Arianna Lechan

Bio: Arianna Lechan is an academic researcher from Wellesley College. The author has contributed to research in topics: Vetting & Collection development. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 6 citations.

Not Your Mom's Graphic Novels: Giving Girls a Choice Beyond Wonder Woman

Abstract: Libraries should not lack a comprehensive graphic novel collection, representing all readers in a healthy and respectful manner. As professionals, librarians have the skills and resources to discover new and interesting graphic novel titles. Certain standards are required to reinforce and defend our choices and best to serve our entire community. To assist librarians in critiquing and expanding their graphic novel collections, in this article the authors provide criteria for “vetting” the new female protagonist, looking for positive female role models who will appeal to all audiences and earn a secure place in public and school library graphic novel collections.

A Critical Content Analysis of the Representation and Portrayals of Females in YALSA Award-Winning Science Comics, 2002-2017: A Feminist Perspective

Abstract: According to the results from the 2015 NAEP science exam, female students in 12 grade scored an average of 5 points lower than males, indicating continual stagnation since 2009. Research indicates one of the ways schools can positively impact the self-confidence and interest in science for female learners is through equitable representation and healthy portrayals of women doing science (Kimmel, 1999). In addition, studies have indicated the positive role comics and graphic novels play in student learning, academic performance, and identity development in the academic sciences (Özdemir, 2010; Hosler & Boomer, 2011). With the increasing popularity of graphic literature in the classroom, this study critically examined the representation and portrayals of females in award-winning science comics and graphic novels. Framed in critical feminism and relational learning theory, the text and illustrations of YALSA award-winning comics/graphic novels were analyzed using a coding scheme created using the deductive and inductive approaches to qualitative content analysis. The findings of this qualitative content analysis revealed females were underrepresented in YALSA award-winning science comics in the total number of frames. However, healthy depictions of female characters were revealed in half of the sample with the presence of counter stereotypes, positive selfidentity, personal development, and the relational approach to learning. Overall, this study indicated there remains a need for increased representation of females in science comics.

What about young adult non-fiction?: profiling the young adult memoir

Abstract: Despite significant scholarly interest in the genre of memoir, the young adult memoir – as a subset of both young adult writing and the memoir more generally – has attracted far less attention. This introductory study understands the young adult memoir as a form of both life writing and creative writing. As a frame to the discussion, it outlines the history of scholarship and interest in young adult non-fiction, and then surveys a number of examples of the contemporary young adult memoir in order to provide a preliminary narrative profile of the form. This includes texts written for young adults by both adult and younger authors, as well as crossover texts. In identifying some common and more unusual subjects and narrative styles and forms, as well as remarking on the voice utilised in these texts, this article posits that the young adult memoir can be described as a distinct subset of both young adult and life writing texts and is, therefore, worthy of further detailed investigation in terms of these categories, providing a attempt at a preliminary classification of the form.

An examination of portrayals of smoking in graphic novels/comic books: A picture is worth a thousand words

Abstract: Introduction Smoking continues to extract an unacceptably high toll in Ireland in terms of both mortality and morbidity. Therefore, attention needs to focus on examining pro-smoking influences on teenagers and young adults, as most smokers start smoking before the age of 21 years. Given that this critical period is one of identity formation and assertion of adulthood, it is useful to look at media representation of smoking. One form of increasingly pervasive media that may require further examination is that of the portrayal of smoking in graphic novels. The broad appeal of graphic novels has been well noted, particularly to those aged under 35 years. Methods This research examined a random selection of ten graphic novels chosen from the main library in a provincial Irish City. The novels were examined on a panel-by-panel basis for images of smokers. Smokers were coded by gender. Results Analysis identified a total of 526 panels depicting smoking. Substantial variation was noted in the number of smoking images between novels, varying from 0 to 267. A dramatic difference in the number of male to female smokers was observed, the ratio being approximately 17:1. Conclusions Graphic novels must be considered as a potentially significant source of portrayals of smoking to adolescent and young adult readers of this form of literature.

Touch Me/Don’t Touch Me: Representations of Female Archetypes in Ann Nocenti’s Daredevil

Abstract: In the late 1980s, Ann Nocenti became the principle writer on the Marvel comic book, Daredevil, the second woman to be lead creator on the book and the first to write a significant run on an ongoing basis. Nocenti integrated themes relating to social justice, violence and the treatment of children into the narrative. She also shone the spotlight on the supporting female cast members in a way that was original and refreshing. In this article, Nocenti’s challenging of feminine archetypes, such as the housewife, the temptress and the Barbie Doll, reflects ideas of mutable identities, promoted by second-wave feminism. Examining her writing of Karen Page, Typhoid Mary, Brandy Ash and Number Nine, this article argues that, despite the comic centring around a male superhero and with a predominantly male readership, Nocenti succeeds in introducing a more nuanced picture of women and pre-empting some of the changes in the promotion of female characters now apparent in the industry.

Tension, Sensation, and Pedagogy: Depictions of Childhood’s Struggle in Saga and Paper Girls

Abstract: Science fiction is untethered by assumptions of how people, things, and environments should act. The perceptions and portrayals of childhood in two science fiction comic series, Saga and Paper Girls , provide engagements with affective encounters. Attention to these encounters and the disruptive portrayals of childhood encourages the exploration of the pedagogic potential of sensation. Comics, as a genre, and childhood in each series inhabit ambiguity: comics blur the boundaries of popular culture objects and “properly” educative materials, while the younger characters in Saga and Paper Girls are not quite adult or child, nor innocent or monster. An examination of Chapters 1 through 48 of Saga and Issues 1 through 18 of Paper Girls reveals approaches to engaging sensations of tension and discomfort. Using affect and new materialism as guiding frameworks for this examination of two comic series, it is possible to sift through the provocations of affect suggested by interaction with the material comic itself and the meanings this exploration holds for reconsidering educational habits.