The Belgian Photonovel, 1954-1985

The importance of the Belgian contribution to the history of the photonovel.
The Belgian photonovel is the missing link in the amazing history of the photonovel, a comics-inspired form of visual narrative that combines elements from very different genres and media, ranging from literary melodrama, cinema, and of course comics. This monograph discloses the specific Belgian contribution to the genre, in close connection with the singularities of the Belgian women’s and general magazines where these photonovels appeared. If the photonovel is generally considered a typically French or Italian genre, this study demonstrates the importance of a different tradition, which appropriated the foreign models in a very original way. Belgian photonovels are distinct, not only because they tell other kinds of stories, but also because they interact with other types of magazines in ways that are very different from the mainstream forms of the genre in Italy and France. Finally, this lavishly illustrated study is also the first in scrutinizing the technical aspects of magazine printing techniques in the development of the photonovel.

Ebook available in Open Access. This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

"The Belgian Photonovel, 1954-1985" was written by Clarissa Colangelo.

Clarissa Colangelo holds a PhD in Cultural Studies and is affiliated with KU Leuven, where she is conducting research on the visual aspects of magazine culture in collaboration with the Belgian National Library (KBR).

Yes, "The Belgian Photonovel, 1954-1985" is part of the "Studies in European Comics and Graphic Novels" series.

All volumes will be published in English, but the comics and graphic novels under investigation will be of any European language and from any European culture. Like graphic novels and comics, Europe itself is hard to define, and the approach for the series will be open and not overly prescriptive.

Series editors

Jan Baetens, KU Leuven
Hugo Frey, University of Chichester
Maaheen Ahmed, Ghent University

Editorial Board

The editorial board is composed of leading scholars from literature, visual arts, and historical studies:
Bart Beaty (University of Calgary)
Christopher Pizzino (University of Georgia)
Ann Miller (University of Leicester).

Proposals

Proposals and enquiries can be sent to the series editors.
Please make use of the submission form to present your manuscript or proposal to our board.
Authors interested in Open Access can consult the available funding options.

Links & Resources

Yes, "The Belgian Photonovel, 1954-1985" is published Open Access. It is available under a BY-NC-ND license.

Publication of "The Belgian Photonovel, 1954-1985" was funded by KU Leuven Fund for Fair Open Access
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Foreword: Time-traveling in a lost world
Introduction

Chapter 1. A brief history of the photonovel
1.1 A working definition
1.2 Origins, evolution and decline
1.3 Fame versus shame
1.4 Photonovels: between tradition and emancipation

Chapter 2. Belgian editorial context: a language divide

Chapter 3. Popular Belgian women’s magazines with photonovels
3.1 Lectures d’Aujourd’hui / Lectuur voor Allen
3.2 Mon Copain
3.3 Chez Nous / Ons Volk
3.4 Femmes d’Aujourd’hui / Het Rijk der Vrouw
3.5 Bonnes Soirées / Mimosa
3.6 Piccolo and Tiptop
3.7 Vrouw en Huis
3.8 Panorama
3.9 Rosita
3.10 Ons Land met Iris
3.11 Madame
3.12 Joepie
3.13 Other magazines
3.13.1 Roman Film complet, Sandra / Katia and Sérenade
3.13.2 HUMO and Sportif ’68 / Sport ’68

Chapter 4. Making photonovels
4.1 Creating a photonovel
4.1.1 Subject
4.1.2 Script and plot
4.1.3 Director
4.1.4 Photographer
4.1.5 Actors
4.1.6 Layout
4.1.7 Translations
4.2 Print process
4.2.1 Photomechanical processes
4.2.2 The evolution of rotogravure
4.2.3 Color printing
4.2.4 Press printed photographs

Chapter 5. Photonovels inside the magazines
5.1 Photonovels and advertisement

Conclusion

Appendix: Complete list of all the photonovels published in Belgian magazines
Bibliography
Acknowledgments

The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for "The Belgian Photonovel, 1954-1985" is 10.11116/9789461665119.