Page - 35 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 03/01

On the History and Hermeneutics of Comics | 35www.jrfm.eu 2017, 3/1, 17–44 MOrAL fUNCtiON the earliest examples that can be attributed to the comic genre were intended not as entertainment, but as instruction and moral example. the ars moriendi scene in fig. 2 is not intended to amuse. It was designed as an appeal for a spir- itual response by an individual facing inevitable death and it vividly presents the consequences of persisting in sin, with the demons pointing to the mortal sins of pride and vanity. in light of the extensive circulation of this medium, the comic was evidently becoming a vehicle for broader understandings of what made a life good or bad. ironically the comic developed intense messages about right and wrong precisely in contexts where it was perceived as disgraceful, by the cultural establishment and by psychologists.39 the Disney character Donald Duck is a paradigm of this form. Donald Duck bears the typical everyday problems of the common man without obviously favouring a certain political system or religious faith. Despite occasional violations of the rules, he stands up for fundamental values (or is persuaded by his nephews to follow the value system). in the nar- rative of The Persistent Postman, he is forced to deliver a letter from his rival Gus Goose to his beloved Daisy. Jealous, he decides to “lose” the letter in a raging snowstorm, but he then heeds his conscience and tries to find the letter again (fig. 14a). He succeeds, but then loses the letter once more, this time uninten- 39 see Wertham 1955.