Study Questions for "Blood in the Gutter," by Scott McCloud

Study Questions for "Blood in the Gutter," by Scott McCloud

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“All$I$ask$of$you$is$a$little$faith,$and$a$world$of$imagination.”$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$::Scott$McCloud.!

NOTE:!!These!are!questions!to!help!you!generate!a!topic!and!thesis!for!your!essay.!!DO'NOT'ANSWER' ALL'OF'THESE'QUESTIONS.!!Pick!one!as!a!starting!point!and!write!your!essay.!!Be!EXTREMELY!specific! in!referring!to!the!reading!and!cite!ALL!sources.!!!

Remember,'establish'an'argument,'not'a'series'of'observations.''I'want'a'VERY'thorough' engagement'with'the'reading.''It'is'ok'to'consider'other'sources,'but'your'main'discussion'shoul' stem'from'and'around'the'reading.''Hypothetical'examples'are'not'acceptable.!

1)!Why!do!you!suppose!McCloud!chose!the!title!"Blood!in!the!Gutter"?!!Be!specific.!

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2)!How!is!this!reading!relevant!to!our!class?!!Be!specific.!

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3)!!“Our!perception!of!‘reality’!is!an!act!of!faith,!based!on!mere!fragments.”!!Of!course!philosophers!

such!as!Plato,!Descartes,!Heidegger!and!more!have!considered!this!very!concept—but!I!want!to!know!

your!thoughts.!!!!McCloud!calls!this!act!'closure'XX!how!is!it!relevant!to!the!ways!we!interact!with!art!

and!visual!culture,!particularly!in!regards!to!time!based!media?!!Be!specific.!

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4)!“The!closure!of!Electronic!media!is!continuous,!largely!involuntary!and!virtually!imperceptible.!!But!

closure!in!comics!is!far!from!continuous!and!anything!but!involuntary!”!!Do!you!agree!with!this!

assessment?!!Why?!!Give!concrete!examples.!

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6)!Form!a!thesis!about!participant!complicity!in!completing!the!scene!of!murder!he!describes!on!page!

10!(68).!!!This!is!a!powerful!conceptXX!allowing!the!reader/viewer!the!power!to!form!closure!

themselves,!rather!than!simply!telling!them.!

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7)!What!do!you!think!about!Scott!McCloud’s!argument!that!the!process!of!placing!two!or!more!images!

together!compels!the!viewer!to!try!and!see!them!as!a!whole,!esp.!if!the!images!are!absolutely!

unrelated?!!!(Consider!the!less!didactic!stop!motion!clips!we!have!seen!in!class!XXi.e.!“Blood!Tea!and!

Red!String”!and!the!“Brothers!Quay”).!!Be!specific.!

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8)!Which!of!the!following!transitions!do!you!find!most!powerful!and!why?!(the!only!‘wrong’!answer!

here!is!one!that!is!simply!not!considered!thoughtfully):!!aspectXtoXaspect,!subjectXtoXsubject!or!nonX

sequitur.!!Are!these!applicable!only!to!comics,!or!do!we!perform!these!type!of!mental!gymnastics!

when!we!watch!electronic!media!as!well?!!Can!you!think!of!an!example?!

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9)!Scott!McCloud!speaks!of!comics!as!an!‘art!of!intervals.’!!Do!you!feel!it!applies!(or!can!apply)!to!other!

forms!of!media!as!well?!!How?!!Why?!!!Be!specific.!

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10)!What!do!you!think!about!McCloud’s!observation!that!what!is!not$in!a!work!of!art!is!often!as!critical! as!what$is!in!a!work!of!art?!!Be!specific.!

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