Le roman graphique entre culture populaire et esthétique littéraire : expériences autour de l’image dans From Hell d’Alan Moore et Eddie Campbell.

Abstract

This paper discusses how From Hell, a graphic novel by Eddie Campbell and Alan Moore, combines literary conventions and comics language, classical references and popular culture to create a highly experimental graphic novel which plays on these codes to disrupt modes of reading. Firstly, by carefully weaving an extensive verbal and graphic paratext to the body of the text, From Hell multiplies the layers of framing and acts on the reader’s memory by constantly taking him/her back to the thresholds of the work. Furthermore, the reading process in the novel is often hampered by its exploration of how narrative and visual ellipses may disrupt iconic grammar. Urged to literally fill in the blanks, the reader of this subverted detective story also has to decipher and connect the numerous signs and fragments of meaning proliferating throughout the novel. Finally, the link between text and image provides the opportunity for the authors to put to the test the limits of comics language either to guide or to confuse the reader.

Keywords

• graphic novel
• text and image relationship
• generic hybridity
• popular culture
• modes of reading
• Eddie Campbell