GUIDE TO THE PIECES
OF CHRIS WARE’S BUILDING STORIES
(2012)
Ware’s graphic novel
Building Stories includes fourteen
pieces of varying sizes, formats, and lengths (fifteen if you count the box
itself, which includes frames from the narrative around the edge of the box).
The product packaging delivers the work’s contents wrapped in plastic in
a stack that appears to be determined by the size of the pieces, and might be
considered one possible order in
which the pieces could be experienced.
Once the product is unwrapped, however, there’s nothing to dictate an
appropriate order for taking in the story/stories, and since most of the pieces
involve flashbacks to earlier moments, it’s impossible to read the work in
strict chronological order according to the events.
For convenience of
discussion in class, I have numbered the pieces as they were stacked in the
original packaging. (It would be
good for you to number your pieces in this way.)
In the descriptive list below I provide some preliminary speculation
about the general time frame and focus of each piece.
#1.
Narrow booklet (10”
x 3”); in the first frame a woman (diarist) is sleeping alone in a double bed;
dark tones. No text in this piece.
Time: Spans long
range, from pregnancy through Lucy maybe about age 8 or 9.
#2.
Single narrow sheet
divided by folding into four lengthwise sections (folded size about 7” x 4”); in
the first frame a woman in blue pants (diarist) is standing in the snow on the
steps of an apartment building.
Time: Short time
span in winter, pre-2000; she lives in apartment, owns a flower shop that she
walks by.
#3.
Single narrow sheet,
exactly the same format as #2; in the first frame (which is round-cornered)
diarist is watching Lucy in pink clothes playing in a closet.
Text: HER LAUGH IS LIKE A FLOCK OF TINY BIRDS, TAKING OFF.
Time: Several
different moments in Lucy’s childhood, her age varying from about 6 to 10-11.
#4.
Bright-red booklet
(about 5 ½” x 9”) with a black face surrounded by daisies on the cover; title
around edges is BRANFORD THE BEST BEE IN THE WORLD.
Time: Same time as
beginning of #6—on second-to-last page is hazy image of couple on steps of
apartment in first frame of #6.
This whole book may be a story that the diarist tells Lucy?
#5.
Golden Book format
(though larger than a conventional Golden Book, about 9” x 9”); on the cover a
woman in a brown dress and yellow sweater is writing in a diary (hence reference
to her as “diarist”). Title page of
this book: SEPTEMBER 23rd, 2000.
Time: Sept 23, 2000,
chronicles hour by hour the day when diarist meets Phil, her future husband.
Last page flash-forward to April 20, 2005, when diarist drives past old
apartment with baby Lucy in car.
Flashbacks from building’s point of view to many earlier moments in its
existence, to landlady’s earlier years, diarist in high school.
Diarist’s call to mother causes concern about dad’s health.
Building looks ahead to diarist’s later years with Phil. Back cover looks
ahead to building’s demolition.
#6.
An unbound booklet
(about 8 ½” x 11”); first large frame depicts a man and a woman sitting on the
steps of an apartment building; diarist (with a cane) is walking away from the
building; an older woman is looking out of a first-floor window.
Time: Around 2000,
with flashbacks to early days and more recent unhappy days of second-floor
couple’s relationship. Diarist is
working in flower shop. Near end: a
flash-forward to an imagined far-distant future moment.
#7.
An unbound booklet,
exactly the size of #6; in the small first frame is a red telephone.
Text: VVVFFFMMMMMMMMMMM (which we soon realize is the sound of a vacuum
cleaner).
Time: Around 2000,
with flashbacks to many moments in landlady’s life; history of building and
neighborhood told obliquely through her memories.
#8.
An unbound booklet,
larger than #6 and #7 (about 10” x 12”); across the top is the word DISCONNECT
in white on a blue background; a woman’s picture appears to the right.
Time: Front
page—Lucy still young; diarist and Phil fighting.
Present (mostly) is diarist writing in October/November 2009 (which we
learn from a text message from Phil).
Flashbacks to renovating Oak Park house before moving in, moments of
stress about money, going out to dinner with Phil’s client, day of Stephanie’s
funeral and Miss Kitty’s death, hiring of au pair before Lucy started first
grade (Lucy drawing pictures of Branford), seeing old boyfriend Lance in a play.
Flash-forward to Lucy as young adult listening to graying diarist relate
dream (Phil evidently has left?)—this may be the most “present” moment (perhaps
even in future).
#9.
A bound book (about
9 ½” x 12”); the un-illustrated cover is beige and green; on the inside front
cover spanning both halves of the page is a complicated circular chart that
appears to be the thoughts of the diarist pictured alone in a double bed to the
right of the chart. Central text: I
JUST WANT TO FALL ASLEEP AND NEVER WAKE UP AGAIN.
Time: In the early
pages, it’s about the same time as #6—diarist is using a cane, wearing the
red/blue outfit. Then the building
tells a “once-upon-a-time” story from the future, after landlady’s death.
Then diarist is working in flower shop; flashback to art school and a
summer spent house-sitting in suburbs; stays on as nanny for a year or so; gets
apartment just after that ends.
Recently has run into Jeffrey (the nanny gig was seven years before).
Building’s memories interspersed.
This all may be part of a diary entry written in Oak Park (Phil?
Old boyfriend Lance? kisses her at one point) remembering having taken a
creative writing class. Flashback
to living with Lance, Mr. Kitty, visiting her parents.
Later visit to mother—diarist learns that Lance had contacted her
parents, Googles him. Says it was 8
or 9 years before—she still in art school; had an abortion; Lance leaves; she
faces a future alone. Probably
before #2, leading up to that despair.
#10.
A newspaper-sized
piece folded in half (folded size about 12” x 9 ½ “); title is THE DAILY BEE.
Paper when unfolded is a four-page newspaper that is part of the story of
BRANFORD THE BEST BEE IN THE WORLD (see #4).
Time: About same
time as #4, around 2000.
#11.
A single large sheet
folded in half (folded size slightly wider than #10); in first frame a woman is
typing on a laptop. Text: RECENTLY,
MY HIGH SCHOOL BOYFRIEND FRIENDED ME ON FACEBOOK…
Time:
Present is in Oak Park; Lucy is 5-6.
Before #8. Flashback to high
school art class, first college boyfriend.
#12.
A heavy pasteboard
piece (about 10 ½” x 16”), resembles a gameboard, dark blue, an architect’s
cutaway drawing of an apartment layout in white.
Opens into four panels depicting apartment building.
Time: Around 2000;
diarist leading depressing life; becomes a little more friendly with
second-floor couple; second-floor man steps on Branford, kills him; landlady
remembers her abortive only relationship with a boy.
#13.
A large unbound
newspaper-like piece (about 16” x 12”), folded in the middle; the huge first
panel depicts a suburban street of large houses and tall stately trees.
Text: god…
Time: Around 2010
(post-Obama election); Lucy too big for stroller (which diarist pushes to
balance her as she runs through Oak Park, which is the present of this section).
Remembering economic downturn, flashback to Stephanie’s death/funeral,
Miss Kitty’s death.
#14.
A large single
sheet, same size as #13 but on higher-quality paper, folded in middle; all
panels on front page are identical squares; first panel depicts a family group;
a woman is speaking on the telephone.
Text (in a thought balloon): IT ALL HAPPENED SO FAST.
WHEN I THINK BACK NOW I ALMOST CAN’T BELIEVE IT…
Time: Diarist at
office party (2011 or later?) remembering her father’s death (prior to Lucy’s
birth), her own childhood, moving to suburban house; her accident, Lucy’s
childhood.