Maus chapter 3
Chapter 2 - Honeymoon (revision)
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Chapter 2 - Honeymoon (revision)
Revision
Why has Spiegelman included this part? How could it link to postmodernism and notions of truth (pp. 41/42)?
Spiegelman settles our attention on the fact that it matters with which eye (perspective) you look at something!
Visual motif: circles and spotlights
“Circular motifs do have a privileged role in the book, if nothing else, because it’s integral to the swastika logo-design. Near the beginning of the first volume, on page 35, it’s used rather clearly. Right after the page that has the Jews in the train talking about what’s happening in Germany, the swastika is used as kind of a moon hanging over these various visual events, in a chapter called “The Honeymoon”.
And just two pages after the swastika-moon, on page 37, Vladek and Anja are seen bonding - they’re an item, a real couple. They’re dancing in a spotlight, and their movements in a sense reference the swastikas that you just saw.
“And of course, circles are always useful for focusing meaning. Spotlight” (Spiegelman, Meta maus 183 - 187)
Chapter 3 - Prisoner of War
Who are the pigs? Why did Spiegelman choose pigs?
Spiegelman explains....
In earlier centuries, the Poles were the Jews’ salvation, so I wasn’t necessarily trying to find a pejorative - but trying to find an animal outside the cat-mouse food chain, and I found Porky Pig - and the whole peaceable kingdom of funny animal comics - a useful model, since Porky’s one of the toon gang, alongside Bugs Bunny and Daffy.”“Those dualities of piggy/swine and mousie/rodent only enrich the simple mindedness of my basic conceit in Maus.” (Meta Maus, 121)
Jewish garments
Yarmulke or Kippah
A brimless cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfil the customary requirement that the head be covered.
Tallit
a garment, prayer shawl, worn by those of Jewish faith as a symbol of communal solidarity and devotion to their god.
Jewish garments
Tefillin
A set of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. Typically worn during prayers.
Interview with Art Spiegelman
“When I began to work on the long Maus my first impulse had me drawing large cats and small mice. By the time I solved the problem to my satisfaction, I’d minimized the disparity, so that the cats and mice became, more or less, overt masks. I liked working with a metaphor that didn’t work all that well though I certainly didn’t want my metaphor to work as an endorsement of Nazi ideology, or as an implicit plea for sympathy, like, ‘Aw, lookit the cute defenseless little mouse.’ To equalize them in scale didn’t mean to give them equal power, but it didn’t put the mice necessarily at the total biological disadvantage (Meta Maus)
Group Work
Prepare one or two PowerPoint slides on your assigned page.
Your slides should include specific references to the page.
Try to present at least three persuasive points about your given page. For example:
“Spiegelman depicts …. to highlight….”
“In this panel, the visual motif of ….. appears to…..”
“The narration used in this page is significant as…..”
Aspects you can discuss
Narrative perspective
whose perspective, unreliable narration, intertwining narratives, postmodernism
Characterization
depiction of the characters (facial expressions/emanata), composition
Structure
size and shape of the panels, the way they're structured, how you read the panels, how they are linked, flashback, etc.
Symbolism, motifs, themes
swastika, spotlight, stationary bike, train, grid (see a list of the themes on the next slide)
Setting
location / where the story takes place
Language
speech bubble, voice-over, thoughts, dialogue, tone, word choice, text in bold/bigger font
Drawing style, graphic weight
sketchy/detailed, contrast of black/ white/ shades of grey
Themes:
Survivor's instinct
Race & Class
Importance of Luck
Human interdependence
Morality
Themes:
Past and present intertwined
Family
Betrayal
Racism
Trauma (Holocaust survivor)
Guilt & Blame
Example
The drawing style is significant as it shows that Vladek does not want to remember this. The drawing style is sketchy, with harsh lines and hardly any details. This vague depiction does not only show that this happened quickly, but also that Vladek does not want to remember this traumatic event clearly.
Group Work (30 minutes)
Group 1 - page 49
Group 2 - page 50
Group 3 - page 51
Group 4 - page 52
Group 5 - page 53
Group 6 - page 54
Group 7 - page 55
Group 8 - page 56
Group work - Presentations
Share your screen with the class.
Discuss your main points.
I will create one Presentation that contains all your slides.
Homework
Read chapter 4. Indicate which of the pages you want to discuss in more detail.
Answer the questions about relevant panels in chapter 3, which will help you prepare for the textual analysis. Upload your answers to Classroom (individual task / in pairs / groups of max 4 students).