Graphic Antigone: Adapting Classical Tragedy into Comics and Graphic Novels - a Journey through Media and Culture

Abstract

The adaptation of classical works into comics and graphic novels represents an interesting form of rewrite that combines visual art and narration to reinterpret literary works. This research focuses on the new perspectives that these adaptations offer, aiming to highlight how they can enrich and renew the literary, artistic, and cultural heritage. Graphic novels and comics use an innovative narrative medium to revitalize classical works by connecting them to contemporary topics. Specifically, the proposal analyses the narrative approaches used by authors to adapt Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone. The study focuses on reinterpretations that refer to current issues or shift the temporal or geographical context, to demonstrate the ability of the comic medium to bring the ancient world closer to contemporary social situations. Furthermore, through a study of sources, examples of double intermedial reinterpretation will be presented, where a comic adaptation inherits characteristics from a literary rewrite and not just from the Sophoclean text. For instance, some French comics base their adaptations on Jean Anouilh’s play Antigone, which is itself a rewrite of the classical tragedy. Among the works analyzed: Antigone by Ferry, Bruneau, Poli, Baiguera; Antigone by Penet, L’homme; Antigone by Hopkins, Kurzanski; Antigone by Jop; and Fille d’Œdipe by Gabriel Delmas, Marie Gloris Bardiaux Vaïente.

Presenters

Chiara Protani
Phd Candidate, Languages, Literatures, and Modern Cultures, Università Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna, Latina, Italy

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Literary Humanities

KEYWORDS

Classics, Tragedy, Comics, Graphic novel, Rewrite, Intermediality, Adaptation