Books Quote by Marjane Satrapi
“I don't like 'graphic novel.' It's a word that publishers created for the bourgeois to read comics without feeling bad. Comics is just a way of narrating - it's just a media type.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Graphic Novel Discussion, 2012
The term “graphic novel” was invented to legitimize comics for a higher‑brow audience, but it masks the medium’s simple storytelling nature.
In simple terms: Publishers created a pretentious label for comics.
Key Takeaway
Recognize comics as storytelling, not a separate elite form.
Themes
media perception
publishing
genre labeling
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
critical
When to use this quote
- book publishing
- educational curricula
- marketing strategies
- literary criticism
Key Concepts
cultural hierarchy
media theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How does labeling affect a medium’s cultural status?
- Can we appreciate comics without hierarchical terms?
A Different Perspective
The label can alienate readers and creators who value the medium’s accessibility.
![“We [Rodriguez and Frank Miller] wanted to take the movies and turn them into a graphic novel, so that people wouldn't even know what they were looking at. It's still visual storytelling, but it's approached completely different. The two mediums don't have to be separate mediums. They can be one…” quote by Robert Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/123/robert-rodriguez-8016_comic_we-rodriguez-and-frank-miller-wanted-to_184423.jpg)
