Maus

Art Spiegelman's Maus translated comics from a relatively narrow genure into a more literary one, which caused many more people to respond to this story than previous graphic novels. Maus's success is due to the fact that the story appeals to a broad spectrum of people beyond those who had been invested in comics up to the date of its publication. Characteristics that allow for Maus's popularity are the fact that the author closely incorporated his personal experience with the work, the iconic imagery that is used throughout, and the particularly humanistic nature of the dialogue.

Maus tells the story of Art Spiegelman gathering information about his parents' experience with the Holocaust, which lends itself seamlessly to artist vulnerability. It is often the case in the arts that the closer an artist is to their work emotionally, the more successful it is because that personal inner content is somehow translated directly to the audience who in turn responds more actively. Spiegelman addresses themes such as family and the importance of memories throughout--particularly in discussing his mother's suicide--which have a universal basis which stirs our inner human in one way or another. Because the themes that Maus depicts hold value in any human experience, the audience can become much more easily involved, and thus interested, in the happenings of the book.

The iconic nature of Maus also provides the audience with a strong base with which to connect to the story. Because there are no human characters in the book, each reader can more easily empathize with the personalities that Spiegelman illustrates. Fully developed humans as a means for conveying the plot would have placed this graphic novel among the array of literature that has already been created, and further alienated the audience. Specifically, the love story between Art's father and mother and the struggles it entails is general yet personal enough to evoke meaningful emotions. These feelings because they are two sweet looking mice as opposed to humans.

Although Maus contains purely animal characters, it retains a human quality through the dialogue which further connects the reader to the story. Art's father has a heavy accent due to his heritage, which is translated through the written speech within the panels. Art as the protagonist has distinct speech habits as well. Despite the fact that he does not have an accent like his fathers, the audience witnesses the development of his character regardless due to the casual nature of his words. His uninhibited exposure of his true personality lends to closer relationship with the audience and progresses the success of the novel as a whole. Overall, Spiegelman's effort in making the text unique and true to actual speech adds a deeper level of intimacy to Maus.

In conclusion, the elevated level at which the reader can connect with Maus is what makes it such a notable work in the world of comics. Spiegelman is unafraid to show his personal involvement with the piece, capitalizes on the benefits of iconography, and takes care to include many human details: all contributing to the holistic success of this piece of literature.