Bechdel’s Use of Structure, Voice, and Tone

Post by Jaymee F

Structure

Bechdel’s structure of storytelling does not present itself in chronological order. As Sinclair reveals, “…a memoir may start at one point in time and go forward to another. Other times, the story may jump back into the past and fill in important facts. Elsewhere, the story may take place over different time periods” (2019). Fun Home is the perfect example of a memoir that does not simply follow a linear storyline.

Bechdel begins her memoir by establishing an early relationship between herself and her father. Her illustrations on the first few pages depict a young girl still excited by “…a spot of airplane” (p.3), as Bruce balances Alison carefully above him, his feet supporting her stomach. 

The memoir then delves into Bruce’s backstory and touches on his influence as ‘man of the house’ as well as his obsession with restoration; Alison herself is still depicted as a child. By the end of the first chapter, Bechdel has introduced her memoir’s main event, her father’s suicide. She seamlessly transitions from a discussion on ‘tributes of a good father' to, “It’s true that he didn’t kill himself until I was nearly twenty” (p. 23).

The second chapter jumps to memories from Bruce’s funeral, in the town where the Bechdel children have all grown up. A few pages later, Alison explores her parents’ earliest moments of their relationship, even before the children were born. The reader is then introduced to each of the Bechdel children, and to the definition and significance of the title ‘Fun Home’. By the end of this chapter, Alison has brought the reader back to the funeral.

Bechdel separates her memoir into seven chapters as followed:

1. Old Father, Old Artificer (p.1)

2. A Happy Death (p.25)

3. That Old Catastrophe (p.55)

4. In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower (p.87)

5.  The Canary-Colored Caravan of Death (p.121)

6. The Ideal Husband (p.151)

7. The Antihero’s Journey (p.187)

Although the structure was still easy to follow, Bechdel did not begin the memoir with her birth, fill in with memories in between, and conclude with her father’s death. Instead, Alison establishes relationships between family members and introduces her father’s death as a probable suicide, all within the first chapter. She then allows the rest of her memoir to support this notion with various events, emotions, and comedic absurdity throughout, in no particular order, each page complementing the one before it. Together, Bechdel’s structure encourages the reader to eagerly visit the following page to see how the story unfolds.  

What comes first the writing or the drawings?

Alison reveals, “It’s always complicated for me to explain that…without showing pictures because that’s how my mind works, I always have to make things visual…It might look to an external observer as if I’m writing first and then drawing because I do sit at my computer and I write everything out before I actually put pen to paper. But what I’m doing at the computer, is that I’m writing in a two-dimensional drawing program…I’m actually moving text around on the page, designing the page, placing images or sketches, and moving them around so that I have a sequential story being told on the page.” She continues, “So my writing and drawing are kind of mixed up together” (Iowa City, 2010 December).

Voice

As stated by Susan Letham, “...voice is the way your writing ‘sounds’ on the page” (qtd. in Sinclair, 2019).

Alison Bechdel generally writes in an informal voice which creates an open relationship dynamic between reader and writer. Alison writes, “Most people, I imagine, learn to accept that they’re not perfect. But an idle remark about my father’s tie over breakfast could send him into a tailspin” (p. 18). Informal voice allows the reader an opportunity to relate to the writer, and to possibly find similarities between their own lives, and the events explored in the memoir. Bechdel’s voice is only formal on select occasions. She chooses moments of highbrow or formal voice when writing about Bruce’s dramatic flair, and when talking about the old gothic revival home. For example, “[Dad] was an alchemist of appearance, a savant of surface, a Daedalus of decor” (p. 6).

Al also uses a more formal voice when using literary references. Like, “For if my father was Icarus, he was also Daedalus - that skillful artificer, that mad scientist who built wings for his son and designed the famous labyrinth...(p. 7).  Modifying the voice in writing allows the reader to see a change in how the author feels about a certain person or event.

Bechdel’s voice changes throughout the memoir depending on which character she’s talking about, the character’s current state, and what message Alison is trying to get across at that moment. For example, there are moments when Alison discusses Bruce with a warm, friendly voice. 

In these moments, the reader sees further into their relationship and the love that does exist between father and daughter, although it's out-of-the-ordinary.

There are other moments when Bechdel reveals how difficult it was to grow up with her manic father. This encourages the reader to consider both sides of their father-daughter relationship and witness Bruce’s battle within himself. 

Tone

Sinclair includes, “Related to voice, tone expresses a feeling or mood” (2019). Despite the seriousness of Fun Home’s content, Alison Bechdel exudes an overall informal, intimate, and humorous tone. Bechdel uses comedy in her writing and writes as though she were speaking to a friend, usually using relatable everyday language. Bechdel isn’t only catering to one type of audience; her use of tone allows for a bigger audience to find pleasure and purpose in reading her memoir.

Some passages use humour to allow a break from serious content. When the reader is permitted to laugh, their mood is changed in an instant. The reader is also entertained, which encourages them to keep reading. Writing with a humorous tone can also allow the author to showcase their personality, making the memoir even more personal.

Other passages evoke feelings of helplessness and are more serious. This signifies how the author feels about the event or relationship, but also allows the reader to feel what the author is feeling, sympathizing with them or finding similarities between the memoir and their own lives.

(p.125)

References

Bechdel, A. Fun Home. (2006). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Boston, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. 

Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. (2010, December 27). Writers on the fly: Alison Bechdel   [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT-JjXe8a4I&feature=youtu.be

Sinclair, S. (2019). Week 2 Lesson Content [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from https://slate.sheridancollege.ca/d2l/le/content/618714/viewContent/8315701/View

Sinclair, S. (2019). Week 3 Lesson Content [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from https://slate.sheridancollege.ca/d2l/le/content/618714/viewContent/8315708/View

Post created by Jaymee