Massey Documents by Type

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    This was not a comic : a critical and creative investigation into the narrative strengths of comics presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Creative Writing at Massey University, Albany, Aotearoa
    (Massey University, 2018) Black, Tara Elizabeth
    Comics can be a difficult medium to classify. They come in so many shapes and sizes: strip cartoons, separate issues of superhero comics, and even the stand-alone, book-length narratives which have come to be called ‘graphic novels.’ The critical component of this MCW thesis does not seek so much to classify comics as to look at the narrative strengths of the medium through the lens of their influence on the author, in particular, as both a comics consumer and creator. The particular combination of words and pictures in sequence that characterises comics has the power to play with an audience’s sense of time, visual metaphor, and reality through repetition and closure. It is these three aspects of the form that both the critical (roughly 30%) and creative (70%) components of this Masters of Creative writing seek to explore. The creative component of this MCW is a graphic novel in the style of a diary comic called This Is Not a Pipe. It explores how visual metaphor and repetition in comics can complicate the reader’s sense of the reality of the narrative. It is highly recommended that you read this work first for the exegesis in the critical essay to make sense. The critical component, ‘This Was Not a Comic’ is in two parts. The first half analyses Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes, Dylan Horrock’s Hicksville, and Eleanor Davis’s You & a Bike & a Road in order to identify certain of the specific narrative qualities of comics. The second part is an explanation of how This Is Not a Pipe actually became a comic, rather than the novel it was originally intended to be, and the creative consequences of this decision.
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    Forced displacement : a graphic representation : an exegesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design at the College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Marin Lora, Francisco Jose
    Forced displacement is one of the most difficult social problems affecting Colombia. This project focuses on exploring the realities of internal forced displacement through the mediums of sequential storytelling and graphic narrative. In addition to telling the individual stories of those intimately involved in and affected by the violence, the villagers and the perpetrators, the research project sets out to explore the Rashomon effect through a range of characters and perspectives. By bearing witness through the Rashomon effect, and the spatio-temporal language of graphic narrative, I aim to show both sides of Colombia's story of forced displacement, and how they eventually led to the reconciliation of both parties in the conflict. Reconciliation is a significant part of the current construction of the social fabric in Colombia. It is important that this project contributes to the collective memory of Colombia by arguing that violence is not the answer in any circumstance, rather, it has serious consequences for society and the country's future.
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    Tusitala : teller of tales : exploring graphic representations of diasporic poetry for engaging Pasifika youth : an exegesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design, Massey University College of Creative Arts, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Flanagan, Vaughan Tangiau
    While many high achievers come from the Pasifika community, current research into New Zealand secondary schools has identified a literacy gap between students from Pasifika backgrounds and those from other ethnic groups (Telford & Tuomu’a, 2013). The findings highlight the need to investigate engaging and culturally-responsive methods for strengthening the literacy outcomes of Pasifika students. Tusitala – teller of tales aims to explore graphic narrative as a sequential storytelling method for the engagement, education and empowerment of Pasifika youth. Graphic narrative is used as an umbrella term by comic theorists to describe narrative work in the medium of graphic novels, and comics. The project is contextualised within an existing body of research into the effectiveness of graphic narratives as multimodal texts, for engaging reluctant and struggling readers. Positioned primarily as a practice-based design investigation into the potential of graphic narrative for educational outcomes, the project is further underpinned by pedagogical and sequential art theories. As a subset of this project, poetry from Pasifika authors is highlighted for its particular role in reflecting the identity and experiences of Pasifika youth today. The resulting design investigation applies both a formal analysis of graphic narrative works and textual analysis of four poems from contemporary Pasifika poets. These poems are then synthesised into a set of large posters that draw artistic influence from both Western and Indigenous precedents. The resulting set contributes to a growing body of work that reflects Pacific diasporic identity in New Zealand.