Essay

Getting started with Fun Home

The following are some notes and handouts.

If you take a little bit of extra time to review them,

this should help a lot with doing the

various assignments.

We will also try to discuss many of them when we meet for ZOOM sessions!

FUN HOME: HOW DO WE READ A “PAGE”?

While reading a traditional prose text (such as a book, article, textbook, short story, report, etc…), this is usually not a complex choice:

EXAMPLE from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby:

And, after boasting this way of my tolerance, I come to the admission that it has a limit. Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marches, but after a certain point I don’t care what it’s founded on. When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction—Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have unaffected scorn. (2)

It’s very obvious, right? One simply starts at the upper left-hand corner, reads the top line from left to right, and then continues down to the next line—and repeats the process, sometimes for thousands of lines! Predictable? Sure! Engaging? Maybe…

“Graphic texts” do not work in the same way . As I try to provide examples, please note a basic way to refer to specific parts of a graphic text. Besides indicating pages, I ask that you refer to “panels.” For example, if I refer to 7,2 that would mean page 7, panel 2 (the one featuring Bruce in his classroom).

Here are some terms to consider and some relevant panels:

Words and pictures (obviously…) Panels and gutters [7,2 or L2,2 is a panel. The words “It was his passion” appear in the “gutter” between panels.]

Foregrounds, middle-grounds and backgrounds Symbols and texts [Take a look at 57,1 [Examples appear on almost every page. or L62,1.Bechdel directly shows readers 5,3 or L11,3 are good places to start. the exact words from the dictionary.]

Zoom in or zoom out Moving the camera

[See all of page 23 or L29. If you were filming this,

where would the “camera” be? How often would you need to move it?]

Sequences and non-sequitors Speech bubbles and text boxes

[We’ve discussed “sequence.” A non-sequitor [See 3,1 or L9,1.When she says “Uhoh!”

is a sudden and at times confusing sequence. that’s a “speech bubble.” When she

See page 105 or L109, as the scene shifts the time and place says, “In our particular reenactment…,”

very suddenly.] that’s a textbox. A “textbox” often works like “interior monologue.”]

Centers and margins Fonts and Fonts and Fonts

[Most “pages” have a top and bottom. See pages 100-01 [See 48-49 or 142-43. Gatsby

What was the first thing you read? And the features one font for the whole book.

second or third? ] Graphic texts change fonts often.]

SOME OTHER EXAMPLES TO TRY: pages 63 or 67-68, 120 or 124, 134 or 138, 140—144..

ENG 30 Notes on Chapter One of Fun Home

Please take a look these pairs of pages.

14-15 or L 20-21.

16-17 or L 22-23.

20-21 or L 26-27.

22-23 or L28-29.

Then please explain what these pages tell a reader about the relationship between Bruce (the father) and his family. Please do more than just explain the pictures. What are some significant words, phrases, and/or sentences, and why do they matter?

Remember what we just reviewed about the “page.” How does Alison Bechdel make certain choices as she arranges these pages?

ENG 30: Fun Home and the idea of a “proper burial”

A “eulogy” is generally a speech given at a memorial service. In most cases, the speaker(s) will tend to present a kind and complimentary version of someone’s life; any seriously troublesome parts of a person’s life are usually mentioned in passing (or not at all). Sometimes this requires a reliance on various family generated “fictions."

This is NOT the plan for Bechdel’s book. So let’s try to figure out a few things about Bruce—how might one write his “eulogy?”

==There is a “public” version of Bruce. What might the people in his small town know about him that might deserve some praise? Note pages and panels!

==You do not have to read far into the book to learn that Bruce is far from an ideal husband and father. What are some examples of this?

==There is a hidden version of Bruce’s life, and Alison uses quite a bit of figurative language to describe how Bruce’s life reads like “fiction.” Please note a few of these descriptions.

==At the end of the chapter, Alison responds with “sheer violence” to something that has been placed on her father’s gravesite. Find out what it was!

Please consider this question:

In what ways can an “autobiography” ( not just something biographical like a eulogy) become “fictional?” We will see the complications when Alison starts writing a very detailed and at times confusing “diary.” (You can use your answer for the paper on “A Proper Burial.”)

And consider this one as well:

Writers and artists and directors have often been fascinated by “anti-heroes.” What complications might arise if one decides to create a text about an “anti-hero” who is also one’s PARENT? (There is also a paper topic on “Anti-Heros.”)

ENG 30: Fun Home as a “House Full of Books”

We began this semester by discussing essays by Isabel Allende and President Barack Obama. Both of them found inspiration in reading, since books helped to clarify and strengthen their own identities, their family connections, and their understanding of the world.

So let’s take a close look at these pages from Fun Home. Who is reading what—and why might that matter? By the way, you might be unfamiliar with some of the texts mentioned here. Don’t let that slow you down too much. Please take a brief look at the notes I gave you about each page—and try to focus on how reading books is often a social act in which people are trying to share ideas.

74–75

82—83

164–166

198—199

204—205

I’m a Duke freshman. Here’s why I refused to read ‘Fun Home.’

It's not about being uncomfortable. It's about being asked to do something that I think is immoral.

Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University in Durham, N.C.

