Danny

Annotated Bibliography
Changing Minds. (2016). Character types. Retrieved from Changing Minds.Org: http://changingminds.org/disciplines/storytelling/characters/character_types.htm

This resource provided an excellent framework for Characterizations in the Family overview section. This source lists dozens of character types sorted by Sympathetic, Unsympathetic, Neutral, and Ambiguous with full descriptions listed for each character type. This source was useful in further defining the roles that the supporting characters played in Tangles. It wasn’t possible to fit every character into the character roles listed on this site, meaning that it was likely missing some character types. This site is devoted to providing comprehensive insights across a variety of topics with succinct definitions and key terms listed across the disciplines covered. The site does not advertise, and funds operations through donations. The storytelling discipline section of this site is among the most complete with over 250 pages dedicated to everything that has to do with storytelling. This page is just one of those 250. The information from this source was only used to populate the Family Characterizations section.

Cleave, R. V. (2016). Memoir Writing For Dummies. Retrieved from Dummies.com: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/memoir-writing-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

The team at For Dummies (a series of simplified guides published by John Wiley & Sons) created a section of their site devoted to Memoir Writing for Dummies. This source is an excerpt from their larger book, and provides a number of beginner-level insights related to memoir characteristics. The section entitled ‘reader expectations for a memoir’ was used for the wiki analysis of Outstanding Scenes. This section is ambiguous as ‘outstanding’ scenes are open to interpretation. Prior to starting this section, the definition for Outstanding Scenes is taken from the For Dummies excerpt and placed on the Wiki with a link source. Working from the Vivid Scenes definition, we are able to specifically define many crucial moments of the memoir. One major limitation of this source is that the content is only an excerpt from the larger book on memoir writing, meaning that the definitions are limited and likely summarized. The material is authored by Ryan Van Cleave, an award winning American Poet, editor, and creative writing teacher.

Krishna, S. (2014, October 1). SWAPNA KRISHNA. Retrieved from Panels.net: http://panels.net/2014/10/01/my-kryptonite-the-thing-about-graphic-memoirs/

This article written by Swapna Krishna details several graphic memoirs and the use of colour (or the lack of colour) across a number of memoirs. The article explains the effect and outcome of using different colours, and how readers respond to these elements of a memoir. Krishna explains that memoirs with a lack of colour are indicative of imperfect thoughts or feelings on a topic. This knowledge enabled me to assess the deeper meaning behind frames that used blackouts and whiteouts to illustrate despair and reflection. Krishna is the managing editor for Panels.net, and regularly reads and reflects on graphic memoirs and colour. One major weakness of this article is the use of personal opinions across the memoir points. In my analysis, I saw things differently from Krishna, and this influenced my original opinions about the work. There were very few relevant sources that explained colour, and this source also discussed Tangles. As a result of seeing this information, I had to be careful not to use any of Krishna’s ideas in my analysis.

Leavitt, S. (2010). Tangles. Calgary: Freehand Books.

This is the source for the graphic memoir Tangles. Several frames were scanned and cropped into the Wiki for reference purposes and support in illustrating many of the points across site. This source appears across every page in the Technical analysis, as do scanned frames. This source was crucial to the analysis, as the images helped better explain the analysis points. There are no weaknesses to note.

ReadWriteThink.com. (n.d.). Graphic Novel/Comics Terms and Concepts. Retrieved from Read Write Think: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1102/terms.pdf

This source was used extensively in the Images section of the Technical analysis, as the PDF provides several examples of literary terms and concepts for analyzing a graphic novel or comic. Many of the headings from this PDF appeared in the Images section, such as Text, Effects, and Faces. This source also helped with brainstorming new ideas for the Images analysis of Tangles. The source – ReadWriteThink – provides classroom support material and professional development classes for lecturers, making the information on the PDF relevant and valuable, as well as trustworthy. One major weaknesses of the PDF was the limited depth available. The PDF largely served as a jumping off point for other ideas in the analysis. The PDF is authored by the website rather than any particular author, this means there is a chance that other authors may hold different views related to the ‘terms’ cited.

Shaw, A. (2011, July 6). An Introduction to Graphic Novels: Sequences. Retrieved from CloudSpace: http://www.cloudscapecomics.com/2011/07/06/an-introduction-to-graphic-novels-sequences/

This source provided the details needed to complete the Action section of the Technical analysis. Anise Shaw explains 5 types of graphic novel sequence design, and they include moment to moment; action to action; subject to subject; scene to scene; and aspect to aspect. Although these five types were not specifically used in the technical analysis, they greatly informed the scope of ‘action’ when defining different stories in Tangles. The lessons were originally posted on Epidigm.net, but the ideas were reformatted to serve CloudScape – an online community for comic book lovers in BC. Most importantly, one of the more abstract points in the Action analysis - Disconnected Scenes – was a direct result of the ideas covered in this article, and my own interpretation of the meaning. This article has few weaknesses, and covers the core concepts quite well. Examples for each of the sequence sections may have helped bolster the article.

Turner, T. (2008, July 23). The 8 Methods Of Characterization Powerpoint. Retrieved from SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/es99.trish.turner/the-8-methods-of-characterization-powerpoint

This source is a slide share presentation that covers 8 types of characterizations and brief explanations of each. These 8 categories of characterization were used extensively in the analysis of Mariam’s development – the main topic of the memoir. The 8 characterizations were not used directly, instead, many were combined into groups that were easier to explain in depth. This is one major weakness of this source. The list of 8 characterizations have a lot of overlap, and would lead someone to make the same analysis several times for the same character. This is the primary reason for the groupings done in our analysis. The source itself has over a hundred thousand views, making it a very attractive source for many users in the past. Another weakness of this source is the author, who is largely unknown. This does introduce some risk that the opinions are inaccurate, or that the list of characterizations is incomplete. For this reason, the resource was used only for the characterizations, not the deeper explanations behind each.