Uncategorized – Page 6 – Pop Genres 2020

Week 2 Questions – Tintin

by Rija Faisal

What is the alleged connection between Hergé’s early comics and propaganda?

Tintin, or The Adventures of Tintin, is a comic series by the Belgian cartoonist Herge. Tintin is the titular protagonist of the series. He is a reporter and an adventurer who travels around the world with his dog Snowy.

Known by the pen name Herge, the creator of Tintin, Georges Prosper Remi, was born in 1907 in Belgium. He began his career by contributing illustrations to Scouting magazines. He developed his first comic series, The Adventures of Totor, for Le Boy – Scout Belge in 1926. Working for Le Vingtieme Siecle, a conservative Catholic newspaper, Herge created The Adventures of Tintin in 1929.

The early installments of the Tintin comic series – Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin in America and Tintin in Congo – were designed as conservative propaganda.

Herge’s work on the wartime newspaper (Le Soir), which was controlled by the Nazi administration, is well documented, as is the fact that some of his earlier Tintin comics spread far-right ideas to children. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and Tintin in Congo are among the most controversial, with Tintin in the Land of the Soviets being so direct in its anti-communist propaganda that in later years, Herge would try to suppress its publication. In Tintin in Congo, Tintin travels to his country’s former colony and is depicted as “civilizing” the native people ( the natives are portrayed with a combination of racism and inferiority, as stupid and lazy people) and dispensing his “white man’s” knowledge to the natives.

In another Tintin story ( The Shooting Star, about a European expedition to recover a meteorite from the Arctic ) the rival expedition is portrayed as America and it is funded by a greedy Jewish financier named Bluemnstein. He was depicted as a stereotypical Jewish villain. In later editions, Bluemenstein was renamed Bohlwinkel and he came from the fictional country of Sao Rico. The story painted an anti-Semitic caricature that remained even in later years.

References

(20 November, 2017). Why Tintin illustrations by Politically Controversial Herge Break the 1m Mark Artlyst.com. Retrieved from: https://www.artlyst.com/tintin-illustrations-politically-controversial-herge-break-1m-mark/

Week 3 : What gaps are there in Herge’s representation of women?

The Adventures of Tintin, though widely popular and loved by many generations has faced serious criticism for racial and ethnic chauvinism. Infact, in Herge’s early comics, his affiliation with right wing propaganda and fascism has also been scrutinized by contemporary critics. While these are very important issues and their discussion promotes the step towards equality and the decrease of stigma and stereotypes, the issue of gender in Tintin albums hasn’t been mentioned in many critical discussions.

There are many layers to the discussion of gender in Tintin, including Herge’s portrayal of women, Tintin’s sexuality or lack of, and the representation of gender roles throughout the 20^th century. There is a noticeable absence of women throughout all of the Tintin albums, and there seems to be deliberate reason for this. In the earliest comics, women only appear to be faces in crowds, submerged into the mass of the background. Later on, some women are given space on the page simply as wives of men who appear in the comics, or subordinate, nagging characters who aren’t given any agency. One of Herge’s explanation for this is that he loves women too much to caricature them, and that they cannot be made into comedic characters. This quite obviously suggests that according to his beliefs, there is no equality between the sexes, because if there were, there wouldn’t be a distinction between who can be portrayed as comical and who cannot. Suggesting that he loves women too much to feature them as protagonist like characters with agency points towards the notion that Herge thought of women as weaker than men, and creatures that must be shielded from the world of comedic social commentary. While Herge didn’t demonize women, or make a mockery out of them in a cruel way, he did however perpetuate sexist stereotypes by treating them as submissive background characters who are subordinate to men. Herge’s statement about women and his portrayal of them is hugely problematic because of the various important social movements throughout the time of the albums being published that worked towards the liberation of and emancipation of women. At the time when his racist portrayal of ethnic groups were critiques, he endeavoured to be more politically correct and improve his portrayal of people of colour. At the time of the 1960’s and 1970’s however, when the sexual revolution was unfolding along with the second wave of feminism, Herge failed to change his depiction of women, or change the way he incorporated them in his comics. This proves that he found some issues worthy of paying attention to, and conforming to the waves of social change, while others he wished to view in a traditionalist, chauvinistic way. In conclusion though, gender and sexuality seem to be a complex and sometimes ambivalent issue in the world of Tintin, so that could be a reason for the confusing statements and portrayal of women.

