Throughout Lemire and Smallwood’s Moon Knight: Lunatic, the dramatically different artistic styles being utilized serve to draw attention to the crucial question that people suffering from mental illness regularly ask themselves: What’s real? In other words, what course of action does a person take when he/she becomes aware of his/her mental illness and struggles to distinguish between reality and fantasy? These are the tribulations that Marc Spector, the protagonist, must deal with throughout the book. Smallwood’s intriguing and visually exciting page layouts along with the dazzling variation between color and artistic style work together in different ways to generate significance and shape the reader’s experience as well as meaningfully function to influence the way the reader sees the objects and people portrayed.
On page 1, Smallwood’s use of closure and unique layouts enable the reader to form his/her own perception of the kinetic and temporal aspects of the scene. By formatting the scenes in the shapes of circles and having particular scenes change color entirely, the reader witnesses the sequence of events unfold in the order in which he/she views it and therefore fills in the blanks. Simultaneously, Smallwood’s further use of these unique layouts stems from the deliberate intention to make readers feel disorientated and therefore relating to Spector’s current state of mind. The varying color palette invokes a change of state because the scenes involving direct
Mental illness and madness is a theme often explored in literature and the range of texts exploring these is tremendously varied. Various factors can threaten a character's sanity, ranging from traumatic events which trigger a decline to pressure from more vast, impersonal sources. Generally speaking, writers have tried to show that most threats to sanity comprise a combination of long-term and short-term factors - the burning of the library in Mervyn Peake's novel 'Titus Groan' precipitated Lord Sepulchrave's descent into madness, but a longer term problem can be discerned in the weight of tradition which caused him to worry 'that with him the line of Groan should
Visual imagery is often the first step to subconsciously sending the reader into a parallel state of mind as the protagonist, and letting them experience what the characters experienced throughout the story. The visuals used in the beginning of this story convince readers that they have been placed in a safe, secure environment, therefore having a positive effect on readers when they
Edgar Allan Poe was an extraordinary author whose horror and mystery stories leave an impression on readers even today. In some of Poe’s works, the narrator’s thoughts and actions make the reader question the narrator’s sanity. Two good examples are Poe’s poem “The Raven” and his short story “The Black Cat”; there is plenty of evidence to support that both of the narrators are not completely sane. In Poe’s “The Raven” and “The Black Cat,” both narrators exhibit symptoms of mental illness, including hallucinations, illogical thinking, mood swings, and substance abuse.
During the Medieval Era, their was not much to do for entertainment besides watch the tournaments that were held all over Western Civilizations. In modern times, many people know what jousting and sword fighting are but not like the way “A Knights Tale” show them. This movie was made in 2001 and was soon a crowd favorite. The modernization of a dark age era gave the audience entertainment through action, love and comedy. The tournaments were very exciting during this era, specifically the 14th century. This movie had many mixed reviews between historians and regular movie goers. There are a lot of great aspects of this movie but also many critiques historically. The movie is a portrayal of the Medieval games which helps a more modern audience
Everyone has a different way to deal with overwhelming situations. It can be more difficult for people with mental illness to cope with the hardships of life. For instance, in “Horses of the Night,” the character of Chris has dissociative symptoms that can be linked to his depression. Margaret Laurence’s short story tells the story of Chris, a young teenager who moves to from a small farm to the town of Manawaka in order to go to high school. The story is told by his younger cousin, Vanessa. As she grows up, she learns that Chris is depressed. The author uses the theme of fantasy to show that he does not cope well with reality. The horses, Shallow Creek, and the children are symbols that show us the fantasy that Chris lives in.
