Thesis Title:

“Framing Classical Objects through Comic Book Theory”

Personal Statement:

I was originally interested in looking at classical receptions in modern comics. As I began working, however, I became interested in considering whether or not the way we read comics can be applied to classical objects.

Abstract:

The language of comics, their structures, devices, and intricacies are all part an organized system of reading. This system offers a unique mode for reading images in sequence, a mode that can be applied to anything that might constitute “sequential art.” My thesis explores this visual system broadly as it applies to classical objects and texts. The first section of my thesis introduces this system of comic books, while also weaving in examples from comics and from the ancient world. The ancient examples will demonstrate how this mode of reading can be used to examine classical texts and objects. This introduction to the comics system grants context for a subsequent in-depth discussion of two particular ancient objects, the “Capitoline Tablet” and “Trajan’s Column."