A literary theme is the main idea or underlying subject/thought/question a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work. The theme of a story can be conveyed using characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements. Common themes in literature are; good vs. evil, love, redemption, courage and perseverance, coming of age, revenge and friendship.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Manga is a Japanese genre of cartoons and comic books, drawn in a meticulously detailed style, usually featuring characters with distinctive large, staring eyes, and typically having a science-fiction or fantasy theme.
Developed in the 1940's, manga has taken the world by storm. Manga alone makes up for a third of graphic novels and comic book sales around the globe.
Originating in Japan, Osamu Tezuka was the first artist to adopt the concept of creating a Japanese comic book design with its own unique style, which has become a signature design to all manga comic books. Tezuka's most famous creation was Astro Boy. (State Library Victoria, 2020b).
State Library of Victoria. (2020). Graphic novels. Retrieved from https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/childrensliterature/ graphicnovels.
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A genre in the writing context is a type of literary work characterised by a particular form, style, or purpose. You may be familiar with literary genres such as Science-Fiction or Biography, but genres can also be a more specific description of a piece of writing. For example, genres of writing include; persuasive, information, narrative and recount.
The term 'graphic novel' was first used by DC Comics in the 1970's. Whilst it may seem fairly new, the term 'comic book/strip' has been around since the 19th century.
Putting a definition to both graphic novels and comic books depends on the format and the publication of each.
A way to define whether or not a book is a comic or a graphic novel depends on both the production and content of the work.
Comic books: are normally in print format and serialised. This means that a story line or character in a comic book can be told or used over a broad range of comics.
Many superhero stories are told through comic books, because characters are interchangeable across issues. A character in a comic book can appear more than once within an issue in different settings.
Graphic novels: most graphic novels begin as single issues, or have a strict number of issues. When that series of issues has ended, they are republished and distributed as graphic novels.
They are designed to last longer than a comic book and to be the length of most novels.
Most graphic novels have a beginning, a middle and an end with characters that develop over time. A graphic novel can also be fiction or non-fiction, or what has become a growing popular trend with graphic novels, a memoir.
State Library of Victoria. (2020). Graphic novels. Retrieved from https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/childrensliterature/ graphicnovels.
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