Exploring the Text/Image Wilderness: Ironic Visual Perspective and Critical Thinking in George O'Connor's Graphic Novel Journey into Mohawk Country

Abstract

In George O'Connor's graphic novel adaptation of a Dutch translation of Harmen VandenBogaert's Journey into Mohawk Country, the images interact with the text in ironic ways. The text of VandenBogaert's journal presents his interpretation of the events while O'Connor's images depict how the Mohawk Tribe may have viewed the same events. This multimodal reading highlights five kinds of visual irony then considers the implications of this way of reading for teaching students to think critically.