Journal Article

From Stage to Page

Cox, Jennifer K.

2019

Overview

Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean perform a radical adaptation of both mythical form and magical content by translating the Punch and Judy show’s lengthy folkloric tradition of puppetry into graphic novel format in The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch (1994). This collaboration reframes archaic story elements with contemporary contexts to help adapt the mythical source material as well as readers themselves. In this way, the story form acts as a literary adapter, similar to a travel adapter for electronics: it allows readers to “plug in” to access tales from distant cultures and historical eras. Filtering the puppet show’s content through the narrator’s childhood memories preserves a childlike perception of magic, but updates Punch’s story with an added layer of adult understanding. This kind of storytelling, called a memorate, allows Gaiman’s narrator to ventriloquize repressed traumas by retelling them as uncanny encounters with a murderous Mr. Punch.

• Publisher: Brian Attebery, as Editor, for the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts,The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts,Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts
• Subject: Adaptations / Ambiguity / Archetypes (Psychology) / Bibliographic literature / Bildungsroman / Biographies / British & Irish literature / Children's literature authors / Children's writers / Childrens literature / Collaboration / Criticism and interpretation / Cultural history / Domestic violence / Drama / English literature / Exegesis & hermeneutics / Folklore / Gaiman, Neil / Graphic novels / Literary characters / Literary criticism / Literary devices / Literary translation / Manga / Memory / Mythology / Narrative techniques / Narrative theme / Narratives / Plot (Narrative) / Politics / Publishing / Publishing industry / Readers / Short stories / Source materials / Traditions / Writers