
Comics in French
The European Bande Dessinee in Context
Laurence Grove(Author)
Berghahn Books (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 1. July 2010
Book
Hardback
360 pages
978-1-84545-588-0 (ISBN)
Description
Whereas in English-speaking countries comics are for children or adults 'who should know better', in France and Belgium the form is recognized as the 'Ninth Art' and follows in the path of poetry, architecture, painting and cinema. The bande dessinee [comic strip] has its own national institutions, regularly obtains front-page coverage and has received the accolades of statesmen from De Gaulle onwards. On the way to providing a comprehensive introduction to the most francophone of cultural phenomena, this book considers national specificity as relevant to an anglophone reader, whilst exploring related issues such as text/image expression, historical precedents and sociological implication. To do so it presents and analyses priceless manuscripts, a Franco- American rodent, Nazi propaganda, a museum-piece urinal, intellectual gay porn and a prehistoric warrior who's really Zinedine Zidane.
Reviews / Votes
"The [volume] is impressive and the reading rewarding: not only does the author situate most of the major works of the bande dessinee during the twentieth century, he mentions as well the main scholarly books devoted to the study of this genre...The sources are very well documented...There is nothing missing in this book, or maybe just the bandes dessinees themselves, which are too numerous to be included even in a dozen volumes." ? Modern & Contemporary France"...comics, and French comics in particular, are becoming a hot topic in the academic world....while giving a context to the visual, [the author] succeeds in keeping close to the comic books and even the specific pictures with which he deals. Hence, the book is full of concrete examples of an incredible variety of styles and themes of Bande dessinee, beautifully and smartly contextualized. Indeed, the analyses Grove provides throughout the book make it a very good tool for the study of French culture." ? H-France Review
"...a well-documented and well-written work that will not only be a valuable resource for research but should also be a livre de chevet for anyone teaching a class linked to BD [bandes desinees]...It should be noted that Grove does not merely recapitulate or synthesize the critical work published in French and English on BD. He also stakes out original and sometimes challenging positions." ? French Studies
"Comics in French is written in a friendly, engaging style. Grove patiently explains and justifies his largely chronological, historical approach at each step of the way, discussing its pros and cons. The book covers a vast number of text/image... [and] is a valuable and very readable new contribution to bande dessine studies. It deserves a place on the bookshelves of teachers, students and aficionados alike." ? Journal of Graphic Novels & Comics
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Library binding
Illustrations
40 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
675 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84545-588-0 (9781845455880)
DOI
10.3167/9781845455880
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/2010
1st Edition
Berghahn Books
€32.49
Available for download

E-Book
07/2010
1st Edition
Berghahn Books
€22.49
Available for download
Person
Laurence Grove is Reader in French and Director of the Stirling Maxwell Centre for the Study of Text/Image Cultures at the University of Glasgow. His research focuses on historical aspects of text/image forms, and in particular bande dessinee. He is President of the International Bande Dessinee Society. As well as serving on the consultative committees of a number of journals, he is general editor of Glasgow Emblem Studies, and co-editor of European Comic Art. Laurence Grove has authored (in full, jointly or as editor) nine books and approximately forty chapters or articles.
Content
Figures
Foreword
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Definitions and Component Parts
Chapter 3. Formal Specificity
Chapter 4. Pre-History
Chapter 5. The Nineteenth Century
Chapter 6. The Twentieth Century
Chapter 7. Contemporary BD
Chapter 8. Pop Art or Business Park?
Chapter 9. Consecration of the Ninth Art
Chapter 10. Cultural Studies and Beyond
Chapter 11. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Foreword
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Definitions and Component Parts
Chapter 3. Formal Specificity
Chapter 4. Pre-History
Chapter 5. The Nineteenth Century
Chapter 6. The Twentieth Century
Chapter 7. Contemporary BD
Chapter 8. Pop Art or Business Park?
Chapter 9. Consecration of the Ninth Art
Chapter 10. Cultural Studies and Beyond
Chapter 11. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index