Book of books
Fun Home was an unexpected read for me because of the cartoon nature of it. I kind of enjoyed the pictures that went along with the story because they give more intel on what the author is trying to convey. Specifically, I found this format helpful to the story because the main character, Allison is telling it. While it is beneficial for the reader to be given some space for their imagination to fill in gaps of the story, I like the way this story is portrayed through pictures because it gives the reader a clearer view of what actually happened from Allison's perspective.
Something else I liked about the perspective this book was told from was that it was somewhat unique. Facts weren't just given to the readers in chronological order like I presume an autobiography would. Instead, Allison seemed to give the reader a chance to interpret the story for themselves in the way that she describes events and ideas. I think this way of storytelling kind of balances what I was saying earlier about the cartoon images leaving less up to the reader's imagination. I like that way of storytelling because it really is a nice balance of visually seeing from Allison's perspective, while also still being able to form your own ideas and opinions on the events she describes.
Ironically, the best place to learn about the main character is through other books (because this book is essentially a cartoon strip). I thought this was also a unique aspect of this book because I haven't seen so many references to other novels in a single book before. I like how she used some of the texts to explore her relationship with her father and to try to learn about him. I think it's kind of symbolic of the whole book because, in a way, I get the sense that that's kind of how we're viewing Allison's story. It's not as straight on in my opinion; rather, it's more gathering surrounding information and putting it together if that makes sense.
I think this totally makes sense and I agree! Fun Home was also a super interesting and special book for me, and one of the reasons for this (in addition to the story) was because of the non-linear nature of the narrative and the allusions to so many other texts. As you discuss, I thought it was awesome that Alison doesn’t come straight out and say everything that’s going on all of the time, but she expertly pieces together specific moments in her life to craft the central focus of each chapter. And oftentimes, the reader must figure out the broader implications until Alison possibly explains them later (which happens sometimes but not directly with everything, such as with her diary, I think). In her book, she really is “showing,” not “telling,” her story, which I think the images truly solidify as well! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteA lot of readers in class were bothered by the very qualities in the book that you praise: the non-sequential narration, the revisiting of familiar scenes in new lights, the general uncertainty around basic facts. I agree that it makes for a more active reading experience, as we too try to figure out what happened and what it means, but it can be a disconcerting experience as well: we like to think that memory can be reliable, that facts and truth can be uncovered and known, and that if we apply enough attention and energy, we can make sense of our experience. A reader has to get comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity to fully enjoy this book.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the visual aspect of the book, it left little room to get lost in the time and setting jumps. I was ok with the non-linear aspect of the book and it really highlighted that the her journey wasn't a clear path. As far as the literary allusions I didn't like them, It was hard to connect to many of the points because I hadn't read all of the books.
ReplyDeleteI agree that while the way in which Bechdel tells her story can come off as convoluted or confusing, it adds to the realism of the story. When in real life is information about something handed to us on a silver platter? Additionally, the surrounding context did make Fun Home feel more like a comic book as the details were fleshed out.
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