Alison Bechdel's Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic was named one of Time magazine's 10 best books of the year in 2006. Prior to the publication of her graphic novel-cum-memoir, Bechdel was best known for her comic strip, "Dykes to Watch Out For," which was syndicated in a number of alternative publications throughout the country. In Fun Home, Bechdel persists in exploring some of the themes she first examined in her strips, particularly gender and sexual orientation, as well as the trials and tribulations of a smart and witty young woman in America. However, Bechdel's memoir is an even more personal and poignant account--both of growing up gay and simply growing up. Bechdel's book, alongside David Foster Wallace's essays and short stories, asks us to look at the future of contemporary American literature? Will the "great American novel" be something other than a novel? Have we moved past the genre of the novel onto more hybrid literary forms?
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1 comment:
I think graphic novels are part of the future of novels in general. It would be naive to say that they will become the only type of novel. Like movies, whom are coming up with new techniques to attract viewers, novels will always come up with new ways to attract readers.
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