Which came first? The Word or the Image? (Draft)

The paragraphs drafted below are part of my argument that “the image” is the  true origin of storytelling.  I expect this to be approximately 3,000 words. After that is completed, I will write a response discussing the implications of “the image” as the true origin of storytelling where I will challenge my own argument.

Which came first? The Word or the Image?

The study of word-image relations involves examination of William Blake’s illuminated books, ekphrastic poems, hacked books, erasure texts, and illustrated story books.  All of these texts challenge the traditional understanding of the relationship of word-image relations in very different ways, but they all have one thing in common; they tell stories.  Storytelling has existed long before illustrated storybooks, epic novels, major motion pictures, or even the written word. Storytelling has has been a part of humanity since people were able to communicate; “cave drawings, traditional dances, poems, songs, and chants are all examples of early storytelling” (Anderson 1).  Many believe that the word is the main origin for storytelling, but this is incorrect.  Examination of works by author and illustrator Edward Carey and Jacob Lawrence’s The Great Migration reveal that the true origins of storytelling are based solely in the image, not the word.

The modern understanding of storytelling relies heavily upon the word as the main element of the story, and images are seen as compliments to the story told with written language.  This unequal balance between word and image is seen in the study of Jacob Lawrence’s The Great Migration. Readers instantly read the text on each page before considering the beautiful painted illustrations depicting the dangerous journey of African American families moving North.  Readers interact with the words before they consider the image, and they allow the text to influence their understanding of the visual elements of the story.  Why is this the case? Lawrence painted these portraits to tell the story of the Great Migration, and he added captions to his sketches to add more coherence to the narrative. The illustrations were the main vehicle through which Lawrence tells his story.  Lawrence based his story in his illustrations, not his words.  The origins of his his story is found in the images, not the captions, but readers still incorrectly allow the captions to tell the story rather than the illustrations.

[Need a better transition to Carey section]

In “Drawing Inspiration” Edward Carey describes his experience as a writer and illustrator who uses both words and images to tell stories.  Carey’s story writing process challenges the conventional notion of word-based story telling by blurring the lines between writing and illustration.  While on the surface level, the distinction between writing and illustration may seem very clear; writing and storytelling are generally associated with books and novels while illustrations are generally associated with children’s books, Carey’s use of both techniques challenges and even reverses the role that each process plays in the art of storytelling.

For Carey, “a whole book can start with a single absent-minded pencil sketch.” He recently completed The Iremonger Trilogy, a “trilogy set in a vast Victorian rubbish heap, and it all started with a single pencil sketch of an unhappy boy in a bow tie looking very worried.  At first that was all there was, just this sickly, grim-looking chap. Now, four years later, there are there books and hundreds of illustrations” (Carey). The origin of his story was a drawing, not a word.  Carey’s illustrations are not limited by written language- they allow him to overcome the limits of language.  If Carey ever faces uncertainty while writing a story, he always returns to the drawings and images that started it all.  For him, images and drawing serve as his anchor. They are the common thread that tie the elements of his story together. The images and illustrations in Carey’s stories influence, guide, and challenge the written text at every moment:

“Sometimes the act of drawing can change the personality of the character or present new ideas. Sometimes drawing and words contradict each other, and then they each change, and I find myself deleting words and erasing lines until everything agrees. This is how I make a book: by hiding from writing by drawing, or the other way around” (Carey).

When he is lost, the image is what guides and controls his story, not the word. Carey returns to the visual to guide his story, but why is this the case if we consider the word to be the basis of storytelling?

When humans are challenged, they rely on their most basic natures and instincts.  Carey’s account demonstrates supports that our most basic method of storytelling is rooted in the image, not the word.

[ Follow with evidence- illustrated children’s books, the importance of vision in language development and all types of learning and communication].

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Problems to Overcome and Things to Consider:

• Finding appropriate sources discussing:
  • The Mental Image (W.J.T. Mitchell and another source)
  • Critical analysis of Lawrences The Great Migration
• Our recent study of graphic novels opens up a whole new realm of word-image relations. Research the creative origins of the graphic novel and consider its implications in storytelling.
• A common piece of advise for new writers to improve their work is “make your writing visual.” What are the implications of this saying? While it is true that good writing stimulates all of the senses, why are the best stories usually the ones that let us “see” what is happening? What about our communication styles and neural processing makes the visual aspects of storytelling so important?
• Find a good source that defines storytelling and integrate it into introductory paragraphs..  Current sources give very vague definitions.

Bibliography:
Anderson, Katie Elson. “Storytelling.” Rutgers University Community Repository, 2010. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. < http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.7282/T35T3HSK>.
Andreasen, Nancy C. The creating brain: The neuroscience of genius. Washington, DC: Dana Press, 2005. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Carey, Edward. “About | Edward Carey.” Edward Carey RSS. Edward Carey. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Carey, Edward. “Drawing Inspiration.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2016. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.
Drucker, Johanna. The Visible Word: Experimental Typography and Modern Art, 1909-1923. U Chicago P, 1994. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Gardner, Howard. Art, Mind, and Brain: A Cognitive Approach to Creativity.  Basic Books, 2008. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Gardner, Howard. The Arts and Human Development: A Psychological Study of the Artistic Process. Basic Books, 1994.
Gregory, Richard L. Eye and Brain: The Psychology of Seeing. 5th ed. Princeton U.P, 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Mitchell, W.J.T. “Ekphrasis and the Other.” Picture Theory. U. of Chicago P, 1994. 151-181. Print.