Fascination/Frustration: Slash Fandom, Genre, and Queer Uptake Taylor Boulware A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2017 Reading Committee: Thomas Foster, Chair Anis Bawarshi Katherine Cummings Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Department of English Fascination/Frustration: Slash Fandom, Genre, and Queer Uptake by Taylor Boulware The University of Washington, 2017 Under the Supervision of Professor Dr. Thomas Foster ABSTRACT This dissertation examines contemporary television slash fandom, in which fans write and circulate creative texts that dramatize non-canonical queer relationships between canonically heterosexual male characters. These texts contribute to the creation of global networks of affective and social relations, critique the specific corporate media texts from which they emerge, and undermine homophobic ideologies that prevent authentic queer representation in mainstream media. Intervening in dominant scholarly and popular arguments about slash fans, I maintain a rigorous distinction between the act of reading homoerotic subtexts in TV shows and writing fiction that makes that homoeroticism explicit, in every sense of the word.This emphasis on writing and the circulation of responsive, recursive texts can best be understood, I argue, through the framework of Rhetorical Genre Studies, which theorizes genres and the ways in which they are deployed, modified, and circulated as ideological and social action. I nuance the RGS concept of uptake, which names the generic dimensions of utterance and response, and define my concept of queer uptake, in which writers respond to a text in ways that refuse its generic boundaries and status, motivated by an ideological resistance to both genre and sexual normativity. To complement and further develop queer uptake, I draw on Queer Theory and Affect Studies to propose a wholly new theoretical approach to understanding slash fandom as a site of queer subversion, in which writers critique heteronormativity and homophobia – ideologies that are, to ii varying degrees, perpetuated by their chosen source texts. Central to my argument is the increase in fan-canon interaction and communication that largely defines our contemporary convergent mediascape, as well the heightened visibility of slash fandom in mainstream media discourse that demands producers acknowledge their slash fandoms in some capacity. I explore two of the most popular relationships in contemporary fandom, Sterek (Stiles/Derek) from MTV’s Teen Wolf (2011 – 2017) and Destiel, (Dean/Castiel) from the CW’s Supernatural (2005 – present) for how they embody different dimensions of queer uptake. My analysis of Sterek explores how the canon’s initially positive responses to the slash fandom ultimately proved to be blatant queerbaiting, and, how as a result, the fandom has largely rejected the canon – but not the characters, still creating art and writing fics that offer pointed criticisms and celebrate the queer relationship. My analysis of Destiel focuses on Supernatural’s unique use of metanarrative and self-referentiality, as together with a nuanced understanding of genre, to canonically respond to its fandom, resulting in a much more positive and productive fan-canon dynamic. I also consider how slash fandom’s preoccupation with sexual explicitness rejects heteronormative politics of shame in order to imagine male intimacy and the male body unbound from traditional masculinity. I conclude that the texts produced by fan writers are at once complexly critical of the corporate media texts that motivate them, and that the queer uptakes fan writers perform are rich with possibility for understanding the increasingly-important dynamics between producers and audiences, and as a site where those who are not fairly represented in popular media can offer each other sustenance iii © Taylor Boulware, 2017 All Rights Reserved iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This may be counterintuitive for a dissertation about writing, but I must admit that words feel woefully inadequate to fully acknowledge the people whose support has made the completion of this dissertation and my doctorate possible. Nevertheless, I shall persist. First and foremost, I thank and offer my endless gratitude to my family for their unconditional love and unwavering belief in me, especially when I didn’t believe in myself. To my parents, Tevis Boulware and Rebel Boulware, who have taught me to always follow my heart and to work hard, and who have provided immeasurable emotional, mental, and financial support, I say thank you and I love you. To my sister Brooke Drew, whose talent with layout and design saved me the massive troubles of formatting both my MA thesis in 2008 and now this dissertation, I offer you a quote from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: “thanks, B, I couldn’t have done it without ya.” My aunt, Susan Boulware, Ph.D., has my deepest gratitude for her love and support, as well as for providing me with lifelong inspiration to become another Dr. Boulware. I am also so grateful for my grandparents Bob and Velma