The Graphic Canon, Vol. 1: From the Epic of Gilgamesh to

The Graphic Canon, Vol. 1: From the Epic of Gilgamesh to Shakespeare to Dangerous Liaisons (The Graphic Canon Series)

THE GRAPHIC CANON (Seven Stories Press) is a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind trilogy that brings classic literatures of the world together with legendary graphic artists and illustrators. There are more than 130 illustrators represented and 190 literary works over three volumesâ€”many newly commissioned, some hard to findâ€”reinterpreted here for readers and collectors of all ages.

Volume 1Â takes us on a visual tour from the earliest literature through the end of the 1700s. Along the way, we're treated to eye-popping renditions of the human race's greatest epics:Â Gilgamesh,Â The Iliad,Â The OdysseyÂ (in watercolors by Gareth Hinds),Â The Aeneid,Â Beowulf,Â andÂ The Arabian Nights, plus later epicsÂ The Divine ComedyÂ andÂ The Canterbury TalesÂ (both by legendary illustrator and graphic designer Seymour Chwast),Â Paradise Lost, andÂ Le Morte D'Arthur. Two of ancient Greece's greatest plays are adaptedâ€”the tragedyÂ MedeaÂ by Euripides and Tania Schragâ€™s uninhibited rendering of the very bawdy comedyÂ LysistrataÂ by Aristophanes (the text of which is still censored in many textbooks). Also included is Robert Crumbâ€™s rarely-seen adaptation of James Boswellâ€™sÂ London Journal, filled with philosophical debate and lowbrow debauchery.

Religious literature is well-covered and well-illustrated, with the Books of Daniel and Esther from the Old Testament, Rick Gearyâ€™s awe-inspiring new rendition of the Book of Revelation from theÂ New Testament, the Tao te Ching, Rumiâ€™s Sufi poetry, Hinduismâ€™sÂ Mahabharata, and the Mayan holy bookÂ Popol Vuh, illustrated by Roberta Gregory. The Eastern canon gets its due, withÂ The Tale of GenjiÂ (the worldâ€™s first novel, done in full-page illustrations reminiscent of Aubrey Beardsley), three poems from Chinaâ€™s golden age of literature lovingly drawn by pioneering underground comics artist Sharon Rudahl, theÂ Tibetan Book of the Dead, a Japanese NohÂ play, and other works from Asia.

Two of Shakespeareâ€™s greatest plays (King LearÂ andÂ A Midsummer Nightâ€™s Dream) and two of his sonnets are here, as are Platoâ€™sÂ Symposium,Â Gulliverâ€™s Travels,Â Candide,Â A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Renaissance poetry of love and desire, andÂ Don QuixoteÂ visualized by the legendary Will Eisner.

Some unexpected twists in this volume include a Native American folktale, an Incan play, Sapphoâ€™s poetic fragments, bawdy essays by Benjamin Franklin, the love letters of Abelard and Heloise, and the decadent French classicÂ Dangerous Liaisons, as illustrated by Molly
Crabapple.

Â
Edited by Russ Kick, The Graphic Canon is an extraordinary collection that will continue with Volume 2: "Kubla Khan" to the Bronte Sisters to The Picture of Dorian Gray in Summer 2012, and Volume 3: From Heart of Darkness to Hemingway to Infinite Jest in Fall 2012. A boxed set of all three volumes will also be published in Fall 2012.
Country USA
Brand Seven Stories Press
Manufacturer Seven Stories Press
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9781609803766
Color Teal/Turquoise green
ReleaseDate 2012-05-22
UnitCount 1
Format Illustrated
EANs 9781609803766

Country	USA
Brand	Seven Stories Press
Manufacturer	Seven Stories Press
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9781609803766
Color	Teal/Turquoise green
ReleaseDate	2012-05-22
UnitCount	1
Format	Illustrated
EANs	9781609803766

The Graphic Canon, Vol. 1: From the Epic of Gilgamesh to Shakespeare to Dangerous Liaisons (The Graphic Canon Series)

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