The Arrival by Shaun Tan: Analysis of Words and Image in the Book
Literature is a textually transmitted disease, normally contracted in childhood”
Word and Image in Shaun Tans The Arrival
As a reader we are evidently drawn firstly to a book who’s title and/or image on the cover excites us. Adult Fiction is evidently presented in the form of a novel but Shaun Tan breaks away from traditional conventions of a novel format, producing texts that inhabit the shape of a picture book, whether including or excluding written language. This has distorted the concept of what is Adult fiction by allowing for the world of a picture book to take hold and present contested social and world issues through the format of images. The Arrival is structured in the format of a picture based text, allowing for audience involvement through each image depicted throughout book. Shaun Tan’s The Arrival contains an affluence of images that depict world issues such as Immigration and colonisation; however no commentary thus far has addressed the depicted image of war. Through the application of Ekphrasis and close reading analyse, I intend to draw attention to the importance image of war plays upon on the audience in relation to the construct of image as language. Ekphrasis can be defined as a graphic, dramatic reading of a visual work, bringing forth the image shown vividly before the reader “Ekphrasis is designed to produce a viewing subject” (Goodhill,2) and “a description of a person, place, even a battle, as well as of a painting or sculpture” (Webb,8) to direct the viewing to educate readers through an intellectual process. Firstly I will comment on previous statements made by critics in relation to Tan’s work and discuss the importance war as an image has in a literary work. Secondly I will analyse illustrations throughout the work that exemplify ‘war’ through the use of literary techniques. Thirdly I will compare The Arrival to the episode Sometimes You Hear the Bullet from the Television show M*A*S*H,
Word and Image in Shaun Tans The Arrival
As a reader we are evidently drawn firstly to a book who’s title and/or image on the cover excites us. Adult Fiction is evidently presented in the form of a novel but Shaun Tan breaks away from traditional conventions of a novel format, producing texts that inhabit the shape of a picture book, whether including or excluding written language. This has distorted the concept of what is Adult fiction by allowing for the world of a picture book to take hold and present contested social and world issues through the format of images. The Arrival is structured in the format of a picture based text, allowing for audience involvement through each image depicted throughout book. Shaun Tan’s The Arrival contains an affluence of images that depict world issues such as Immigration and colonisation; however no commentary thus far has addressed the depicted image of war. Through the application of Ekphrasis and close reading analyse, I intend to draw attention to the importance image of war plays upon on the audience in relation to the construct of image as language. Ekphrasis can be defined as a graphic, dramatic reading of a visual work, bringing forth the image shown vividly before the reader “Ekphrasis is designed to produce a viewing subject” (Goodhill,2) and “a description of a person, place, even a battle, as well as of a painting or sculpture” (Webb,8) to direct the viewing to educate readers through an intellectual process. Firstly I will comment on previous statements made by critics in relation to Tan’s work and discuss the importance war as an image has in a literary work. Secondly I will analyse illustrations throughout the work that exemplify ‘war’ through the use of literary techniques. Thirdly I will compare The Arrival to the episode Sometimes You Hear the Bullet from the Television show M*A*S*H,