Epileptic  by David B (author/illustrator). New York: Pantheon Books, 2006. ISBN: 978-0375423185

 

Autobiographical recollections about growing up with an epileptic sibling, presented in comic book format.  Also contains many references to historical events that occurred in France during the 20^th century.

 

Medium: pen and ink

 

Rating: 5Q/1P

 

Literary device utilized: metaphor

 

Example: “Ghosts roam the corridors.” (referring to the heavily medicated hospital patients)

 

Curricular connection: Social Studies, high school level

 

submitted July 2009 by Josh Mitchell  

 

 

 

Epileptic, by David B. New York: Pantheon, 2005.

TOP TEN

ISBN: 978-0375714689

Annotation: A disturbing, fascinating, and unflinchingly honest look at the author’s experiences growing up with an epileptic older brother and how the disease controlled the family’s life.

Illustrations: pen and ink

5Q/5P

DM 6/27/09

 

 

B., D. (2005). Epileptic. New York: Pantheon. 0375423184 4Q/3P

Summary: A boy details his life growing up in France with his epileptic brother. As the family moves from commune to commune, following macrobiotic diets and gurus, the boy delves deeper into his drawings and imaginary friendships.

Medium: Pen and ink

Curricular connections: Grades 10-12. Memoir, history, medicine.

 

KEM 4/29/08

 

 

Epileptic by David B. New York: Pantheon, 2005.ISBN: 0-329-38180-6.

 

 

Surreal, grotesque, psychedelic black and white images depict author David B.’s childhood in the sixties as his family struggles with his brother’s epilepsy. Set in the late 50s, and 60s, the parents try many remedies, including a macrobiotic diet and commune living, to the detriment of the children .

 

Powerful images show the epilepsy as a dragon in various forms, David’s grandfather as a skeletal bird, and David’s obsession and ambivalence manifests itself in his childhood drawings of epic battles. The battle motif continues throughout the book representing chaos, anger, even joy.

 

 

 

 

Black and white ink drawings bold strokes.

 

 

Literary Concepts:

Personification:

 

 

In Epileptic, the disease is personified by a dragon-like creature that rears its head as the epilepsy affects the family. Death, spirits, and death-related mysticism is personified by skeletons or skeletal creatures. When those images appear the family is often communicating or attempting to commune with the “other world” of mysticism and spirits.

 

 

Curriculum Connections

English/Language Arts

Biographies/Autobiographies/Memoirs

 

Diane Mahan

 

Partington 267: Spring 2008

 

English

 

 

 

Content Standards and Instructional Practices Grades Nine Through Twelve

 

 

 

Ninth and Tenth Grade English-Language Arts Standards

 

 

 

http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/fd/documents/rlafw.pdf

 

 

 

Students combine the rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description to produce texts of at least 1,500 words each. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard American English and the research, organizational, and drafting strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0.

 

 

 

Using the writing strategies of grades nine and ten outlined in Writing Standard 1.0, students:

 

 

 

2.1 Write biographical or autobiographical narratives or short stories:

 

 

 

a. Relate a sequence of events and communicate the significance of the events to audience.

 

b. Locate scenes and incidents in specific places.

 

c. Describe with concrete sensory details the sights, sounds, and smells of a scene and the specific actions, movements, gestures, and feelings of the characters; use interior monologue to depict the characters’ feelings.

 

d. Pace the presentation of actions to accommodate changes in time and mood.

 

e. Make effective use of descriptions of appearance, images, shifting perspectives, and sensory details.

 

 

 

 

 

Grade Level:

 

 

 

Students: 9^th/10^th grade English

 

High-engagement reading materials

 

High-engagement writing activities

 

Building a Foundation of Knowledge:

 

 

 

 

Graphic Autobiographical Narrative Reading List:

 

 

 

Inside Out: Portrait of an Eating Disorder by Nadia Shivack

 

Blankets by Craig Thompson

 

The Amazing True Story of a Teenage Single Mom

 

Epileptic by David B.

 

One! Hundred! Demons! by Lynda Barry

 

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

 

Persepolis II by Marjane Satrapi

 

 

 

Thesis and Synthesis: Reading

 

 

 

Reading Log for Narrative Elements:

 

 

 

1. Each book examines a powerful event (or a series of events in a turning point) in the author/illustrators’ lives. Identify the event in each book.

 

2. Create a simple timeline of the major events for each book. Which books illustrate a short period of time, and which books cover a larger span?

 

3. In each of the stories, major issues are symbolized by images. For example, in Epileptic, epilepsy is shown as a dragon-like monster. What are the dominant symbols, images, and motifs in each book and what do they represent?

 

4. How is interior monologue used in graphic novels? What are some common devices used when showing what a character is thinking inside? (Please give examples)

 

5. Mood in conveyed through color, lines, and sketching. Take two distinct panels from each story and analyze the ways in which the author/illustrator communicates the change and shift in mood.

 

 

 

Having examined several graphic autobiographical narratives with symbolic elements, analyze trends and common threads specific to graphic novels. Evaluate: what is more effectively communicated in graphic format? What is not? How to the graphic works compare to text-based autobiographies we have read in class?

 

Thesis and Synthesis: Writing

 

 

 

 

2.1 Write biographical or autobiographical narratives or short stories:

 

 

 

a. Relate a sequence of events and communicate the significance of the events to audience.

 

b. Locate scenes and incidents in specific places.

 

c. Describe with concrete sensory details the sights, sounds, and smells of a scene and the specific actions, movements, gestures, and feelings of the characters; use interior monologue to depict the characters’ feelings.

 

d. Pace the presentation of actions to accommodate changes in time and mood.

 

e. Make effective use of descriptions of appearance, images, shifting perspectives, and sensory details

 

 

 

Using the writing standards for biographical and narrative writing, create your own autobiographical graphic novel highlighting a specific event (or series of events) surrounding a powerful moment in your life.

 

 

 

Your work should include:

 

· Grade-level text of 1,500 or more words.

 

· Identifiable narrative plotting.

 

· Visual symbols and motifs that stand in for larger issues or themes.

 

· Characters engaging in both exterior dialogue with other characters and interior monologues with themselves. This can be done explicitly (with word bubbles), or implicitly (with images).

 

· Using color and sketching to illustrate a shift in mood or tone.

 

 

 

Once your graphic novel is complete, please present your work to the class and explain some of the literary elements and techniques you used (ie. themes, symbols, motifs, stylistic elements and decisions).

 

 

 

 

 

(DM 4.23)

 

APA Citation	B., D. (2005). Epileptic. New York: Pantheon.
ISBN	0-375-423184-4	Rating	5Q/2P	Top 10	no
Media	Ink		Grades/Subject	10+
Annotation	Trapped by his brother’s epilepsy and consumed with the rage of the powerless, a young man funnels his histories into a graphic novel, attempting to make sense of it all.