Wordless novel

What is a Wordless Novel?

A wordless novel is a narrative genre using sequences of captionless pictures to tell a story. Imagine a book where every page is filled with images, each one painting a piece of the puzzle that forms the complete picture. These visual stories have been around for centuries, evolving from medieval woodcuts to modern graphic novels.

The Roots of Wordless Novels

In 15th-century medieval Europe, woodcut block books were printed as religious guides. These early forms of illustrated literature laid the groundwork for what would later become wordless novels. As movable type presses began to dominate in the early 16th century, woodcuts continued to thrive under artists like Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein.

By the 19th century, engraving techniques had largely superseded woodcuts. However, a revival of interest in woodcut printing emerged in the late-19th century with Paul Gauguin leading the charge. This resurgence was part of a broader movement that would eventually give birth to wordless novels.

Expressionism and Wordless Novels

The wordless novel grew out of the Expressionist movement, a style characterized by strong contrasts and emotional intensity. Frans Masereel created one of the earliest examples in 1918, drawing on theatre and film to create powerful visual narratives.

Expressionist artists like Käthe Kollwitz and Max Beckmann were inspired by medieval graphic arts. They used woodcut images, with their awkward look, to express anguish and frustration at social injustice. Other notable contributors include Balthus, Otto Nückel, Clément Moreau, István Szegedi-Szüts, Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová, and Max Ernst.

The American Wordless Novel

In North America, Lynd Ward discovered the works of Masereel and Otto Nückel in Leipzig. He began producing his own ‘pictorial narratives’ using wood engraving. His 1929 work, Gods’ Man, sold 20,000 copies, inspiring other American artists to create wordless novels in the 1930s.

Other notable contributors include cartoonists Milt Gross (He Done Her Wrong), William Gropper (Alay-oop), illustrator Charles Turzak (Abraham Lincoln: Biography in Woodcuts), animator Myron Waldman (Eve), and illustrators James Reid (The Life of Christ) and Giacomo Patri (White Collar). Books like Laurence Hyde’s Southern Cross, Si Lewen’s The Parade, George Kuthan’s Aphrodite’s Cup, and George Walker’s Book of Hours were also published.

The Decline and Revival

Wordless novels faced a decline in the 1930s due to ‘talkies’ (sound films) and censorship. However, interest revived in the early 21st century with the rise of graphic novels. The Pennsylvania State University Libraries award the Lynd Ward Prize for Graphic Novel since 2011, highlighting Ward’s influence on the genre.

Artists like Art Spiegelman continued to explore wordless storytelling, creating works that resonate with modern audiences. Will Eisner, who discovered Lynd Ward’s work in 1938 and saw its potential for comics, popularized the term ‘graphic novel.’ His ambitions were initially rebuffed but he returned to the industry in the 1970s, creating book-length comics like A Contract with God.

Conclusion

The wordless novel is a powerful form of storytelling that has endured through centuries. From medieval woodcuts to modern graphic novels, these visual narratives continue to captivate and inspire us. As we look back at the rich history of this genre, it’s clear that the power of images to convey complex stories without words remains as potent today as ever.