By Art Spiegelman Maus

Art Spiegelman Born 15 February 1948 American cartoonist and comics advocate based in NYC Published Maus in two parts, 1986 and 1991 Maus won the Pulitzer Prize “In the Shadow of No Towers was his graphic novel about September 11 th Appeared in a 2007 episode of The Simpsons as himself

Maus Completed in 1991 Depicts Art Spiegelman interviewing his father, Vladek, about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor Uses different animals to portray a variety of races Much of the story revolves around Spiegelman’s troubled relationship with his father Inner-story – Vladek’s experiences during the Holocaust in the 1930s and 1940s Outer-story – Art interviewing and interacting with Vladek throughout the 1970s and early 1980s

Covers Warm and Cool color usage Cool – Blues and grays Warm – Yellows and Red Basic color theory dictates that cool colors tend to fade into the background while warm colors pop to the front Significance of warm/cool colors on front and back covers of Maus I?

Directional Movements Most of Maus has traditional comic book movement (horizontal). The panels read from left to right across a page and then go down (Page 11 is an example of that) Occasionally though, Spiegelman uses non-traditional arrangements of panels that move from outer to inner, top to bottom, etc Page 61 is an example of this While reading, make sure to track similarity of composition, repetition of objects/characters, relative size of panels, presence/absence of frames, etc

Fractured Narrative/Unreliable The inner and outer story is very, very important. You need to learn to recognize who is speaking and when Spiegelman will move back and forth between the two timelines Must track visual clues to stay aware of when/where we are Unreliable Narrator Vladek forgets things, acts differently in the two different timelines, etc

Voyeurism of Graphic Novel Comic format manipulates reading speed in a way that books struggle to Complex visuals force readers to slow down Panels that are very “busy” tend to be extremely important Take your time and slow down when the artist is giving you clues that you really need to be paying attention Seeing what the artist sees

Visual Animal Metaphor Mice – Jews, referred to as vermin by the Nazis throughout 1930s and 1940s. Maus has assonance with Auschwitz, Juden Raus (Jews Out!), and is a play on Judenrat (name of the Jewish council). Hunted by Cats Cats – Nazis. Hunters of mice. Dogs – Americans. Natural enemies of Cats. Called “Mongrel Race” by Hitler Pigs – Polish. Pigs are not-kosher, therefore, non-Jewish Reindeer – Swedes, playing on stereotypes Moths – Gypsies, very flighty, don’t stay in one place Frogs – French, play on stereotypes

Big Ideas to Watch Out For - Anja as a non-character. Vladek’s first wife/Art’s mother. She is a “glaring void” throughout Maus. A black hole of a character. She’s there…but not really. Draws our attention, but we never really see/know her. Contrast between Old/Young Vladeks. Why the difference? Vladek is unreliable as a narrator Vladek is changed by the Holocaust Vladek has aged ungracefully Conflicting Loyalties – Characters are often forced to choose between their own survival and those near to them

Big Ideas to Watch Out For, Cont’d - Use of English – Vladek is only person who speaks with an accent in the outer story. Even the other Holocaust survivors speak “Normal” English In inner story, Vladek’s knowledge of English often helps him survive Memory – Much like Night, Maus is a book about memory and the importance of memorializing the Holocaust

Maus I Vocabulary Sanitarium Anti-semitic Governess Glaucoma Ghetto Zloty Neurotic Bunker Mar Mitzvah Recuperate Gemeinde Aryan Kombinator Gestapo Caricature