Something Queer in His Make-Up: Genderbending, Omegaverses, and Fandom's Discontents
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
SOMETHING QUEER IN HIS MAKE-UP: GENDERBENDING, OMEGAVERSES, AND FANDOM'S DISCONTENTS Elliot Aaron Director A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2017 Committee: Susana Peña, Advisor Ellen Gorsevski Graduate Faculty Representative Bill Albertini Radhika Gajjala © 2017 Elliot Aaron Director All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Susana Peña, Advisor 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, non- consent, 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. iv For Colleen. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My thanks first and foremost go to my committee members, Doctors Susana Peña, Bill Albertini, Radhika Gajjala, and Ellen Gorsevksi, whose support, encouragement, and insights since my proposal have proven invaluable to me as I’ve moved through the writing process. Among them, I am especially thankful for the frequent advice and the wisdom of my advisor, Dr. Susana Peña, for agreeing to take on an additional advisee and being willing to work with him over multiple mediums and time zones, and across thousands of miles. I also owe thanks to my mentors, Dr. Esther Rothblum and Dr. Ellen Berry, who though uninvolved with this particular project, nonetheless encouraged and supported me throughout my doctoral work. I would be remiss if I did not thank the friends who have supported me throughout the process, listened and offered advice when I needed it. My colleague and friend, Kristen Reynolds, has listened to me vent far more than my share and has patiently offered advice and perspective, as well as just the right word I needed whenever I needed it. I am especially thankful to Dr. Aisha McGriff, whose calm responses to more than a reasonable number of frantic instant messages have helped inch me away from panic on more instances than I can count, and who plied me with a perfectly curated selection of gifs when I just needed to laugh. Finally, none of this would have been completed (and it may not even have been started) without the encouragement, love, support, and belief of my partner and wife, Colleen Miller. Her endless advice, patience, faith, and willingness to read this chapter or listen to that paragraph one more time have been the key to my being able to complete this work. Over the years that I have been in this doctoral program, she has supported me through more than any human can reasonably be expected to endure, and has done so with grace, strength, and an unwavering belief that I could finish – even when I didn’t believe that myself. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………..... 1 Aca-fans and Honesty, or: Why I Worry About Everything to Follow……………. 3 Literature Review………………………………………………………………....... 6 Dionysius to De Sade: Fanfiction’s Early Origins………… ........…………. 6 Slashing: Fanfiction’s Queer Histories and Transformations……………… 9 Genderbending, Trans Fanfiction, and Community Dissent……………… . 13 Methods and Methodologies………………………………………………………. 18 Cyberethnography…………………………………………………… .......... 20 Textual Analysis……………………………………………………… ........ 21 Survey…………………………………………………………………… .... 23 Relevance…………………………………………………………………………. .. 23 Chapter Outline…………………………………………………………………… .. 26 Chapter 1: Paratextuality, Epitextuality, and Intra-Fandom Engagement…. 26 Chapter 2: Genderbending in The Hobbit…… .............................................. 28 Chapter 3: Male Reproduction and Omegaverses in Sherlock and The Hobbit 30 Conclusion………… ..................................................................................... 32 CHAPTER 1: PARATEXTUALITY, EPITEXTUALITY, AND INTRA-FANDOM ENGAGEMENT……………………………………….. ...................................................... 33 What is Paratext?....................................... ................................................................ 33 Epitext, Fanfiction, and Fans as Critics…………………………. ............................ 36 Epitext, Sherlock, and Wendymarlowe’s Dear John……. ........................................ 41 vii Participation Study Methods………………… .......................................................... 45 Themes, Tags, and Tributes: Fan Participation as Paratext…… ............................... 49 Conclusion……… ..................................................................................................... 67 CHAPTER 2: GENDERBENDING IN THE HOBBIT……………. .................................... 69 Terminology…… ....................................................................................................... 70 Scholarship on Genderswapping…… ........................................................................ 72 Criteria for Story Selection…….. .............................................................................. 76 Story Analysis……… ................................................................................................ 83 Conclusion……. ........................................................................................................ 126 CHAPTER 3: MALE REPRODUCTION AND OMEGAVERSES IN SHERLOCK AND THE HOBBIT…………………………………. ............................................................................ 130 Theoretical Predecessors: Literature, Mythology, Medicine ..................................... 132 Story Discussion: Male Pregnancies / Male “Pregnancies” ...................................... 142 Story Discussion: Omegaverses ................................................................................. 153 Omegaverse and Sherlock .............................................................................. 154 Omegaverse and The Hobbit .......................................................................... 157 Participatory Culture, Fanart, and the Shame of Knotting......................................... 164 Conclusions and Questions ........................................................................................ 166 CONCLUSION……… .......................................................................................................... 170 Failures, Fics, and Fandom’s Gender/Queer Futures ................................................. 170 The Survey…….. ....................................................................................................... 171 What Went Wrong? ....................................................................................... 171 Rethinking Future Surveys ............................................................................ 172 viii Survey Data .................................................................................................... 173 Research Summary .................................................................................................... 178 Directions for Future Research .................................................................................. 184 Conclusions…… ........................................................................................................ 186 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………… 188 APPENDIX A: COMMON TERMS…………………………………………………………203 APPENDIX B: HSRB APPROVAL LETTER.....………………………………………… 206 APPENDIX C: AO3 AND TUMBLR RECRUITMENT POST ........................................... 207 APPENDIX D: AO3 PERMISSION REQUEST EMAIL .................................................... 208 APPENDIX E: IRB APPROVED STATEMENT OF CONSENT ....................................... 209 APPENDIX F: FAN SURVEY ............................................................................................. 211 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Comparing proximity and impact of epitext and paratext upon texts ........................ 40 2 Paratextual elements at the beginning of each chapter give readers a framework for how to approach the text .................................................................................................... 42 3 Distribution of feedback themes on AO3 versus Tumblr .......................................... 51 4 Distribution of tags on Tumblr postings for “Dear John” and “The Apology” ......... 58 5 AO3 comments by content type ................................................................................