Special Topics - Graphic Novels and EFL

The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction-- formerly the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel-- has been awarded annually since the year 1917, and while there has been no award presented 11 different times over the course of its history, 86 awards have been granted since its inception.  Only 3 men-- Booth Tarkington, John Updike, and William Faulkner-- have received the award multiple times.  While there are, of course, many other literary awards-- including genre specific awards such as the Hugo for science fiction or the Spur for westerns-- none of them carry the prestige of the Pulitzer Prize.  The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction stands, at this juncture in history, as one of the penultimate achievements in the career of a writer-- and it is for this reason that Art Speigelman's special award for the graphic novel, Maus, in 1992, is so incredible.  While Speigelman did not win the coveted Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which went to Jane Smiley for her novel, A Thousand Acres, the selection committee felt so strongly about his work that they honored him with a special prize-- the first and only time that a graphic novel has received a Pulitzer. 

Dating back to the pulp comics of the 1950's and 60's, the prevailing view of educators across the world has historically been very negative when it comes to comics.  Dave Gibbons, co-creator and illustrator of The Watchmen, in a recent interview with the Guardian, stated that he has, "vivid memories of the prefects at my school going through my desk and confiscating comics and burning them.” He goes on to say, "There were scares in the 50s about trashy American horror comics, and there has been this notion that comics are very low culture." Now, however, Gibbons has been named the first "comics laureate" of the UK, and is charged with becoming an "ambassador for comics and their potential to improve literacy."  (Flood) After decades of being reviled by educators, comics are beginning to be seen as another weapon in the fight against illiteracy; the work of artists like Speigelman and Gibbons have helped usher in that change in perception.  Neil Gaiman, author of the vaunted Sandman graphic novels as well as several bestselling novels, put it best: "But all of a sudden I felt like someone who'd been informed that she wasn't actually a hooker; that in fact she was a lady of the evening." (Burdette)

Now that the stigma has in part been stripped away, educators can fully explore the educational application of the graphic novel.  Carola Hecke, a German researcher, in an articled entitled “Graphic Novels as a Teaching Tool in High School and University English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Classrooms,” writes that, “Graphic novels may not only serve as an engaging means to teach comics literacy and intercultural communicative competence, but also as a means to read and analyze American culture.” (Hecke) This makes an incredible amount of sense since it's exactly what we do with children-- we use illustrations to help them understand concepts-- but the stigma against the graphic novel somehow overrode common sense in this arena.

One thing that Hecke does not mention-- but is nevertheless true-- is that the educational value of graphic novels is not limited to EFL programs, and there are already courses on graphic novels being taught in most modern American universities. Hecke writes, "Graphic novels are not yet standard material in high school EFL classes, as many teachers are not yet familiar with them or do not know how to work with them. This kind of insecurity should no longer prevent the use of graphic novels in schools, which is why this use should be taught at university." (Hecke) This is a valid point. Whether in EFL classes, or in traditional primary schools, teachers cannot teach something that they themselves are not comfortable with. Luckily, comic publishers also realized that a lack of visibility was impacting comic sales in the mid-1980's, so they set about creating genre-specific awards-- dubbed first the Jack Kirby Awards, from 1985-1987, and then the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, from 1988 to the present. Now in their 27th year, the Eisner Awards comprise a ready-made resource for finding the most innovative and artistic comics currently being published. From categories like "best short story" and "best new series" to "best lettering" and "best publication for kids," the Eisner Awards-- showcased at www.comic-con.org-- are an ideal starting point for both casual readers and educators (or librarians) who may not be familiar with popular comics, but recognize the educational value inherent in the medium. 



Works cited:

http://www.pulitzer.org/bycat/Special-Awards-and-Citations

http://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards-current-info

Hecke, Carola (2011). Graphic Novels as a Teaching Tool in High School and University English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Classrooms. Amerikastudien / American Studies, 56, 653-688. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23509434

Flood, Alison (2014). David Gibbons, first comic laureate: "They're not just cheap, lurid entertainment." The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/20/dave-gibbons-comics-laureate-child-literacy-watchmen

Burdette, Anthony. A Comic By Any Other Name... Timesunion.com. http://blog.timesunion.com/comicbooks/a-comic-by-any-other-name/930/