Thursday, September 13, 2007

Comics & Popular Music qua Literature

I hadn't thought about this until I started lectures in our course, but on the question of the literary status of comics, graphic novels, etc, I am experiencing a similarity toward them in my attitude toward popular music.

As I mentioned to one of the seminars, I believe, I am a rock music geek of decades-long standing: I am confident that I would past most tests of rock geekery -- indeed, I am a recovering rock snob. Furthermore, I have

Concentrating for now on the lyrical aspect of popular music, I believe there is beneficial justification for teaching it at university, within some broader context. Moreover I have two different courses draughted for upcoming semseters on just that. That being said, when I read Wordsworth, or Blake, or Vaughan, or a modern poet, say Canada's Margaret Avison, I recognise that I am in another universe of depth, resonance, ability, range, power, insight, intensity and sheer bloody Art.

Same, I think for the moment, for the literary aspect, mutatis mutandis, of comics.

1 comment:

J-bomb said...

I think music lyrics as a course would be most interesting especially considering the roots poetry has in music. Burns is an example and so are the classical epic poems. Nevertheless, there is still the relationship between the words and music that comics have between the word and the art or perhaps it is something different entirely.