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Something Queer in His Make-Up: Genderbending, Omegaverses, and Fandom's Discontents

Director, Elliot Aaron
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1494803296589862

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, American Culture Studies.
Although fan fiction as a literary and cultural phenomenon has a rich and well-studied history – transformative works have been published as far back as the time of Don Quixote – more taboo subcultures of the genre have gone largely unexplored within academia, as has the relationship between fans and authors within such genres. This dissertation examines several unique subgenres of fan participation within the BBC’s Sherlock fandom and J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit fandom, including genres that focus on genderbending and genderswapping, nonconsent, and male reproduction. I draw on the work of Gerard Genette and the concept of paratextuality to argue that readers of fan fiction have a far greater impact upon their communities – and even the texts they read – than previous scholars have observed. Furthermore, using both this concept and a literary analysis approach, I examine what narratives about gender roles, sexual orientation, and even reproduction emerge within the text, highlighting both transgressive rhetoric and instances where hegemonic ideologies are upheld, consciously or otherwise, through both authorial and fan-contributed content. Ultimately I suggest that although some fics may end up reinforcing restrictive normative gender models or ideas about reproduction, these genres nonetheless offer both writers and readers a literary framework through which they can push back against rigid gender roles and question the legitimacy of our established understandings of gender, sex, and even reproduction itself.
Susana Peña, Dr. (Advisor)
Bill Albertini, Dr. (Committee Member)
Radhika Gajjala, Dr. (Committee Member)
Ellen Gorsevski, Dr. (Committee Member)
216 p.
American Studies; Gender; Gender Studies
fan studies; fan fiction; fanart; fan culture; gender studies; transgender studies; participatory culture; Tolkien studies; The Hobbit; Sherlock

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Director, E. A. (2017). Something Queer in His Make-Up: Genderbending, Omegaverses, and Fandom's Discontents [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1494803296589862

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Director, Elliot. Something Queer in His Make-Up: Genderbending, Omegaverses, and Fandom's Discontents. 2017. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1494803296589862.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Director, Elliot. "Something Queer in His Make-Up: Genderbending, Omegaverses, and Fandom's Discontents." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1494803296589862

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1494803296589862
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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.