Graphic Novels

Recently in class we began to study grapic novels. One of the discussion questions we talked about was if we considered graphic novels, or comics, to be literature. I feel that it depends on the individual work. A story such as Maus by Art Spiegelman should be considered literature because it accurately depicts historical events. The drawings only add to the story because they show actions and emotions in a way that would not be possible in a regular novel. An example of this is how Jewish people are drawn as mice while the Nazis are cats. The Sunday comics in comparison should probably not be considered literature. They do not involve the higher level of thinking that Maus does. They are mainly intended for entertainment than to tell a complex story.