On Persepolis
Persepolis
opened my eyes to the reality behind Iran and the Islamic Revolution. It was
one of those topics that were barely touched upon, if at all, in school. This
book, however, was a good insight into life into that period of time. The
autobiographical work by Marjane Satrapi is ground breaking in more ways than
one, and personally, it’s a celebration of the graphic novel medium.
The style
is simplistic and rustic right from the get go, featuring at most 3 values from
cover to cover. It features black line and bold inks. This puts the Satrapi’s
story in the forefront of the graphic narrative. Through simplification of the
characters and backgrounds, it makes for a very comfortable ground to present
the facts and drama behind the situation. If this was realistically rendered,
for example, I would be more inclined to be paying attention to the intricacies
of what the characters are saying, and be appreciating the novel for the art
instead.
The art
further drives the feeling that the child in the story is telling the story,
and drawing the imagery; even if it isn’t the case, as the work was done in her
later years, it still feels a lot more welcoming than one would expect of a
topic like this. This storytelling device, combined with a first person
narrator, is sure to stir up emotions.
How Marjane
Satrapi draws may be derived from her graphic design background. The imagery in
the book echoes the stylistic choices of ancient Persian art, with the soft
curves and an emphasis on pattern and intricacy. By doing so, Satrapi
successfully placed Persepolis in cultural context, however subtly, hereby
placing the readers in the correct cultural mindset.
The art is
in service to the story, with the more ‘artistic’ sections of the book taking
place within the panels and headers. Otherwise, the formatting is very
controlled and regular, featuring no breaking of the frame. Text is placed in
standardized speech bubbles, and narration in standardized textboxes.
All of
these aspects combined to present a very controlled environment where I could
enjoy a deep story, without feeling like I was stuck in a history textbook. The
story is a very personal one, where the opinions presented were personal to the
narrator herself, and raised a sense of empathy towards the social situation in
Iran, as well as a reverse extrapolated view for those who are new to the
subjects discussed.
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