Easter, and my nieces Savannah and Esme, all who provide much needed levity when things get too stressful. Finally, I want to acknowledge my late grandparents, Elizabeth Boulware and John Boulware, M.D., whose financial support made much of my education possible. The outstanding English doctoral program at UW has transformed me as a person, teacher, and scholar. The financial support and opportunity to teach at a world-class university, the intellectual rigor, and welcoming faculty who embrace nontraditional ideas have all be formative and extremely valuable. I am particularly indebted to courses from Dr. Chandan Reddy, Dr. Carolyn Allen, Dr. Gillian Harkins, and Dr. Tom Foster for helping to inspire and energize this dissertation. Dr. Foster has also been an excellent dissertation chair, allowing v me the freedom to explore my interests and arguments while providing insightful feedback and support. Dr. Kate Cummings was a fantastic exam committee chair and has continued to provide her helpful insights on this project. Dr. Anis Bawarshi has been a confidant, mentor, and committee member whose scholarship and kindness has been instrumental to my arguments and my success. The relationships with friends and colleagues from the English Department that I’ve been blessed with have been essential to my academic work and emotional wellbeing, and I cannot emphasize enough just how much they mean to me. Ned Schaumberg, Tesla Schaefer, Liz Janssen, Roger Chao, and Alissa Bourbannais, Ph.D., are brilliant, compassionate, spiritually generous, delightful people who continually inspire and motivate me. Kirin Wachter-Grene, Ph.D., and Leanne Day, are two of the funniest, smartest, most badass women on this Earth, and I am honored to call them friends and eternally grateful that I am on this journey with them. My friendships are an embarrassment of riches. Amy Simmons is my rock, and I absolutely could not have done any of this without her love, support, and ability to make me laugh in even my darkest moods. Dr. Rubén Casas is a best friend like no other, and a brilliant scholar and to boot. Devoe Lindsey has stuck by me since sophomore year of college; she and her husband Dustin have given me refuge from the chaos of grad school life for over a decade now. Edward T. Jones II has been my emotional anchor and a constant source of encouragement for the past year. His belief in me, unyielding support, intelligence, hilarious and brilliant wit, and kindness remind me everyday that people are worth believing in and the world is worth saving. I am also deeply indebted to the Sterek and Destiel fandoms for their creativity, intelligence, and fierce passion. The fellow slash writers I’ve had the privilege to become friends vi with in the years since joining the Sterek fandom have been instrumental to the development of my ideas, serving as sounding boards, random question answerers, and early draft readers – for both my fic and this project. Bleep0bleep, mad-madam-m, fauvistfly, literary-oblivion, and infectedcolors are all wonderfully talented, kind, and encouraging writers, artists, and friends whose shared love of Sterek continually inspires me. And to my friends and fellow Sterek fans Flannery, Carly, Hannah, Bella, and Jamie – thank you for always being there to listen, make me smile, and remind me that there’s something magical about these fictional idiots in love. With that in mind, I must also acknowledge the actors who portray these characters for bringing them to life with such skill and vibrancy, and who have handled the surely overwhelming popularity of their slash fandoms with aplomb. Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Misha Collins from Supernatural are hilarious, thoughtful, and talented men who understand the power of fandom. Dylan O’Brien and Tyler Hoechlin from Teen Wolf have been equally kind and open-minded; I met Tyler Hoechlin at Emerald City Comic Con in 2015, and the conversation we had about fandom, his performance as Derek, and this dissertation, will always be one of the highlights of my life. I hope they realize just how meaningful their work is. I hope that all slash writers realize how meaningful their work is as well, and how their dedication to characters, smart critiques, striving for queer representation, and unabashed love of love has given so many hope and comfort. Always keep fighting, always keep writing. vii For the fans viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Acknowledgments v Figures x Introduction “Ever More Complex Relations:” Slash, Genre, and the Canon 1 Chapter 1 Queer Uptake: A New Theory of Slash 19 Chapter 2 “Yes Homo:” Teen Wolf, Sterek, and a World Without Heterosexuality (and the Canon) 59 Chapter 3 “You can’t spell subtext without S-E-X”: Genre, Male Homosocial Desire, and Queer Uptake in Supernatural 88 Conclusion Fucking, Fascination, and Frustration: The Critical Erotics of Slash 129 Works Cited 149 ix FIGURES Figure 1 Sterek, the pairing of canonically heterosexual characters Stiles (left) and Derek (right), has come to largely define the Teen Wolf fandom – and perhaps even the show itself.