Inventing Comics: A New Translation of Rudolphe Töpffer’s Reflections on Graphic Storytelling, Media Rhetorics, and Aesthetic Practice

Inventing Comics recovers and translates two of Rudolphe Töpffer’s nineteenth-century essays on the rhetorical invention of comics, an amateur aesthetic practice of the popular image. Growing out of contemporary philosophical thought, these essays reflect an early iteration of post-critical thought in the cultural and institutional shift from literacy to electracy. In Recent Years, Graphic Novels Have Gained A Renewed Interest From A Host Of Scholars In A Diverse Range Of Fields, Including Rhetoric And Writing, Media Studies, Literary Studies, Visual Communication, Graphic Arts, And Art History. While Many Of These Studies Reference Rodolphe Töpffer As The Inventor (or, Father) Of The Genre, His Scholarly Work Addressing The Theoretical Foundation And Significance Of Graphic Novels Has Remained Unavailable To English-speaking Audiences. Inventing Comics Fills This Gap By Presenting A Translation Of Two Essays By Töpffer That Place The Invention Of Graphic Novels At The Intersection Of Rhetoric, Philosophy, Aesthetics, And Civic Life. In His Role As A Professor Of Rhetoric And Belle-lettres At The Academy Of Geneva, Töpffer Not Only Wrote Popular Fiction (graphic Novels, Novels, Plays) But Also A Host Of Scholarly Works Addressing The Relationship Between Aesthetics And Poetics. Pulling From Töpffer's Scholarly Corpus, Figueiredo Argues That Töpffer's Invention Of Graphic Novels Was The Manifestation Of A Much Broader Media Theory, One That Engaged With The Social, Cultural, Political, And Technological Shifts Accompanying The Industrial Revolution In The Early- And Mid-nineteenth Century. While Figueiredo's Primary Focus Is To Situate Töpffer In The Histories Of Rhetoric, Media Studies, And The Emergence Of What Gregory L. Ulmer Has Called The Apparatus Of Electracy, These Essays Also Resonate With Affect Theory, Apparatus Theory, Art History, Graphic Novels, Literary Studies, Philosophy, Sensory Studies, And Writing Studies. Rodolphe Töpffer, Media Rhetorics, & Electracy -- Essay On Physiognomy (1845) -- Essay On Autography (1842) -- Of A Genevan Painter (1830). Edited, Translated, And Introduced By Sergio C. Figueiredo. Includes Bibliographical References. Introductions In English; Chapters Contain Parallel Text In English And French; Translated From The French. _GoBack Acknowledgments Rodolphe Töpffer, Media Rhetorics, & Electracy Part I: “Essay on Physiognomy” [1845] Introduction to “Essay on Physiognomy” Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Part 2: “Essay on Autography” [1842] Part 3: “Of a Genevan Painter” [1830] Introduction to “Of a Genevan Painter” Of a Genevan Painter [1830] Works Cited About the Editor and Translator CAMERA PHONE is a novel of cell phones and films—with some fabulous, low-cost recipes and recommendations for further reading. Let's face it, there's more than meets the eye when you're studying film at the University of Southport.