Bechdel’s Use of Visual Storytelling

         I’ve read many novels in English classes throughout my years at Uni, but I don’t recall ever reading a graphic novel. I do remember purchasing V for Vendetta for a class, but we never got around to reading it. So, if memory serves correct, Fun Home by Bechdel is the first graphic novel that I’ve read in a Uni High English class. That’s why I wanted to dive a little bit more into why Bechdel chose to use a visual format instead of a purely textual narrative.

Generally speaking, I think any form of visual storytelling can open up many new possibilities that traditional novels just simply can’t do. For example, it can set a sort of mood or tone to a story. The first thing I noticed about Fun Home was the odd color choice. There are a lot of muted blues which I honestly didn’t like much at first, but I think it started to sense the more I read the novel. I think it ended up setting a sort of gloomy setting, which fits given that one of the novel’s main themes is the reflection upon Bechdel’s life and all the various hardships she faced along the way.

        The use of a graphic novel format also allows the readers to understand the scenes better than any traditional novel format would. Being able to see all the different little details, such as exactly what kind of decorations Bruce put around the house, maps of the area, or the various letters and photographs, all allow us to better engage with Bechdel’s story. I often stopped myself from just blasting through the story and instead looking at each panel more closely. By doing so, I was better able to understand Bechdel’s world and exactly what kind of environment she grew up in. Even though there was less room for text, I found that the visual storytelling still added to the effect of Bechdel’s story rather than detract.

Being able to read something a little bit different than the walls of text that we normally read was a nice breath of fresh air and I quite enjoyed the graphic novel format of this book. Honestly, I kind of wish we could have read V for Vendetta too, because the premise of that novel sounds really interesting to me.

Comments

  1. Nyla Kyles April 21, 2023 at 12:03 PM

    I found the graphic novel format of the book refreshing also, and I also agree with you about the muted colors setting the story up to be/feel gloomy. I also agree with you about how the graphic novel format really allows for the reader to see parts of the story differently than how we would if reading a traditional novel. I also have to say the graphic novel format made the story feel like I as a reader had to make a lot more inferences.

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  2. Arya ThirodiraApril 22, 2023 at 2:04 PM

    I thought it was interesting to have a complex story stuffed into pictures. Most of the graphic novels I've seen are pretty vivid whereas this one only deals with shades of blue as you mentioned. I agree with you on how that monotony likely contributes to the darker literary tone of the novel. I feel like it also works to attract younger audiences that may be going through the same coming-of age. Given that present day kids are obsessed with phones and moving pictures, I think that a graphic novel is a great choice to tell the story of adolescence. Nice post.

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