Graphic Novels

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Graphic Novels

• Julianne Beall
• Assistant Editor, DDC
• Library of Congress
• Saturday, January 15, 2005
• ALA MW Boston

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http//www.oclc.org/dewey/discussion/

• Graphic Novels in DDC Discussion Paper
• Supplement to Graphic Novels in DDC
• Draft schedule 741.5 Cartoons, caricatures,
  comics, graphic novels, fotonovelas available for
  testing
• Comments and suggestions by March 31, 2005

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Previous Discussion and Advice

• Oral discussion and advice from librarians and
  members of publishing community
• 20 written responses to written discussion papers
  (some individual responses, some group responses)
• Unfortunately, people disagree about important
  issues

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741.5 vs. 800

• For 741.5 8
• For 800 7
• Mixed response 2
• No response 3

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741.5 vs. 800 (continued)

• The obvious tension of intent' with graphic
  novels, i.e., their intent is both literary and
  artistic
• When narrative is presented primarily visually,
  or when graphics and text are equally important,
  prefer 700 over 800

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700 vs. 800

• The same preference for 700 holds for a
  combination of
• music and literature
• acting and literature
• dancing and literature

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700 vs. 800 (continued)

• First of two rule
• 700 The arts Fine and decorative arts
• . . . for literature, see 800

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700 vs. 800 Examples

• Shakespeare, Othello 822.33
• Stage production 792.92
• Verdi, Otello 782.1
• Stage production 792.542
• Orson Welless film, The Tragedy of Othello, the
  Moor of Venice (adaptation of Shakespeares
  Othello) 791.4372

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All Kinds Together vs. Separate Categories

• For all kinds together 6
• Impossible to make workable distinctions
• For separate categories 5
• No response 9

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Suggestions from Respondents Suggestion A 2
Categories

• Cartoons comics that form a narrative
• Cartoons comics that do not form a narrative

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Suggestion B 3 Categories

• Single panel cartoons/caricatures
• Comic strips that are the graphic equivalent of
  brief prose anecdotes
• Graphic stories, including those originally
  published serially in comic strip or comic book
  form, those originally published in a single
  volume, and those originally published serially
  as a series of volumes"

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Suggestion C 4 Categories

• Single-moment representations (caricatures)
• Comics (serials publications in which neither
  the beginning nor the end point of the story
  informs the current episode in hand)

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Suggestion C 4 Categories (continued)

• Comic strips (single-movementjoke,
  thoughtexpositions that may be republished in a
  collection but which collection forms no
  overarching arc of development of characters or
  plot)
• All formal narrativesbe they traditional
  prose-only novels, graphic novels, or verse
  novels

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741.5 Cartoons, caricatures, comics, graphic
novels, fotonovelas

• Standard subdivisions are added for any or all
  topics in heading
• Class here comic strips, comic books
• But notation 741.54-.57 left open for possible
  future development of specific categories

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Fiction and Nonfiction Graphic Novels Manual Note

• Work presented as essay, textbook, journalistic,
  biographical, or autobiographical account of
  nonfiction topic if in doubt, prefer the number
  for the topic in 001-999
• Work that uses techniques of fiction writing to
  tell story of actual people and events if in
  doubt, prefer 741.5

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741.51 Techniques . . . .

• Class here comprehensive works
• Class techniques, procedures, apparatus,
  equipment, materials used for special aspects in
  741.53

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741.53 Special aspects . . .

• Class here genres
• Class single works and collections of works
  regardless of genre in 741.59

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741.59 Historical, geographic, persons treatment
formerly 741.509

• Class here single works and collections of works
  development, description, critical appraisal
• Class works of description and critical appraisal
  that focus on a specific aspect and are not
  limited to an individual artist or writer with
  the aspect in 741.53, e.g., critical appraisal of
  superhero comics 741.5352

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741.59 Subarrangement by Country Manual Note

• Use notation for country where first published
  for individual works where multiple hands (e.g.,
  writers, pencilers, inkers, colorists, letterers)
  have contributed to the final work
• Use notation for country of the artist or writer
  for collections that feature the work of a
  particular artist or writer

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741.59 Subarrangement by Country Manual Note
(continued)

• If in doubt, try to determine which country's
  cultural tradition the work was originally aimed
  at, and use the notation for that country
• If still in doubt, prefer notation for the
  country that comes later in Table 2

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Special Collections Outside DDC

• Fic or F Fiction
• TEEN GN
• GN for adult readers
• No consistent pattern local experimentation