References: Mountfort, P. (2020). Tintin, gender and desire. Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. https://doi.org/10.1080/21504857.2020.1729829

Week 2

Week .2 – Popular Genres : What is the alleged connection between Hergé’s early comics and propaganda?

Herge’s series of Tintin comics are widely popular all over the world, and have been childhood favourites for many generations of the 20^th century. The Adventures of Tintin pioneered the rise and popularity of graphic novels, and will always be appreciated as a classic, however there are quite a few issues which must be discussed in a contemporary light.

When choosing to focus on Herge’s politics, it becomes apparent that he didn’t shy away from expressing his views through his artwork, and there are quite a lot of notions which prove to be problematic. Tintin’s adventures lead him to foreign lands, which served as an opportunity for Herge to imbue his right wing and often racist beliefs. This is more relevant in his earlier comics, especially throughout the 1930’s, a time when fascism and propaganda were at their peak, and the world hung suspended between the first and second world war. The Blue Lotus was the first time Herge chose to close up the gap between othering and shares views which are against imperialism. While this is very interesting in the context of what is problematic and what is not, it is important to focus on the chore of his views and beliefs which lie in his earlier comics.

Tintin in The Land of the Soviets is one of the most propagandistic accounts of Herge’s fascism, as there are many anti Bolshevik insinuations, including negative commentary on communism. Though Herge didn’t publicly speak out about fascism or the Nazi occupation of Belgium, the connotations in his comics speak for themselves. Tintin being portrayed as a hero and overt nationalist definitely point towards fascist and Nazi values. The notion of heroism is associated with leadership which connects to the idea of the ‘fuhrer’. Tintin often visited foreign lands where he acted as superior and took on the role of being heroic, while preaching unmistakably nationalist views.

Tintin in the Congo portrays some of Herge’s most racist and colonialist views, so much so that even he himself believed it to be a mistake of his youth. Though his commentary when asked about the issue is more apologetic about the outcry it caused, rather than the problematic portrayal of African people. His response still held a sense of colonialism as he believed he took on a ‘paternal’ role when depicting the Africans, and that it fits into the social setting of the time. The comic itself is graphically offensive, as much as it is textually, featuring stereotypical and caricaturised drawings of African people. In the story, Tintin looks down upon the tribe he encounters and acts as the great white saviour, who can help the uncivilized population. Congo having been a Belgian colony, Tintin feels the need to educate the Congolese people about their country Belgium, which proves the extent of Herge’s nationalist tendencies. The racist portrayal of ethnic groups is something that Walt Disney was also guilty of ; the connection between animation, cartoons, comics and racism being rather fascinating. Walt Disney was known to be affiliated with the Nazi party, so it isn’t difficult to connect Herge

References: Mountfort, P. (2016). Tintin as Spectacle: The Backstory of a Popular Franchise and Late Capital.

What might the value be of studying them?

To study something is to involve oneself further into the process of it’s future creation.

It is for this reason which the artists and creative imagineers to study popular genres.

To consider or entertain the adhere in conception there is a great value for studying popular genres. To consider or entertain the adhere in conception there is indeed a increasing great value for studying popular genres further into a more commercial society.

As popular genres in general have gained increased inexplicably and conceivably support as something serious, concrete pastime in our 21st century, there is increasing value assigned to society for its academic analysis and further critique.

The value to study stories, narratives are useful to the future fledgling artists and wielders of creativity to further society.

To study popular genres is to become more aware of the social mirror profoundly ornately displayed depiction of reality, the issues found and demonstrated shown and discussed of form through mediums of genres and discourse as creators of imaginations.

Popular genres are a means to continue the intrinsically important point to the art of storytelling, and textually advanced practice more than just entertainment and art- as a profession, a vocation for the meek.

Popular genres has become more vindicated and valorised in the eyes of the public masses.

It has become a means to appreciating opinions on a timeline in a vaster accessible form and manner than historical literature of poetry and epics.

The indicated intrinsic value of studying popular genres a value is more than twofold:

Firstly it allows us to study the incumbent verve of artistic medium of creative fiction in a irrational verve, to reach the sublime symbolical nature that is more than integral part of the collective human character.

