When we were first told of this project expansion, I though of several possible directions. None of them good.
I debated about expanding the "Youtubing Whitman" project, since my first video was quite lackluster due to illness. In my head, I thought it would be fun/ interesting to act out and film a passage from "Leaves of Grass" twice: Once reciting it as written, and once in a modernized version, to give another way of looking at the message Whitman was trying to get across. Then I remembered how technologically inclined I am (not). So that idea got thrown away (and out here into the interspace for anyone who wants to snatch it. Feel free).
Then in class, we started discussing graphic novels. I am actually interested in pursuing a career in the comic arts, so my ears definitely perked at this. Admittedly my current skills limit my ability to produce a full graphic novel, but the idea of incorporating art was still intriguing.
So, after much deliberation, I sort of want to illustrate the relationships between Whitman and his peers (think family tree style), with perhaps some side notes (bullet points and whatnot) with corresponding pictures, just to really get the point across.
From this point, I mostly need to gather up my willpower to actually sit down and research. Once I have the information written down where I can see it all in one place and arrange as I see fit, I don't think it should be too hard. I really just want to show how much writers are a part of each others' life and work, whether it be intentional or not.
SO. Let's see how this works out...
Well, I've always been a fan of the marriage of visual and written art (probably why I enjoy film so much). And I am extremely drawn in to your first idea. So, you may not be so technologically inclined, you can pull that off with a digital camera and some editing software. But...I'm not going to pressure you to do something just because I think it's awesome...and besides, you've still decided to use the visual with the written. Which, I think, will prove to be fun for everyone involved.
ReplyDeleteA graphice novel would be awesome, I agree, but I absolutely love the idea of showing how Whitman and his peers intertwine. The visual aide will be helpful,whether it be a graphic novel or family tree, you can probably do some sort of crazy, vine-y tree to depict just how much writers cross one another.
ReplyDeleteI really like that "family-tree idea". What sorts of peers do you intend on focusing on? Contemporary writers? General contemporaries? Critics? I actually imagined a sort of depiction of how critics' reviews grew and expanded over time as new editions of Leaves of Grass were published -- in a sense that the blade of grass continues to grow, sprouting different segments that remain linked to the "roots" while at the same time changing into something new for its growth an development. But I think I'm getting carried away here...
ReplyDeleteAnything comic-related sounds like fun though! Find some striking passages (perhaps even including the one you used for the YouTubing Whitman assignment) and recreate the scenery and such via illustration and written recitation. It would be an interesting take on how one might see Whitman's use of language in his poetry and whatnot.
I like this alot! I can see a visual family tree with comments/commentary . . that would be really helpful for me. Let me think about the technical aspect - - e.g. there are ways that non-graphic-artists can still do graphic work these days . . . using existing images and remixing them etc. Family tree web apps or glogster?
ReplyDelete