Marjane Satrapi was born in Iran in 1969 and lived through some of the most difficult years of the nation's history. Satrapi's family was a politically-active one with members critical of both the Shah of Iran and the Islamic regime that came to replace him. In Persepolis, Satrapi tells the story of her own childhood but also explores the complexities of Iranian history, the politics of imperialism, the strictures of religious fundamentalism, and the possibilities for survival in exile.
Like Maus, Marjane Satrapi's graphic narrative, Persepolis, is a memoir that marries text and image to tell a story of historical and personal rupture. Persepolis tells the story of Satrapi's childhood experiences during the time of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and her later exile from her homeland. How is Satrapi's story different from the usual coming-of-age narratives we are used to reading in novels and short stories? How does the visual aspect of Persepolis allow Satrapi to show/ not show the graphic violence perpetrated during the bloody revolts and warfare that took place in Iran during the time she was growing up? Persepolis has recently been made into a film. Is Persepolis the graphic narrative already somehow cinematic?
Somehow Satrapi seems to be able to capture the power of what it was like growing up during such turbulent times, yet make it an enjoyable read. What I mean is that the depictions of the terrible things that happened weren't so graphic that they would turn a reader off. Through pictures and through some of the things that she said (or didn't say or show) she was able to do this eloquently.
ReplyDeletePersepolis was a great book that is seen through the eyes of a child. I could really relate to this book because it was more on my level. Seeing Marji go from a young girl to a smart well balenced young woman was very entertaining. I definitely feel this is my favorite book we have read thus far.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that Persepolis is already cinematic. As we discussed in class today, King is definitely a cinematic piece. It made so much sense to describe it as a montage as there really are not any dividing parts. It runs the same way a movie would going from image to image, omitting most transitions, as well. I am looking forward to seeing how they turn Persepolis into a film since I believe in its original form, it is organized mostly by novel conventions with different chapters, etc.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I am wondering myself what would get lost by adding voices and sort of visual mannerisms to Persepolis's characters. For some reason, I don't think I'll like it as much. I really do fell like the visual style of the book makes it easy to be sort of transported into the characters and feel what they feel, as noted by McCloud when he talks about the different faces, and I think seeing these expressions move quickly, and especially have voices and inflection may trouble that. I don't know. The clip we saw was really funny but probably not a good idicator of how Marje's voice is for the whole thing...i doubt it it's like this, but I think it'd be great if Persepolis the film was in the different languages of that Marje speaks at the different intervals and we got subtitles. I'm going to You Tube some clips and check it out.
ReplyDeleteOk, so it is in the appropriate languages! I'd hate to miss out on that element of the story. That's a relief! Here's a clip from YouTube that I found that's sorta long.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atYAj-lmJBk
here's one with subtitles: funny that Iron Maiden wouldn't license a song for the movie I guess! bummer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atYAj-lmJBk
Satrapi’s story is different from the usual coming-of-age narrative we are used to reading because it is in graphic novel form. This allows the reader to not only read about the physical and emotional changes Satrapi is going through but also to see the changes as they occur. If this story was presented in a different format such as a novel it would not have captured my interest, but because of the illustrations I found it captivating. Horrible events are surrounding Satrapi’s community as a child she presents these events in a more gentle manner. Satrapi does not exclude the tragic events but the way they are drawn makes them appear less harsh. Indeed she shows men being tortured; homes with families intact crumbled by bombs and mass murder but the images are childlike. The lack of detail helps filter the reader’s emotions.
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