Boredom, Cohesion, and Transformation in Nick Drnaso’s Beverly
Nick Drnaso’s Beverly (2016) is a loosely-connected assemblage of graphic stories focused on suburban Midwest America. The stories appear to represent suburban life as so monotonous that experiencing intensity or meaningful interactions is almost impossible. One potential avenue to break the monoton...
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European Association for American Studies
2022-12-01
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| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/19057 |
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| author | David Callahan |
| author_facet | David Callahan |
| author_sort | David Callahan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nick Drnaso’s Beverly (2016) is a loosely-connected assemblage of graphic stories focused on suburban Midwest America. The stories appear to represent suburban life as so monotonous that experiencing intensity or meaningful interactions is almost impossible. One potential avenue to break the monotony is that of actively transforming the self, but transformative options are revealed to be superficial and ultimately unable to counter the experience of life as lack and isolation. In turn, the possibility that the repetitive interactions of everyday life in fact provide known and secure structures, compensating for their flat sameness, is revealed to be hollow by most characters’ frustrations, melancholy, and lack of joyful connection with others. While the marginalized characters of Sal and Tyler may suggest the possibility of rejecting the boredom of everydayness, it comes at the cost of meaningful connection with others. By representing this everydayness through bland graphic strategies, Drnaso might seem to run the risk of having created a book that is itself boring, and yet his precise observation and subtle use of limited panel arrangements and color palette overcome the risk and make Beverly an acute exploration of contemporary suburban American life as boredom. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ac0da2600ebf4199b8bbcbaa774f104d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-ac0da2600ebf4199b8bbcbaa774f104d2025-01-06T09:08:19ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362022-12-0117410.4000/ejas.19057Boredom, Cohesion, and Transformation in Nick Drnaso’s BeverlyDavid CallahanNick Drnaso’s Beverly (2016) is a loosely-connected assemblage of graphic stories focused on suburban Midwest America. The stories appear to represent suburban life as so monotonous that experiencing intensity or meaningful interactions is almost impossible. One potential avenue to break the monotony is that of actively transforming the self, but transformative options are revealed to be superficial and ultimately unable to counter the experience of life as lack and isolation. In turn, the possibility that the repetitive interactions of everyday life in fact provide known and secure structures, compensating for their flat sameness, is revealed to be hollow by most characters’ frustrations, melancholy, and lack of joyful connection with others. While the marginalized characters of Sal and Tyler may suggest the possibility of rejecting the boredom of everydayness, it comes at the cost of meaningful connection with others. By representing this everydayness through bland graphic strategies, Drnaso might seem to run the risk of having created a book that is itself boring, and yet his precise observation and subtle use of limited panel arrangements and color palette overcome the risk and make Beverly an acute exploration of contemporary suburban American life as boredom.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/19057graphic novelnonplaceseverydaysuburbansocial isolation |
| spellingShingle | David Callahan Boredom, Cohesion, and Transformation in Nick Drnaso’s Beverly European Journal of American Studies graphic novel nonplaces everyday suburban social isolation |
| title | Boredom, Cohesion, and Transformation in Nick Drnaso’s Beverly |
| title_full | Boredom, Cohesion, and Transformation in Nick Drnaso’s Beverly |
| title_fullStr | Boredom, Cohesion, and Transformation in Nick Drnaso’s Beverly |
| title_full_unstemmed | Boredom, Cohesion, and Transformation in Nick Drnaso’s Beverly |
| title_short | Boredom, Cohesion, and Transformation in Nick Drnaso’s Beverly |
| title_sort | boredom cohesion and transformation in nick drnaso s beverly |
| topic | graphic novel nonplaces everyday suburban social isolation |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/19057 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT davidcallahan boredomcohesionandtransformationinnickdrnasosbeverly |