Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
In this dissertation, I examine comics which seek to adapt works from the literary canon in what I call a “transformative” manner, that is, they radically change ideological aspects of the source material to convey multiplicities of new meaning. Each of the comics studied in this project makes a substantive ideological change to the source narrative, and while these changes will be studied as part of the adaptation rhizome, my methodology is not inherently ideological. Rather, the surface ideological changes point us towards structural and formal adjustments these changes necessitate. I propose reading adaptations as assemblages, adopting a perspective informed by the works of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, post-structuralism, and chaos theory which suggests studying adaptations as complex dynamic networks with emergent narrative qualities rather than as progressive linear comparisons. I further argue that the comic book form is uniquely well-suited to this perspective, due to their inherently complex and chaotic qualities. This dissertation will trace the multiple spheres of influence which contributed to the creation, interpretation, and reception of each comic as examples of how such a methodology might be accomplished with the aim of showing how we might read adaptations as reflections of contemporary zeitgeists rather than as tributes to arborescent source materials. The chaotic, schizoanalytic, and post-structuralist nature of this methodology will further expand and complexify the process by which we analyze literature, comic books, and adaptations as well as providing a strategy for approaching such multifaceted analyses. The case studies I’ve chosen were first selected based on ideological changes made by the creators: a gender-flipped Odyssey, a race-bent Romeo and Juliet, and an eco-apocalyptic Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The aim in each chapter is to show the ways in which the comics form allows creators to re-write and destabilize the source narratives in support of these ideological changes, as well as to show emergent narrative qualities that appear as a result.
Date
4-26-2025
Recommended Citation
Sheppard, Natalie R., "Bending the Canon: Evolving Forms of Graphic Adaptation" (2025). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 6787.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/6787
Committee Chair
Costello, Brannon