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Browsing by Subject "http://www.yso.fi/onto/yso/p25701"

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  • Bergström, Malin (2017)
    The research in this thesis examines how history is processed and communicated in the comics of Will Eisner (1917–2005) and Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000). The thesis examines the uses of history in Eisner’s graphic novel To The Heart of the Storm (1991) and in Schulz’s cartoon strip Peanuts (1950–2000). Because of the extensive Peanuts material, I have chosen to solely focus on the strips that were published between the years 1950 and 1975. The analysis is primarily conducted within Peter Aronsson’s uses of history theoretical framework, but also includes other theoretical perspectives, such as Hayden Whites’s narratological approach to history, and Jan Assmann’s principles on cultural memory. As a methodological foundation for the study, I have used Michael F. Scholz’s model for history research, which considers the different aspects of comics, from creator and time of production to the contents of the narratives. Because Eisner and Schulz worked with two different formats of the same medium, the analysis has been conducted from a comparative, as well as a content-analytical approach. The analysis is divided into two case studies, where the first case study focuses on the autobiographical aspects of the work and its relationship to the cultural memory of the U.S. military draft, and the second case study approaches the different socio-political tensions that are raised in the comics, such as the notion of Othering, and the depicted political climates. As a versatile storytelling medium, comics can offer a variety of cross-discursive communicative solutions to engage the reader in their depicted stories. In terms of historical content, the medium’s visual and narratological solutions can reveal deeper historical contexts to the initial image shown in the panel. Eisner’s graphic novel depicts realistic imagery from the immigrant tenements of New York City in the 1930s, while Schulz’s strip characterises a mythical idyllic suburbia, where the historical elements are primarily portrayed through the metaphors and tropes that are embedded into the story arcs. The research shows that despite working within different genres and formats, the narratives characterise similar historical environments and social circumstances to their designated readerships. These characterisations can be tied to larger historical contexts, such as cultural memories, and can thereby contribute to a collective historical consciousness. Both comics narratives significantly focus on the notion of the collective memory of the draft, but equally raise issues such as religion and Communism. Milieus and atmospheres are important components in the overall depiction of history in the narratives, and much of the historical aspects are conveyed through a series of personal experiences, which the protagonists process in the story arcs. The personal impressions within the stories in turn strengthen the legitimacy of the narratives and contribute to the authenticity of the portrayed histories. Comics can be considered a form of cultural expression that conveys experience, social standards, and contemporary thought processes, to a broad and varied readership. By demonstrating how the uses of history is utilised in Eisner’s and Schulz’s work, the research also exemplifies how history can be presented and communicated within comics narratives. The sources show Eisner’s and Schulz’s perspectives on American wartime and cultural history, depicting societal structures and conventions, as well as political milieus. The uses of history in the narratives therefore contribute to new historical perspectives on the mid-twentieth century American home front.