a catharsis from the atrocious genocide that seems to surround them. With this newly spread genre of art, many critics rose up, like Adorno, a German philosopher, to prove that these artistic representations were degrading to the survivors and the actual event. However, if a piece of art contains enoughRead MoreCauses of Genocide Essay1675 Words   |  7 Pagesobserved in Art Spiegelman’s comic book, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, which portrays the experiences of Art’s father, Vladek, through the prototypical example of genocide, the Holocaust. The history of genocides, and especially complete genocides, carries an inherent subjectivity due to the lack of victims to provide their point of view and the position of power over history the perpetrators assume. This power allows for benefits that can be used to erase the genocide from history or, if complete erasureRead MorePropaganda Techniques And Rhetoric By Joseph Goebbels And Gerhard Wagner1828 Words   |  8 PagesGiorgio Agamben’s exposition of â€Å"homo sacer† to contribute to my analysis of propaganda techniques and rhetoric by utilizing their concepts and applying them directly to the primary sources mentioned. In combining these sources along with other scholarly articles, this analysis will also show that intense fervor and loyalty for the Nazi regime was not the only or main source of support for the legitimized extermination of a race. To complete this arduous task, I will first look at the source of it all