Rewriting in Neil Gaiman´S Graphic Novel Sandman
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Masaryk University Faculty of Education Department of English Language and Literature Rewriting in Neil Gaiman´s Graphic Novel Sandman Bachelor thesis Šárka Nygrýnová Brno, April 2009 Supervisor: Mgr. Pavla Buchtová Hereby I declare that I have worked on my thesis on my own and that no other sources except for those enumerated in bibliography were used. ................................................... Šárka Nygrýnová 2 I would like to thank Mgr. Pavla Buchtová for her kind guidance and valuable advice she provided to me. 3 Table of contents Introduction ................................................................................................................5 Opening.......................................................................................................................6 1. Postmodernisms......................................................................................................7 1.1 The beginning of postmodernisms............................................................7 1.2 The history of postmodernisms.................................................................8 1.3 Basic distinction between modernism and postmodernisms...................10 1.4 Devices of postmodernisms......................................................................11 1.4.1 Reading and interpretation.............................................11 1.4.2 Intended readership........................................................11 1.5 The death of postmodernisms...................................................................12 2. Rewriting as a postmodern strategy.......................................................................14 2.1 Intertextuality...........................................................................................16 2.2 Pastiche, parody, allusion.........................................................................16 3. Neil Gaiman – The Sandman.................................................................................19 3.1 The Story..................................................................................................20 3.2 Calliope....................................................................................................21 3.2.1 Titles of novels..............................................................21 3.2.2 References to Greek mythology....................................25 3.3 Dream of a Thousand Cats......................................................................29 3.4 The Midsummer Night´s Dream..............................................................32 3.5 Facade......................................................................................................35 Conclusion.................................................................................................................37 Annotation..................................................................................................................39 List of references........................................................................................................40 4 Introduction Fantasy literature has reached its climax. All over the world, films based of fantasy novels are being made, action role games played, millions of Internet websites established. However, many people consider fantasy literature inferior. This can certainly be true for some representatives who are able to produce a large number of novels of poor quality in a very short time. On the other hand, those could be found who elevated genre of fantasy to a real literary gem. I clearly remember the first time I laid my hands on a novel by Neil Gaiman about six years ago. I was instantly captivated by his masterful narration, his ability to absorb the reader, to convince him or her that the world Mr Gaiman created is real indeed. His imagination knows no limits, it appears. Gaiman finds sources for his novels or short stories everywhere: in the London underground, ordinary family house, or in a graveyard. He retells the longforgotten tales again, he brings back to life ancient gods and lets them die again, he sends Alice behind the mirror to face real horrors, he explores man´s mind to find new fears – in a word, he is a genuine storyteller. Nevertheless, skillfull mastery of narration is not the only feature of his vast work that attracted me. Gaiman enriched his novels and short stories with a huge amount of references of all kinds – he pays homage to deceased authors and their works, he finds numerous sources in Old Norse and Greek mythologies, British and American popular songs may appear inconspicuously as titles of chapters or names of books on shelves of Gaiman´s characters. Gaiman keeps teasing brains of his readers, perfectly aware of them expecting no less from him. Graphic novel series Sandman is often regarded Gaiman´s masterpiece. There was one more reason for me to decide for an analysis of Sandman – this Gaiman´s work literally brims over with references to various sources. My goal was to analyse all the references, put them into cathegories and try to explain their meanings for the story. 5 Opening If a painter created a picture of romanticism it would consist of flowery shapes, the prevailing colour would be crimson, tender mauve and spring green and air of sweet melancholy and never uttered words would be hovering above this piece of art. A picture of realism, on the other hand, may seem more geometrical-like with rectangular and square shapes like skyscrapers or staircases and a watchful onlooker could hear – if he or she were standing very, very still – a soft rumbling of machines and steps of thousands of people. Its colour would be black, gold and raw flesh red. The third painting is that of modernism – a peculiar one. Odd shapes resembling human bodies and huge figures looking down at from the sky or a high mountain. Three crosses – different types of them, and a barb wire. There are blurred faces of people with astounded look in their eyes. There are little children standing alone. It is disturbing and the onlookers leave this painting in a haste. And when the visitor finally comes to a big canvas of postmodernism, he would come to halt and stare in disbelief. There is no reassuring symmetry or poetic elegance, no soft undertones or determined lines. It is a blend, a mixture, an anarchy. Repulsive, attractive, outrageous, and tempting. There are all shapes, overlapping, intruding upon each other in a merciless manner, the colours are flashy and glaring like exotic amazonians. The painting is alive, literally changing its form. And no matter how much the confused visitor yearns to gets hold of it, the picture ceases being captured. Finally, the visitor leaves, bad-tempered and disgruntled with persistent feeling of something laughing at him behind his back... 6 1. Postmodernisms 1.1 The beginning of postmodernisms The truth is that the origins of postmodernisms have been subject of passionate debates among scholars for several years. There would be those claiming that postmodernisms appeared for the first time immediately after World War II, many could be found who insist on 1960 (such as Douwe Fokkema) instead and a minor group is formed by those who profess that modernity covers all the period without postmodernity ever appearing. Arguably, postmodernisms began to take a shape right after the war, however, its concept was disputed for many years afterwards until it reached certain conventions – only illusive, though, since the debate on postmodernisms has never really achieved any manifest and unified agreement. After the World War II the mankind was condemned never to be the same as it had been in pre-war times. Horrors of war, inhuman treating of minor ethnic groups and predominantly enormous casualties brought a new wind in art and mainly in literature. Modernism started to be abandoned for being too elitist as well as its inclination to “great ideas” which was perceived as particularly repulsive and unlikeable for a society that have just envisaged its virulent and corruptive version. These “great ideas” are tightly connected to modernist desire for order and stability. Klages comments on Lyotard who equates stability with totality which are intended to be maintained in society via “grand narratives” - stories that a culture itself tells about its practices and beliefs (168). 1. Furthermore, according to W. Benjamin, modernism became a sort of conformist tradition an attempt had to be made “to wrest [the] traditions away from a conformism that [was] about to overpower it.”(Benjamin quoted in Jařab, 89). Generally speaking, the after-war values changed in a dramatic manner from the pre- war ones. Centralized and authoritarian approach of modernists was not desired any more. 1 An example in America could be the story that democracy is the most rational and ideal form of government and all other forms are harmful and dangerous. There were several other grand narratives in the 20 th century – belief in communism, progress and science etc., an example of an earlier one is in the first place Christianity. (Klages 2006: 169) 7 1.2 The history of postmodernisms An instant inquiry arises: Why postmodernisms, why to use the plural? Many litereray critics support different points of view of postmodernism, often these concepts contradict in some features. To avoid misunderstanding of which of these concepts we speak, it is more comfortable to employ the term postmodernisms. When we strive to identify first true steps made by postmodernisms in history we encounter a