Experiments in Visual Writing

Earlier today I finished my Mapping Fun Home project.  Needless to say, it was very difficult to complete.  Perhaps the hardest part was just figuring out what I was going to do.  When I eventually did come up with an idea, it took me a while to decide how I would act on it.  In the end, though, I believe my map offers a unique, holistic interpretation of Fun Home.  

You can click here to see the original assignment page.

I have just published my Mapping Fun Home Project which looks at the shapes of different themes throughout the book. The themes that I examine are sexuality and internal conflict  both through the lens of the narrator, Alison. I have mapped not only the progression of these themes for Alison but also for her father. I chose to do this because the relationship between Alison and her father is very complicated and since the story skips around time-wise, it is hard to get a cohesive perspective on how the characters develop chronologically. These graphs, side-by-side, show the big difference in each character and how their relationship functions because there is such a large difference.

This project was very difficult for me because I have never made an infographic. I wanted to do something new. Along with this, while writing my reflection I had a little trouble making sure that I wasn’t completely summarizing everything but instead adding analysis to my reflection which I think I ended up balancing well. Overall, I am very proud of this project.

Here is the original project.

Here is my finished Mapping Fun Home project. I found that starting this project was more difficult than Tracing Persepolis. Figuring out what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it was a challenge. Once I started my map, the rest of the project became much easier. Here is the link for the original assignment.

Here is my Mapping Fun Home project. The link to the assignment for project is here.

I found this project conceptually challenging.  First, it was hard to figure out exactly what i wanted to map.  Second, after having an idea for a map, it was a challenge to figure out how to best go about making the map. The idea of a visual representation of a pattern in a book is some what vague, and left me second guessing my map, time and time again. However, after creating something, and going with it, I thought my paper came together fairly easy, and I believe I again was able to balance writing for the internet, as well as create an argument that was circular. Ultimately, I am very pleased with my project. I hope you enjoy.