Victoria Aarons Knihy

In Holocaust Graphic Narratives, Victoria Aarons demonstrates the range and fluidity of this richly figured genre. Employing memory as her controlling trope, Aarons analyzes the work of the graphic novelists and illustrators, making clear how they extend the traumatic narrative of the Holocaust into the present and, in doing so, give voice to survival in the wake of unrecoverable loss. In recreating moments of traumatic rupture, dislocation, and disequilibrium, these graphic narratives contribute to the evolving field of Holocaust representation and establish a new canon of visual memory. The intergenerational dialogue established by Aarons’ reading of these narratives speaks to the on-going obligation to bear witness to the Holocaust. Examined together, these intergenerational works bridge the erosions created by time and distance. As a genre of witnessing, these graphic stories, in retracing the traumatic tracks of memory, inscribe the weight of history on generations that follow.

Focusing on the intersection of gender and Jewish identity, this exploration delves into the works of Jewish women graphic novelists. Victoria Aarons highlights how these artists engage with embodied memory, illustrating how personal and collective histories are expressed through the physicality of the body in their art. The monograph examines themes of diaspora, mourning, and witness, featuring notable creators like Sarah Lightman, Liana Finck, Anya Ulinich, and Leela Corman, revealing the complexities of their emotional and geographical experiences.