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I had a lot of fun creating my own graphic novel strip, but I will admit the initial process was challenging. I found that the books I was interested in recreating had already been made into movies and instead of drawing what I imagined when I read the books, I was recreating scenes from the films. Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter were just some of the novels that I was struggling with.
While I was laying in my bed thinking about this, I had a revelation thanks to artwork that I have hanging in my room. I collect art from all over the world, whether it be drawings, street art, postcards, books marks, or even museum tickets. Every time I travel I try to buy art that embodies the newfound culture around me. I have 3 book marks of Don Quixote hanging on my wall from a street artist in Mexico and I knew I had found my novel.
I come from a Mexican-American background (my father is from Mexico and my mother was born here, while her mother was from Mexico) and grew up hearing about the adventures of Don Q. I had never seen the movie and all of the images that popped into my head when I thought of the novel were strictly from my own imagination. It was perfect. I had a lot of fun planning and drawing my graphics and, surprisingly, I even enjoyed writing the analysis.
Like many of my peers mentioned in class, I experienced the novel in a whole new way and had to actively analyze the scene I was recreating. How would he look in this part? How would his squire react to him doing this? How would the horse look? And I even asked myself, "What sound would his spear make hitting the windmill?" (This was actually quite difficult!) In the end, this was a great project and would be very beneficial within the classroom to help students completely grasp a piece of literature.
P.S. Here are a few fun facts about the novel (15 Things You Might...):
- Don Quixote is considered the first modern novel.
- Don Quixote might be the best-selling novel of all time.
- Don Quixote helped to establish the modern Spanish language.
Sources:
15 Things You Might Not Know About 'Don Quixote' (n.d.). Retrieved October 05, 2016, from http://mentalfloss.com/article/65764/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-don-quixote
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I enjoyed hearing how you initially struggled because many of the novels have already been created in graphic or filmic form, but I really like how this pushed you to combine your interests with the assignment. Don Quixote is definitely something that many struggle with, so seeing this come to life was very appealing to myself, and I'm sure to your classmates.
As for your interest in art, you might think of doing something with this for your research paper or even the final assessment. Because you are not an English Ed Major you have the ability to shape these two assignments in a way that fits your needs. Feel free to talk to me this semester so that you can continue to use this class in a way that further piques your interests and talents.