Reference no: EM133203564

For this assignment, you are to analyse critically Maus (2 volumes, 1986, 1991) written by Art Spiegelman. While doing your analysis, be aware of the entirety of the medium; text, visuals, and the arrangement of the panels. Be mindful of what is shown and not shown. If you make references to specific scenes in the novel, be sure to provide page references. Also, do not neglect information around the story. I encourage you to read about Art Spiegelman and his works for clues. This does not need to be exhaustive, but you should be able to find some exciting tidbits of information from a simple Google search. If you do decide to use outside information in your analysis, be sure to provide proper citations.

While doing your analysis, you must consider the following questions:

1. In Maus, Spiegelman portrays various ethnic groups and nationalities as different species of animals. In your analysis, account for all these different species. Was this done deliberately? What kind of message was Spiegelman trying to convey? What are some advantages in depicting the characters as anthropomorphic animals? Are there any disadvantages? In some scenes, characters are depicted wearing masks of animals. What is Spiegelman trying to convey here?

2. In her article, "The Shadow of a Past Time," Hilary Chute observes that "The effect of the gutter lends to comics its 'annotation' of time and space." How does Spiegelman use panels, and in particular, gutters to tell his story? In a broader sense, how does Spiegelman convey to the reader flashbacks or scenes set in a time earlier than the main story?