24 Alan Moore: From Hell
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Monika Pietrzak-Franger
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the work of Alan Moore, one of the most influential British comics creators. Besides offering a meditation on the psychology of crime, From Hell provides an imaginary portrait of Victorian society, explores the origins of the Jack the Ripper myth and documents its tenacious presence. These primary preoccupations dictate a number of issues that are intertwined in the novel: Britishness, Victorian hypocrisy, masculinity and violence, the city as a palimpsestic site of history and memory, the city as a psychological mirror of the protagonist’s mind, and the economic exploitation of women, to mention just a few. In this chapter, I focus on the central theme of the novel, namely, on its exploration of creative and interpretative processes and of the problems inherent in historiography. In this context, the novel can be read as a treatise on the impossibility of arriving at a single historical truth. Its formal properties likewise stress the plurality of perspectives on Jack the Ripper and contribute to the self-reflexive character of the text.
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the work of Alan Moore, one of the most influential British comics creators. Besides offering a meditation on the psychology of crime, From Hell provides an imaginary portrait of Victorian society, explores the origins of the Jack the Ripper myth and documents its tenacious presence. These primary preoccupations dictate a number of issues that are intertwined in the novel: Britishness, Victorian hypocrisy, masculinity and violence, the city as a palimpsestic site of history and memory, the city as a psychological mirror of the protagonist’s mind, and the economic exploitation of women, to mention just a few. In this chapter, I focus on the central theme of the novel, namely, on its exploration of creative and interpretative processes and of the problems inherent in historiography. In this context, the novel can be read as a treatise on the impossibility of arriving at a single historical truth. Its formal properties likewise stress the plurality of perspectives on Jack the Ripper and contribute to the self-reflexive character of the text.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter i
- Editors’ Preface v
- Contents vii
- Comics Studies: Survey of the Field 1
-
Part I: Systematic Aspects
- 1 Comics Terminology and Definitions 11
- 2 History, Formats, Genres 35
- 3 Text-Image Relations 81
- 4 Comics Narratology 99
- 5 Seriality 121
- 6 Adaptation 141
-
Part II: Contexts and Themes
- 7 Politics 167
- 8 World-Building 181
- 9 Life Writing 201
- 10 Gender 219
- 11 Queerness 231
- 12 Science Comics 247
- 13 Postcolonial Perspectives 265
- 14 DocuComics in the Classroom 289
-
15 Superheroes
- 15.1 Historical Overview 311
- The Golden Age: Batman 317
- 15.3 The Silver Age: Nick Fury 331
- 15.4 The Dark Age: Superheroes in the 1980s 343
-
Part III: Close Readings
- 16 Richard F. Outcault: The Yellow Kid 361
- 17 George Herriman: Krazy Kat 379
- 18 Winsor McCay: Little Nemo in Slumberland 387
- 19 Dave Sim: Cerebus 405
- 20 Will Eisner: A Contract with God 431
- 21 Raymond Briggs: When the Wind Blows 451
- 22 Art Spiegelman: Maus 467
- 23 Robert Crumb 481
- 24 Alan Moore: From Hell 499
- 25 Neil Gaiman: The Sandman 513
- 26 Alison Bechdel: Dykes to Watch Out For 529
- 27 Chris Ware: Jimmy Corrigan – The Smartest Kid on Earth 545
- 28 Daniel Clowes: Ghost World 561
- 29 Martin Rowson: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman 573
- 30 Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis 589
- 31 Grant Morrison: Flex Mentallo 601
- Index of Subjects 619
- Index of Names 629
- List of Contributors 635
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter i
- Editors’ Preface v
- Contents vii
- Comics Studies: Survey of the Field 1
-
Part I: Systematic Aspects
- 1 Comics Terminology and Definitions 11
- 2 History, Formats, Genres 35
- 3 Text-Image Relations 81
- 4 Comics Narratology 99
- 5 Seriality 121
- 6 Adaptation 141
-
Part II: Contexts and Themes
- 7 Politics 167
- 8 World-Building 181
- 9 Life Writing 201
- 10 Gender 219
- 11 Queerness 231
- 12 Science Comics 247
- 13 Postcolonial Perspectives 265
- 14 DocuComics in the Classroom 289
-
15 Superheroes
- 15.1 Historical Overview 311
- The Golden Age: Batman 317
- 15.3 The Silver Age: Nick Fury 331
- 15.4 The Dark Age: Superheroes in the 1980s 343
-
Part III: Close Readings
- 16 Richard F. Outcault: The Yellow Kid 361
- 17 George Herriman: Krazy Kat 379
- 18 Winsor McCay: Little Nemo in Slumberland 387
- 19 Dave Sim: Cerebus 405
- 20 Will Eisner: A Contract with God 431
- 21 Raymond Briggs: When the Wind Blows 451
- 22 Art Spiegelman: Maus 467
- 23 Robert Crumb 481
- 24 Alan Moore: From Hell 499
- 25 Neil Gaiman: The Sandman 513
- 26 Alison Bechdel: Dykes to Watch Out For 529
- 27 Chris Ware: Jimmy Corrigan – The Smartest Kid on Earth 545
- 28 Daniel Clowes: Ghost World 561
- 29 Martin Rowson: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman 573
- 30 Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis 589
- 31 Grant Morrison: Flex Mentallo 601
- Index of Subjects 619
- Index of Names 629
- List of Contributors 635
