---
_id: '23466'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title>\r\n               <jats:p>The term graphic
    novel has increasingly functioned as a catalyst for understanding comic books
    as an emergent literary genre. This article focuses on one specific element within
    this historical process: the claim, made by artists such as Alan Moore, that graphic
    novels are characterized by greater formal complexity, or density, than serial
    comics. These claims are evaluated by combining computational text and image recognition
    of a corpus of 131 graphic narratives with sociological metadata on production
    and circulation. The results show that Moore’s own book-length comics, in particular
    <jats:italic>Watchmen</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>V for Vendetta</jats:italic>,
    rank among the densest graphic narratives in the sample in both their visual and
    textual content. Graphic memoirs, in contrast, only show an increase in textual
    complexity. With Pierre Bourdieu, the article understands complexity as a social
    and aesthetic strategy that aims at increasing the cultural capital of comics
    creators. At the same time, the article contextualizes computational results against
    the background of a changing marketplace for comics, in particular the decline
    of serial comics, the shift towards digital printing, and increased access to
    book distribution. This analysis shows that graphic narratives pursue both literary
    and popular aesthetic strategies, challenging Bourdieu’s account of a clear opposition
    between profit and prestige in cultural production.</jats:p>"
author:
- first_name: Alexander
  full_name: Dunst, Alexander
  last_name: Dunst
- first_name: Rita
  full_name: Hartel, Rita
  id: '14961'
  last_name: Hartel
citation:
  ama: 'Dunst A, Hartel R. Computing Literary Surplus Value: Alan Moore and the Density
    of the Comic Book as Graphic Novel. <i>Anglia</i>. 2021;139(1):195-223. doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1515/ang-2021-0010">10.1515/ang-2021-0010</a>'
  apa: 'Dunst, A., &#38; Hartel, R. (2021). Computing Literary Surplus Value: Alan
    Moore and the Density of the Comic Book as Graphic Novel. <i>Anglia</i>, <i>139</i>(1),
    195–223. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/ang-2021-0010">https://doi.org/10.1515/ang-2021-0010</a>'
  bibtex: '@article{Dunst_Hartel_2021, title={Computing Literary Surplus Value: Alan
    Moore and the Density of the Comic Book as Graphic Novel}, volume={139}, DOI={<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1515/ang-2021-0010">10.1515/ang-2021-0010</a>}, number={1},
    journal={Anglia}, author={Dunst, Alexander and Hartel, Rita}, year={2021}, pages={195–223}
    }'
  chicago: 'Dunst, Alexander, and Rita Hartel. “Computing Literary Surplus Value:
    Alan Moore and the Density of the Comic Book as Graphic Novel.” <i>Anglia</i>
    139, no. 1 (2021): 195–223. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/ang-2021-0010">https://doi.org/10.1515/ang-2021-0010</a>.'
  ieee: 'A. Dunst and R. Hartel, “Computing Literary Surplus Value: Alan Moore and
    the Density of the Comic Book as Graphic Novel,” <i>Anglia</i>, vol. 139, no.
    1, pp. 195–223, 2021.'
  mla: 'Dunst, Alexander, and Rita Hartel. “Computing Literary Surplus Value: Alan
    Moore and the Density of the Comic Book as Graphic Novel.” <i>Anglia</i>, vol.
    139, no. 1, 2021, pp. 195–223, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/ang-2021-0010">10.1515/ang-2021-0010</a>.'
  short: A. Dunst, R. Hartel, Anglia 139 (2021) 195–223.
date_created: 2021-08-23T12:32:17Z
date_updated: 2022-01-06T06:55:55Z
department:
- _id: '69'
doi: 10.1515/ang-2021-0010
intvolume: '       139'
issue: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
page: 195-223
publication: Anglia
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 1865-8938
  - 0340-5222
publication_status: published
status: public
title: 'Computing Literary Surplus Value: Alan Moore and the Density of the Comic
  Book as Graphic Novel'
type: journal_article
user_id: '14961'
volume: 139
year: '2021'
...