Jonathan McBurnie Jonathan McBurnie i(21132461 works by)
Gender: Male
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1 y separately published work icon Litcomix : Literary Theory and the Graphic Novel Adam Geczy , Jonathan McBurnie , New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press , 2023 25331199 2023 multi chapter work criticism

'Critical studies of the graphic novel have often employed methodologies taken from film theory and art criticism. Yet, as graphic novels from Maus to Watchmen entered the literary canon, perhaps the time has come to develop theories for interpreting and evaluating graphic novels that are drawn from classic models of literary theory and criticism.

'Using the methodology of Georg LukAcs and his detailed defense of literary realism as a socially embedded practice, Litcomix tackles difficult questions about reading graphic novels as literature. What critical standards should we use to measure the quality of a graphic novel? How does the genre contribute to our understanding of ourselves and the world? What qualities distinguish it from other forms of literature?

'LitComix hones its theoretical approach through case studies taken from across the diverse world of comics, from Yoshihiro Tatsumi's groundbreaking manga to the Hernandez Brothers' influential alt-comix. Whether looking at graphic novel adaptations of Proust or considering how Jack Kirby's use of intertextuality makes him the Balzac of comics, this study offers fresh perspectives on how we might appreciate graphic novels as literature.' (Publication summary)

1 Touch Wood Jonathan McBurnie , 2022 single work essay
— Appears in: Sūdō Journal , August no. 4 2022; (p. 16-19)
'Framing my work in the context of this topic can be done, but please excuse me if I come at it in a peculiar way. Superstition does relate, in some ways, but far more in my life than in my work, but obviously the two things are not mutually exclusive. I have never been superstitious in the usual sense of the way we use the word. I have never broken a mirror, but I have certainly crossed the path of a few black cats, so to speak, and it never bothered me. What I am cautious about, though, is giving power to ideas by speaking them. I have had many experiences in my life when careless words said in jest have forecast grim tidings. This may sound silly—and yes, superstitious—but I figure it can’t hurt not to tempt fate. Allow me to explain.' 

(Introduction)

1 What I’m Reading Jonathan McBurnie , 2018 single work column
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2018;
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