I like illustrations, graphs, photos etc. if they are used appropriately. Illustration can really enhance a reading experience. Sometimes you need a good illustration in order to understand what the author is trying to do. I recently had a writing assignment for gradschool where we had to write instructions for someone on how to do something and we weren’t allowed to use illustrations, all this to teach us the limitations of the written word.
Two books that I recently read and reviewed that brought home the importance of illustrations both as aids and enhancers. The first one was the map in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I read the book in Swedish where a map of Hedeby Island. I didn’t realise that the maps weren’t included in some of the English translations. This map made it a lot easier to follow along in the story. The other book that showed how illustrations can be used effectively was The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett and illustrated by Paul Kidby. The illustrations in this book really enhanced what was already an amazing story. The illustrations in these two books are very different but they both really enhance the stories.
Posts
1 comment:
That writing exercise sounds very interesting - illustrations really do make most instructions easier to understand. I've been wanting to read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - hope I can find a copy with the map included!
This was a fun question. Here's my answer.
Post a Comment