Literary Classics with a Manga Mask

Graphic novel adaptations of classic texts are always hit or miss. Some are amazing, like the work of Gareth Hinds and Dark Horse’s haunting Moby Dick book, but many are not so great, capitalizing on a craze to make a quick buck from schools who are eager to invest in this “new” medium.

I am glad to tell you that, in addition to the abovementioned works, there is a publisher that has planted their flag firmly in the canonical literature adaptation field. They are called UDON and their books are the Manga Classics line. Currently, they include Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, The Scarlet Letter, The Jungle Book, and many other titles with more being published all the time. 

Full disclosure, I have worked with these folks for quite some time and have helped them to develop instructional guides for teachers that are available for each book. This has nothing to do with why I love these texts as much as I do. If they were poorly conceived, drafted, and produced, I wouldn’t recommend them, let alone put my name on anything associated with them. 

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From The Jungle Book. Sorry about the poorly angled image!

​I can say with full confidence as a teacher and a lover of graphic novels that these books are great. I have a hard time keeping them on my classroom shelf because students are always borrowing them. They are beautifully drawn and faithful to the original text with all the themes, characters, and plot points that make these novels classics in the first place. They make teaching Jane Austin easy – and I would know. I teach Jane Eyre every year!

Among my classes is a section of AP English Literature and I plan to offer these books to my students as part of a self-selected unit where students can choose to read the graphic adaptations of approved texts on their own and respond to them. I will let you all know how that works out, but I am confident that they will love these books and increase their personal knowledge library through their use and give them more titles to draw upon when considering the AP essay questions!

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We all remember the tree from Jane Eyre, right?

​When instructing these texts, it’s important to point out that they are Manga in every sense of the word. For the uninitiated, Manga are Japanese comic books and, because of the language structure, they have to be read backwards even when translated to English. It’s not as complicated as it sounds but if you are feeling a little concerned, not to worry.  Each book has a tutorial explanation of how the reader should navigate the text. Before long, you will be zipping through the pages, admiring the artwork and engaging with the story.

My suggestion is to isolate specific themes and explore with your students how they are represented visually in the text. I often use these books or excerpts from them in conjunction with the original chapter texts as a form of scaffolding some of the more complex themes and motifs. It really does work!

​So give them a look! You can visit their website at  https://mangaclassics.com/ and see what they have to offer!

So, I am headed back to school next week and I have never been more excited to return to the classroom. With all of the new work I am doing and the fall conferences I have lined up, it’s going to be a busy but rewarding school year. I also can’t wait to get to work on the new classroom lending library that my students and I have assembled. 

Look here for progress reports and please remember to follow me on Twitter @tryingteacher right now!

Do it! Now!

@trying teacher 

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