Secondly it allows us to further indulge our artistic senses, our minds into intellect to thoughts, perspectives, concepts, ideas and ideologies not considered previously at all.

In a grander contextual thought and expand our horizons to previously inconceivable worlds of socially poignant and presence of forms of concepts readily not available the status quo.

To understand within its obtuse pantheon is to see these words in a individualized socially accessible manner.

To educate oneself and become aware of such worlds with a open mind to critique and pass opinion is becoming more a sacrosanct act.: Such is the collective consciousness of society without barriers, borders or given social bias that study of genres.

They have been accepted in similar means become similarly in tone and context seriously accepted as a way to scrutiny problematized issues and revolutionize further social discourse accessible by anyone willing to challenge the status quo by creation of future content.

For Such mediums to cotninue its agency on the unseen collective mind we have since the inception through genre become taken more seriously as an art form and as a means to allow and celebrated as way to allow critique and perceive changing society issues, motions and views.

To this end, the study of such reflection brings a means to understand and conceive the future.

How has the academic reception of popular genres changed over time?

The Academic reception of popular genres, its study has previously considered as “low art” such as from a postmodernist stance (hereby such exemplified as Herge’s iconic characterization as comic series of Tintin) has from a social perspective has collectively matured and more accessible for the masses and students of academia to a complex science and art.

Since the inception formative birth of social’s movements e.g. of modernism (and towards the realization of the new inclusive verve of the postmodern era) the collective reception of academia towards what is popular in society has allowed us to see and pursuit of seeing the world from further repressed or otherwise unheard, voices of semiotically unique perspectives.

Perspectives especially towards the sought viewpoints of unique non biased cultural and genderism in an inclusive manner.

Examples – Negro/indigenous popualr centered narratives – sometimes exemplified as “Afro-Futurism“ or mainstream novels with female protagonists now being accepted into he mainstream as open and lauded accessible norms have gained substantial popularity in society.

Breaking apart from the central ‘white messiah complex’ are growing parts of woke vibrations towards a future vision of society, which genres are leading towards such realization.

They are also as a furthered trend towards a materialistic technological of all things “understood” in society towards the further conceptual trans-humanization of humanity and civilization, as their influence is felt on the pulse of auto-advertised ( , is another reason why they have become serious, academically pertinent and seen and studied.

Popular genres have from historical antiquities have become also more than just mediums. (exemplified such as stylized depiction of ‘comics’ – “low art”, Anime and the novel) they are an easy yet powerful means to evoke in dpeiction the eternal the battle towards ignorance, prejudice, societal fears and privileges of gender, race and ethnicity.

The modern novel or anime have become an accessible and complex form of social commentary to postulate commentary and new ideas within society en masse.

Such portrayal of society and social issues have become more uniquely archetypical and de-problematised., they follow stream and flow of genres indeed has become mature, grown into human acceptance.

Within the masses audience towards totality in society the future figures as storytelling and push the envelope of opinion and truth from unheard sectors and audiences of popular culture in general.

In the case of the modern Novels we have found a means to allow artistic means and method to critique and inform en-mass that allows individuals to excite and fuel imaginations of the future next generations, recall with reverence to honor the past, they re-orientate perspective, and educate in possibilities of theoretical perspective , Both concepts concrete and abstract.

Popular genres as the centerpiece of 21st century are, as a example of medium, form of the is now taken very seriously.

While In the case of Japanese art forms such as Anime, Mecha or Manga, we have witnessed a fount of rapid contextual maturity that has occurred in unseen breakneck pace popularized to infect the previously imagined status quo to an unreal place in subspace

A pace and subsapce so externalzied and propogated, to a point where the genre is taken to a serious multi billion dollar industry, respected, accepted and instutitonalzied as presence of stylized art form of a popular genre

Towards the impossible and inconceivable from the past towards the future where all examples uniqueness is s accepted and compositely complexly identified and celebrated.

Furthermore the reception of popular genres has become further acclimatized in position greater audience over time.

The definition of such an market ‘audience’ has grown and matured along with this pilgrigime of genres. An inclusion of all on the gender spectrum’s, ethnicity and sexual orientations towards a communicated vision of a better society.