The Significance of the Gutter in Graphic Narrative

Abstract

This thesis is about the significance of the gutter in graphic narrative. I will look at this empty space between the panels and how it works, and relates to the narrative. First I will delve into the surface of the physical appearance of the gutter, its function as a frame and a passe-partout, and inevitably how this affects the way we look at the gutter through the image and sequential art. Further I will see the gutter in a more traditional way – exploring and discussing the missing panels and how the gutter influences the different styles of storytelling. This will be from a more virtual perspective looking at that which apparently is not there, but recreated by the reader through a model of interpretation. As a concluding part of the thesis, these two aspects of the surface/depth, or real/virtual, will be combined to see how it affects the narratives, and how this might fit into an extended argument of the gutter and its role in graphic narrative.