That which is visible bears a certain privilege, for in its visibility, it harbors the potential for publicity through its introduction into some realm of discourse. The result is newly produced knowledge, whose origins are derived from some aspect of the world that was once merely visible. Scott discusses the manners in which historians have used such knowledge as a basis of evidential foundation throughout their work. This has served as a traditional method of documentation within the disciplinary framework of producing historical knowledge. However, employing such means as a method of deriving evidence within this particular sphere of academia is not devoid of several notable criticisms.
Scott notes the limitations within such a means of this style of producing knowledge. The rhetorical treatment of evidence has been used to fabricate prevailing interpretations of the foreground of the evidence itself (Scott, 399). The representations of said evidence are therefore blurred, for the preceding social conditions that set the foundation for the construction of subjects that have stories cited as historical evidence are left invisible. The social and structural positions of the lives portrayed through conventional history go unaccounted, and representations are left devoid of analyses of the social conditions that foreground the individuality and collectivity of experiences. Reverting back to the notion of visibility, access into historical chronicles simmers in a place of privilege, for “knowledge is gained through vision; vision is a direct apprehension of a world of transparent objects…the visible is privileged; writing is then put at its service” (398).
Those denied such access to the chronological record are then left outside of the historical accounts laced through conventional discourse. However, those historians seeking to revamp discourse by making visible the lives of those who have been discursively marginalized. Embarking on such “rescue missions” is a political act undertaken by scholars seeking to uncover the stories of those “hidden from history”. However, this is not devoid of the politics of visibility outlined by Scott. The film, Persepolis engages with Scott’s critique of visuality in that it complicates notions of experience. Rather than attempting to “save” a group of people, Satrapi and Paronnaud tell the story of one girl through the juxtaposition of memories of the prevailing political climate of the temporality. By positioning the film through the story of Marjane as the point of reference, the homogenization of experiences is complicated by the very nature of the story told, for the framework underscores the individuality that permeates every level of experience. However, the social conditions in Iran resulting from the political turmoil cultivate a sort of solidarity among citizens, alluding to the notion that one’s experience is shaped through social construction. Rather than seeking to “rescue” the erasure of a collective body of stories shaped by the social conditions of the revolution, Persepolis flows through an individual account of a girl with a unique story. Marjane’s identity is complex, as it is woven through different places and rooted in a privileged socioeconomic position. Her experience is shaped by the factors that build the foundation for her own social positioning, but it is also carved out of the social conditions faced by her fellow Iranian citizens. Factors such as race, class, and gender are touched upon throughout the film, and in mentioning the relevance of such factors to the courses of lives, the diversification of experience is teased into the film.
Rather than taking for granted assumed notions of historical homogeneity, the positioning of the story along the lines of the course of one human life allows for the feelings, thoughts, interpretation, and memories that are so intrinsic to humanity to shine through. History is not portrayed as an objective site of “knowledge”, but rather, a multilayered phenomenon shaped through social conditions, but ultimately embodied by lives of real people. Real emotions, complex identities, familial politics, and love are interlaced into Persepolis’ account of history, therefore reflecting a more accurate account of how history is experienced through bodies and lives. This film does not try to tell the tale of an entire country of people, but rather, it explores the complexity of one story. This factor unifies the many stories sharing similarities with Marjane’s upon the point of exploration of the endlessly multilayered aspects overlapping throughout an individual’s experience.
The tactics of film emphasize the dynamism of the story through the employment of different mediums. In Persepolis, Marjane uses television as a means for escape during her moments of depression. Numb and off-center in her life, this easy escape from reality is reflected in her mindless watching of television. This medium enters the film once again when dissatisfaction brews within the marriage of the unhappy couple, and Marjane’s husband escapes the marital issues by watching Terminator play on the television screen. Desire for white hyper-masculinity is reflected in his gaze towards the television. Television therefore serves as a medium for expressing a monotony and discontentment at certain moments in an individual’s life.
Theater and drama play a role in foregrounding a platform upon which individual and collective experiences are played out. The explanation of the relationship between British and Iranian governmental relations way portrayed through a frame resembling a stage, and the governmental figures involved appeared as puppets. Satirically mimicking “puppet regimes”, this use of theatrical references also recount a brief background of some of the governmental relationships, impacting social conditions that shaped the political climate. These conditions are inextricably linked to the experiences that would shape, and be shaped by people.
The autobiographical graphic novel is a unique medium for telling a story, but it allows for mediums of multilayered emotions to shine through a story. This technique is also reflected in the tragicomic, Fun Home, which recounts the story of her childhood and family life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fun_Home
Jeni Haines
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Your comparison to Fun Home makes me want to go back and read more of Bechdel's series; what I reviewed online, however, jogged my memory enough to realize there are some notable similarities between the two texts, especially in their use of visual media within the framing of the main narrative. The production quality, in terms of research, attention to detail, and the sparse artistry of the graphics themselves echo each other; Bechdel's tale is, like Sartrapi's, one woman's look back on the trials and tribulations of her youth and her subsequent transition into adulthood. What I noticed, after your discussion of Sartrapi's use of various visual mediums within her film (and, presumably, her graphic novel), was Bechdel's similar attention to visual mediums within frames of her graphic novels. Both pay close attention to the visual texts of what we might term "everyday life", such as signs, billboards, photographs, and performances; this results in the viewer feeling much more immersed in the memories being recounted within the narrative, thus making it feel more relatable and "real". In the making of Persepolis videos we viewed, we also saw the painstaking work the crew of animators/tracers/etc. engaged in to retain accurate renderings of Sartrapi's vision; similarly, in your link, we see Bechdel's meticulous recreations of her memories, based on photographic research.
ReplyDelete