Although books full of words are more efficient in delivering and describing what the author feels, sometimes pictures can give a deep meaning depending on how they are organized. The Veil by Marjane Satrapi’s is a graphic novel that’s organized in a particular way, to deliver a certain message through the pictures. Marjane includes different sizes and frames that serve what she is thinking and feeling. Choosing certain sizes, frames and colours isn’t arbitrary. As each box increases in size, it means that she wants to emphasize the message behind that box, or show her relation to that particular text. Contrast is also one of the main elements that Marjane uses in her graphic novel. For example, on page five, there is a big picture of
Along in with the author’s use of metaphors is the frequent use of imagery. In this reading, it is simple to envision the scenes as the different scenarios are explained and the audience can easily picture Staples in the places he is describing and also the people he comes across. Perhaps the most powerful and memorable imagery is provided in the author’s description of people’s different reactions and faces when they come into contact with him. Actions speak volumes and an immediate change of facial expression is possibly one of the
Compare the ways the distinctively visual is created in Run Lola Run and in ONE other related text of your own choosing?
Distinctively visual texts aim to manipulate the we perceive images critically affecting our interpretation of events and people we meet in our lives. Distinctively visual techniques are utilised in the ‘Run Lola Run’ directed by Tom Tykwer and the picture book ‘Red Tree’ written by Sean Tan. The way the distinctively visual is shown throughout these texts is through the use of motifs, different angle shots, colours, lighting and reading paths. These techniques aim to show the important themes in both texts such as time, hope and love.
They say that the mind is the most powerful and valuable thing that humanity possesses: It can create places, scenarios, and being that have unlimited power. Though it may be fun to have all this power in our heads, one must ask what happens if one’s mental stability starts to cave in on itself and the effects might it have on somebody, what grand delusions Might come from the confines of a deranged mind; one might also ask what this might do to the appearance of the owner of that mindset. Famed writers Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving Attempted to answer these very questions themselves with stories like The Raven and The Black Cat by Poe and The Devil and Tom Walker.
Daphne Scholinski documents her experiences through multiple psychiatric institutions in her gripping and light-hearted memoir titled, “The Last Time I Wore A Dress”. Published in 1997, her memoir establishes a strong connection with readers, thereby allowing them to be present within her plot; watching her story unfold from above. By analyzing the plot, characters, themes, and setting of “The Last Time I Wore A Dress”, I seek to draw a connection between Scholinski’s memoir and the mental model of madness. In doing so, this paper aims to shed light upon the hardships faced by Scholinski and her survival through it all.
Throughout history, mental illness has been labeled as a defining deformity, that harnesses in its “victims,” into a box, parallel to the familiar “mime in a box” image. In a world where we glorify “normality,” a lack of illness, which by all means is a gift, the beauty of one mind takes away from the beauty of an outlier, even though, ironically people may not even recognize their differences. Hester, at a glance suffers from a literal scarlet letter, but an imprint on her brain may exist as well. Irrational actions, sudden emotional episodes, and destructive thoughts can only prevail for so long following sin; Hester’s persona has branches of self-defeating personality disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. No one of her time, however, will bring the issue to light, Hester will be left known as the mistress, a witch, or “A,” rather than to explore her “complicated” condition. As decades pass, Hester’s state will remain, as the “A,” the mark of the stigma on mental illness today. When left neglected, society rejects the possibility that under a visible coating, mental deformities may lie; those who are divergent, who require affection more, are made subordinate, marginalized with no quest for a cure.
In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses symbols to portray recovery from the depth of mental illness. The main character, Jane, struggles throughout the story with severe depression. She is constantly haunted by the room she has to occupy during her stay. Yet despite it all, Jane sets herself free from her illness’s grasp. Gilman employs the symbols of the yellow wallpaper, the ripping of the yellow wallpaper, and the beautiful door to depict Jane’s journey out of her depression.
Although there are many subgenres of horror fiction, including bizarro, fantasy, surrealism, and magic realism, there are certain aspects that a story must encompass to be considered, “weird.” Magic realism is a branch of fiction that is often mistaken to be a work of the, “weird.” What differentiates the two genres explicitly include the authors concentration on setting and overall atmosphere, and the embodiment of themes that disrupt the readers perception of time, space, and their natural world. “The Werewolf,” by Angela Carter exhibits strong characteristics of magic realism, while H.F. Arnold’s, “The Night Wire,” is a genuine work of, “weird,” fiction.