PHOTO: Fahrenheit 451 Graphic Novel Library Version
I have been interested in studying the literacies embedded in graphic novels recently. This is not to say that I am a manga, graphic novel, comic, anime type of person. I really have never been exposed to anything like it before and really wasn’t that interested until I found that many different classic novels have been made into graphic novels. I have never actually read Fahrenheit 451 which I consider a heresy as an English teacher. I thought that the first part of my research would be to read this as an introduction into the novel before I set out to read the original.
I have noticed that there are different types of graphic novels. I have bought a few others and checked some out at the library as well. There seem to be ones that are done well — and ones that are the equivalent to mass market reading.
Anyway, I am going to be looking into visual literacies as a form of literature and using it to compare to what we look at in classrooms traditionally. I will be writing an innovative unit and an entire presentation on this topic to present this year and will probably need to include it in my portfolio that I will assemble by the end of August. I think that graphic novels are great ways of diversifying and differentiating instruction.
I have always had a certain stigma about graphic novels, but the more I research and look into them, I think that these preconceived notions are going away. I have a few more graphic novels to read and hope to gain and appreciation for them as an innovative and interesting approach to literature! One plus is that you can pretty much devour them in a night. So, with hesitation — here goes!
I’ll let you know what I think when I finish one!
