Washington University in St. Louis
Lines of Thought: The Cartoon as a Phenomenological Object and a Philosophical Tool
Abstract
dc:description.abstract<p>Cartooning’s greatest strength is its simplicity. This essay argues that the cartoon’s inherent modesty and accessibility are central to its philosophical utility, and that its spare visual language conveys more than meets the eye. Drawing on phenomenology, it considers cartooning as a process grounded in the body, and it investigates the bodily encounter between the viewer and the cartoon. Through an analysis of cartooning work by Saul Steinberg, R.O. Blechman, and Liana Finck - a “family of cartoonists” - it demonstrates how a line-drawn, representational cartooning language can transform the act of looking into a participatory experience that interrogates issues of self, meaning, and mortality. Ultimately, it positions cartooning as a uniquely embodied form of thinking and communicating with a significant and often overlooked role in American visual culture.</p>
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Illustration & Visual Culture
- Level thesis:degree_level
- Thesis
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Graduate School of Art
- Year dc:date.available
- 2025
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Attwood, Thomas
Subjects
dc:subject × 5Rights
- Language dc:language
- English
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Repository record dc:identifier
- https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mfa_illustration/47
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:openscholarship.wustl.edu:mfa_illustration-1051