The Art of Maus

Self-Representation and Confession in the Graphic Novel

Abstract

This article discusses Art Spiegelman's Maus as a comic autobiography. The inserted comic "Prisoner on the Hell Planet" functions as a mise-en-abyme, pointing to a possibly endless process of confession and forgiveness. Spiegelman is engaged in Maus therefore must be read in the context of Spiegelman's other confessional works, such as "Mein Kampf" and the "Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@?*!" series. Furthermore, Spiegelman's crucial intertwining of word and image in his confession complicates discussions of confession as a purely linguistic phenomenon.