By Brian Grasso August 25, 2015

1==As a Christian, I knew that my beliefs and identity would be challenged at a progressive university like Duke.

2==My first challenge came well before I arrived on campus, when I learned that all first years were assigned “Fun Home,” a graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. The book includes cartoon drawings of a woman masturbating and multiple women engaging in oral sex.

3==After researching the book’s content and reading a portion of it, I chose to opt out of the assignment. My choice had nothing to do with the ideas presented. I’m not opposed to reading memoirs written by LGBTQ individuals or stories containing suicide. I’m not even opposed to reading Freud, Marx or Darwin. I know that I’ll have to grapple with ideas I don’t agree with, even ideas that I find immoral.

4==But in the Bible, Jesus forbids his followers from exposing themselves to anything pornographic. “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart,” he says in Matthew 5:28-29. “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.” This theme is reiterated by Paul who warns, “flee from sexual immorality.”

5==I think there is an important distinction between images and written words. If the book explored the same themes without sexual images or erotic language, I would have read it. But viewing pictures of sexual acts, regardless of the genders of the people involved, conflict with the inherent sacredness of sex. My beliefs extend to pop culture and even Renaissance art depicting sex.

6==I’m well aware that my ethics make me an anomaly on campus, in contemporary culture and even among many professing Christians. However, my principles come primarily from my understanding of the Bible, which I have read multiple times, studied weekly in community for the last seven years, and consider to be the Word of God.

7==I don’t believe my position will limit my exposure to essential lessons in history, philosophy or literature. I assume that having to view graphic images of sex for a class will be rare. If it does happen, I will avoid any titillating content and encourage like-minded students to do the same. And I believe professors should warn me about such material, not because I might consider them offensive or discomforting, but because I consider it immoral.

8==Still, if my academic experience at Duke is full of thought-provoking stimuli other than pictures of sexual acts, it’s hard for me to believe that it will be incomplete. I decided to post about my decision on the Duke Class of 2019 Facebook page to comfort those with similar beliefs. I knew that my decision wouldn’t be well-received. How could it in a country where, according to one study, more than three-quarters of American men between 18 and 24 years old have viewed pornography within the past month.

9==But though many students denounced my decision publicly, almost 20 people privately messaged me, thanking me for my post. I received many messages from Christians, but a message from a Muslim man stood out. The man, currently a sophomore at Duke, wrote, “I’ve seen a lot of people who just throw away their identity in college in the name of secularism, open-mindedness, or liberalism.” Is this really what Duke wants? Cultural pluralism will lose its value if students aren’t allowed to follow their beliefs, even if they are conservative. Without genuine diversity, intellectual dialogue and growth are stifled.

10==I recognize, of course, that Christians on campus and throughout the country have an important responsibility, too. We need to learn how to dialogue across differences. Over the past couple of days, I have received many encouraging messages from a new friend, who considers herself bisexual and a Buddhist. She and I became friends after she saw my Facebook post. Instead of criticizing me, she asked me to explain my beliefs. I, in turn, asked her to explain the Buddhist perspective on sexuality. This is how diversity is supposed to work. We each shared our perspective, and walked away from the conversation with a deeper understanding and compassion for each other. That is what college is really about.

SOME SAMPLES FOR THE TOPIC

“ADAPTATIONS”

HINT: The basic idea here is to notice how one “text” (namely a panel or sequence of panels from Fun Home) is transformed into other texts (namely, a transcript of the lyrics with visual imagery, or a song, or a stage adaptation, and so on). In a few cases, the original text is changed quite a bit. In what ways? What might be significant about these changes? Did you find that these changes provided you with any more insight into Bruce or Alison or the themes of Fun Home?

Let’s consider four songs from the musical version:

1===“Changing My Major to Joan”—based on page 80 (also see pages 50 and 81). Brian Grasso would not approve…look back at his article.

LYRICS / SONG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzLVpxt07lA

STAGE ADAPTATION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZZcpWlqeZw

2==“Days and Days”—based on pages 16-17, 32-34, 70-73, 173-74, 216-217 (and a few others). This adaptation “conflates” different parts of the book—it’s Helen’s cri du coeur (cry of the heart).

LYRICS / SONG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VSzJaa-gQ8

STAGE ADAPTATION WITH COMMENTARY:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcAqCMCohto

NOTE: The singer/actress refers to an “11:00 song.” That’s theater jargon for a song that serves as a climax of the show.

3===“Ring Of Keys”—see pages 117-119

LYRICS / SONG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHk3o_Yqzzg

STAGE ADAPTATION BY THE FUN HOME CAST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAuesRJm1E

**A STUNNING A CAPELLA ARRANGEMENT DONE BY A HIGH SCHOOL CHORUS:

http://kitschmix.com/new-ring-keys-powerful-video-celebration-glaads-spirit-day/

4== “Telephone Wire” —based on pages 220—221:

LYRICS / SONG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_US4P9zPQQ

STAGE ADAPTATION:

https://search.aol.com/aol/video?q=fun+home+telephone+wire+scene&s_it=video-ans&sfVid=true&videoId

**The video quality for this is NOT very good—but if you review it, make sure to check the exchange between them starting after 3:30.