Thesis (M.A. (English))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, 2016. / This dissertation examines how particular combinations of image and text in
sequential art reflect specific social, historical and political contexts. The analysis of
how meaning is constructed is done through consideration of three iterations of the
Batman superhero character, and argues for an eventual postmodernisation of the
character.
The first case study presented is the original version of Batman as it debuted in 1939,
which naturally established much of the substance from which later depictions would
take their cues. The second case study used is the “camp” 1960s TV series starring
Adam West, which was influenced by the highly restricted Batman comics under the
Comics Code Authority established in 1954. The main case study, and the central
focus of this dissertation, is Batman – Arkham Asylum (1989), a graphic novel by
Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, the latest of the three iterations, which represents
the eventual disruption of the enforced or constructed harmony evident in the earlier
versions of the character into a fracturing and fragmentation both of the world and the
self. It is a version of Batman that privileges the interiority and psychological
complexity of the character, representing a culmination of the 1980s shift toward a
more mature audience with its incorporation of horror, violence and mental turmoil.
These three examples are compared and contrasted, showing how each constructs a
particular meaning using its own unique combination of image and text.
Having established a historicity for the character and having constructed an argument
for how Batman as a cultural icon echoes shifts in society, the focus of the dissertation
is transferred to a deeper analysis of Arkham and attempts to trace more explicitly its
status as a postmodern text by examining its fragmentary nature, its use of
intertextuality and how meaning in Arkham is constructed in the mind. Following this,
an exploration of the central theme of madness in the graphic novel is provided in
order to show how the work both critiques the representation of madness in fiction as
well as how the liminal setting of the asylum functions as part of the
postmodernisation of Batman by creating a “landscape of madness” where
irrationality and the uncanny dominate reality, in contrast to the logical, “left-brain”
treatment of Batman which had become common prior to Arkham Asylum.
The analysis of the three iterations is shaped by WTJ Mitchell’s theories on imagetext
relationships and additionally by the principles of sequential art outlined by Scott
McCloud. The postmodern theoretical framework is informed by John Docker’s
explorations of fragmentation, intertextuality, inversion and the Carnivalesque.
Additionally, the writings of Lillian Feder and Michel Foucault will inform the
discussion of madness in Arkham. / GR2017
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/21835 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Smith, David |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | Online resource (101 leaves), application/pdf |
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