FRES39

This course studies the intrepid boy reporter Tintin as a cultural icon of vast international acclaim. His adventures, drawn and written by the Belgian writer and artist Georges Remi (Hergé), have been translated into over fifty languages and sold hundreds of millions of copies. Hergé’s legacy is both beloved and troubling: the two bestselling adventures remain Tintin au Congo and Tintin en Amérique, both of which include exceedingly racist and colonialist stereotypes and tropes. In this course, students explore the Tintin phenomenon as artistic production, as colonialist discourse, as commodified object, and as part of a distinctly European tradition of graphic storytelling. Readings include a selection of the twenty-three adventures, studies and interviews concerning Hergé, theoretical works on the art form, and related critical works on the reception and controversy of Tintin's enduring popularity. Recommended background: One course at or above French 205.