Description
Book SynopsisComics have great potential to depict an almost infinite range of themes, questions and lives. But what about their ability to express and interpret philosophical concepts? How can we differentiate between the representation of theoretical concepts in and of themselves, and the impact of comics techniques on the legacy of philosophers, their lives and their thought?
This book explores the historical and artistic value of representing lives through the medium of bande dessinée (BD), French-language comics. The text analyses three biographical BDs dedicated to the lives of Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Albert Camus as well as a selection of print and online comics that extend the legacy of these philosophers and their historical movement. The work is the first to analyse biographical BD through the lens of Existentialism, offering a new theory of reading biographical comics. The research not only contributes a novel approach to comics but also an enhanced understanding of Existentialism and the Existentialists, including their enduring contemporary relevance.
Trade Review«This book makes a valuable contribution to the field of BD studies, and more specifically to theories of biographical BDs. The author proves that the three BD biographies of Sartre, Beauvoir and Camus, far from offering «dumbed down» introductions to prominent intellectuals, have succeeded in creating an entirely new biographical form. It is immaculately researched, with well-selected quotations from Existentialists and their critics meticulously melded together with equally pertinent references to comic strip scholars.» (Dr Matthew Screech, Senior Lecturer in French, Manchester Metropolitan University)
Table of ContentsContents: Applying Existentialism to Bande Dessinée – Sartre: Une existence, des libertés – Beauvoir: Une jeune fille qui derange – Camus: Entre justice et mère – Comics Legacies – Sketch for a Theory of (Biographical) Comics.
