For nearly 70 years of the twentieth century, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi (better known by his pen name Hergé) wrote and illustrated two dozen globe-spanning adventure comics starring boy reporter Tintin and his faithful canine companion Snowy, along with a gallery of recurring characters. Though these comics have always remained popular in Europe until the present day, they have never reached a comparable level of popularity or even recognition in America (despite the 2011 Steven Spielberg film The Adventures of Tintin).
In this course, we will study the Tintin comics canon and its contextual connection to specific geographic, political and historical moments and eras. We will examine how the Tintin comics function as a narrative art form and discuss them in aesthetic and interdisciplinary contexts through such starting points as narrative & storytelling; technology; mythology; geography; politics; religion; and history.
Guiding our investigation and studies will be the work of world-renowned “Tintintologist” Michael Farr, who has written and lectured extensively about Tintin creator and author/artist Hergé. We will engage in both classroom and online discussions, and extensive individual and group research and writing.