The Birth, Death, and Rebirth of (Ethnic) Identity in Gene Luen Yang’s Work
Authored by Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese (2006) is one of the most critically-acclaimed multicultural graphic novels published in the mid-2000s. Due to the target readers’ age, the majority of the characters that populate its pages are young middle-class Americans. If read from a non-eth...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Bucharest University Press
2017-06-01
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| Series: | University of Bucharest Review. Literary and Cultural Studies Series |
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| Online Access: | https://ubr.rev.unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/EmmaOki.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797641946673446912 |
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| author | Emma Oki |
| author_facet | Emma Oki |
| author_sort | Emma Oki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Authored by Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese (2006) is one of the
most critically-acclaimed multicultural graphic novels published in the mid-2000s.
Due to the target readers’ age, the majority of the characters that populate its pages
are young middle-class Americans. If read from a non-ethnic perspective, Yang’s
graphic novel makes for an entertaining coming-of-age story in terms of not only plot
but also disrupted structure. An ethnic reading, however, brings out its focus on issues
pertaining to ethnicity, identity, and self-acceptance. By additionally looking at the
comic through the prism of the literary trope of the birth, death, and rebirth cycle,
readers, especially those of Asian descent, can open up even more interpretational
space and possibilities. Yang’s more recent work, including Level Up (2011) and The
Shadow Hero (2014), the former of which was illustrated by Thien Pham and the latter
by Sonny Liew, offers yet another take on the birth, death, and rebirth archetype,
focusing on intergenerational differences and expectations of first- and secondgeneration Asian Americans. By the same token, New Super-Man Vol. 1: Made in
China (2017) explores how the Superman archetype can be regenerated in a more
diverse setting, namely China. The aim of this paper is to explore the metaphorical
application of the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in Yang’s comics with regard to
the main characters’ evolving (ethnic) identities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:53:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2e6f9356b9c64d16a9f838ae2f761625 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2734-5963 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:53:02Z |
| publishDate | 2017-06-01 |
| publisher | Bucharest University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | University of Bucharest Review. Literary and Cultural Studies Series |
| spelling | doaj.art-2e6f9356b9c64d16a9f838ae2f7616252023-11-02T07:43:15ZengBucharest University PressUniversity of Bucharest Review. Literary and Cultural Studies Series2734-59632017-06-01VII/201712532The Birth, Death, and Rebirth of (Ethnic) Identity in Gene Luen Yang’s WorkEmma Oki0SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw, PolandAuthored by Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese (2006) is one of the most critically-acclaimed multicultural graphic novels published in the mid-2000s. Due to the target readers’ age, the majority of the characters that populate its pages are young middle-class Americans. If read from a non-ethnic perspective, Yang’s graphic novel makes for an entertaining coming-of-age story in terms of not only plot but also disrupted structure. An ethnic reading, however, brings out its focus on issues pertaining to ethnicity, identity, and self-acceptance. By additionally looking at the comic through the prism of the literary trope of the birth, death, and rebirth cycle, readers, especially those of Asian descent, can open up even more interpretational space and possibilities. Yang’s more recent work, including Level Up (2011) and The Shadow Hero (2014), the former of which was illustrated by Thien Pham and the latter by Sonny Liew, offers yet another take on the birth, death, and rebirth archetype, focusing on intergenerational differences and expectations of first- and secondgeneration Asian Americans. By the same token, New Super-Man Vol. 1: Made in China (2017) explores how the Superman archetype can be regenerated in a more diverse setting, namely China. The aim of this paper is to explore the metaphorical application of the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in Yang’s comics with regard to the main characters’ evolving (ethnic) identities. https://ubr.rev.unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/EmmaOki.pdfcomicsethnic identitygene luen yanggraphic novelsmonkey kingasian american graphic literature |
| spellingShingle | Emma Oki The Birth, Death, and Rebirth of (Ethnic) Identity in Gene Luen Yang’s Work University of Bucharest Review. Literary and Cultural Studies Series comics ethnic identity gene luen yang graphic novels monkey king asian american graphic literature |
| title | The Birth, Death, and Rebirth of (Ethnic) Identity in Gene Luen Yang’s Work |
| title_full | The Birth, Death, and Rebirth of (Ethnic) Identity in Gene Luen Yang’s Work |
| title_fullStr | The Birth, Death, and Rebirth of (Ethnic) Identity in Gene Luen Yang’s Work |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Birth, Death, and Rebirth of (Ethnic) Identity in Gene Luen Yang’s Work |
| title_short | The Birth, Death, and Rebirth of (Ethnic) Identity in Gene Luen Yang’s Work |
| title_sort | birth death and rebirth of ethnic identity in gene luen yang s work |
| topic | comics ethnic identity gene luen yang graphic novels monkey king asian american graphic literature |
| url | https://ubr.rev.unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/EmmaOki.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emmaoki thebirthdeathandrebirthofethnicidentityingeneluenyangswork AT emmaoki birthdeathandrebirthofethnicidentityingeneluenyangswork |