Notes on Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

Introduction

• Persepolis offers a lot of value to readers.
• Investigating value centers around theme.
• Themes explored include:
  • Repression
  • Social control
  • Revolution
  • Marxism
  • Family
  • Mental health
  • Social class
  • History
  • Imagination
  • Cultural identity
  • Drug use and abuse
  • Marriage
  • Sexuality
  • Memory
  • Resistance
  • Growing up
  • Gender
  • Religion
  • Violence
  • War
  • Justice
  • Education
  • Middle East region
  • Patriarchy
  • Torture
  • Tradition
  • Forgiveness

Understanding Themes

• Key question: What is Satrapi saying about these subjects?
• Literature helps us understand the human condition.
• Consider how themes relate to personal experiences (e.g., family, sexuality, justice).

Authorial Choices and Format

• Persepolis is a graphic memoir: true stories drawn from Satrapi's life.
• Key authorial choices include:
  • Black and White: choice impacts reader's experience.
  • Verbal Narration: voice looks back on events, providing perspective.
  • Character vs. Narrator Knowledge: the narrator knows outcomes that characters do not.

Marjane Satrapi's Life

• Born in 1969, experienced the Islamic Revolution at age 10 (1979).
• Sent to Europe at 13-14 during the Iran-Iraq War.
• Wrote Persepolis in 2002 at age 30, providing a retrospective perspective.

Narrative Techniques

• Dialogue: used to express character interaction.
• Visual Storytelling: images convey deeper meanings.
• Juxtaposition: comparison made through placement of images.
• Montage: combines multiple images to create an effect.

Structure and Composition

• Structure is significant in graphic narratives.
• Key considerations:
  • Panel placement and number.
  • Dominance of images and characters.
  • Framing: how images are positioned impacts interpretation.
  • Contrast and Balance: important to note how images relate to one another.

Conclusion

• Analyze imagery and structure to extract meaning from Persepolis.
• Consider the overall composition and how it contributes to themes and reader interpretation.
• Discussion will continue in subsequent sessions.