BOOK REVIEW: Teaching Graphic Novels in the English Classroom: Pedagogical Possibilities of Multimodal Literacy Engagement

Salehi, Mohammad; Farhang, Afsaneh

doi:10.30466/ijltr.2019.120702

BOOK REVIEW: Teaching Graphic Novels in the English Classroom: Pedagogical Possibilities of Multimodal Literacy Engagement

Document Type : Book Review

Authors

Mohammad Salehi

Afsaneh Farhang

Sharif University of Technology

10.30466/ijltr.2019.120702

Abstract

The book is an edited volume made of three sections, each divided into several chapters. The first section focuses on different possibilities for the adoption of sequential art in the classroom, from introductory to advanced composition writing. In the second section, the graphic novel is foregrounded as a unique literary genre where the editor makes reference to authors who advocate graphic novels to be regarded as literature in their own right. The third section is concerned with graphic novels’ potential for triggering discussions that create opportunities for students to gain insights into the notions of social justice, identity, and empathy. In the introductory chapter of the book, which is a collection of essays on the use of graphic novels in the English classrooms, Burger enumerates the outstanding benefits of teaching graphic novels such as engaging reluctant readers, encouraging students to view familiar knowledge from a new perspective, activating, and developing students’ multiple literacy skills due to the inextricable combination of text and image in graphic novels.

Keywords

graphic novels

pedagogical possibilities

multimodal literacy engagement