MAUS en serieanalys : Grafiska romaners och mikrohistorians potential i pedagogisk verksamhet

The purpose of this study is to conduct an analysis of the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman. The analysis is focused on the form of the graphical novel, the history that is conveyed and how that history is conveyed. I will present a series of previous studies made around comics, their form, and use in school. The questions in my analysis are based on these earlier studies. The history that is communicated in Maus is then compared with a developed textbook for high school students. This is to investigate what potential didactic function a graphic novel can have in teaching history for high school students. My three main questions in this study examines what history of the Holocaust is conveyed in the graphical novel Maus and how is that history conveyed? What history of the holocaust is conveyed in Perspektiv på historien, a traditional textbook for high school, students, and how is that history conveyed? Finally, I will use the results of these two questions to answer the final question. What potential didactic function Maus can have in teaching history for high school students? My results are then discussed with regard to previous studies that I’ve previously presented. My results show that the story that is presented in Maus is largely the same as the one that is conveyed in Perspektiv på historien. The essential difference between these two materials for teaching lies in the form, but primarily the perspective. By allowing students to share the individual story, the microperspective of Maus, they can get a complementary individual perspective to the otherwise wide-ranging story presented in Perspektiv på historien. The form also allows a class to discuss questions about the holocaust, such as morality, ethics etc., The individual perspective and the form of the graphic novel opens up a classroom climate, where all students can feel that they are included