Toward an Aesthetic of Gay Culture
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TOWARD AN AESTHETIC OF GAY CULTURE A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY BY STEPHEN ANDREW LOW MAY 2016 © 2016 Stephen Andrew Low ABSTRACT TOWARD AN AESTHETIC OF GAY CULTURE Stephen Andrew Low, Ph.D. Cornell University 2016 Toward an Aesthetic of Gay Culture analyzes various gay cultural phenomena to argue that the aesthetic of theatricality distinguishes contemporary gay cultural practice in the West. By identifying theatricality, a concept studied in both performance studies and cultural studies, as the central aesthetic feature of gay cultural practice, my dissertation disrupts the assumed correlation between gay identity and gay culture. Extending the analysis provided by David Halperin’s How To Be Gay , my project argues that the aesthetic structure of theatricality is inherent in the process of recoding heteronormative cultural phenomena to express queer meanings. In this process of recoding, the heteronormative meaning of phenomena is maintained while new meaning are simultaneously produced and communicated. My research builds on the performance theory of Richard Schechner, and defines theatricality as exhibiting a double negation. For example: The interpellation “Girl” commonly used in gay social worlds does not describe its intended audience as belonging to the female sex or the gender “woman,” but because this act of interpellation maintains the socially authorized meaning of the word “Girl,” the subject being hailed is not-not a “Girl” in so far as feminization has haunted gayness over the course of the twentieth century. By providing an analysis of the dramatic literature and persona of gay icon Oscar Wilde, the style of femininity embodied by transgender artist and gay community darling Nina Arsenault, the erotic masculinity in the artwork of Tom of Finland, and the paradoxical privacy of cruising and public sex, Toward an Aesthetic of Gay Culture surveys an array of artistic and social practices and identifies theatricality as the common aesthetic feature of gay cultural phenomena. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Upon the submission of this document, Stephen Low will receive a PhD in Theater Studies from Cornell University, having previously received a Master’s in Theater Studies from Cornell University, a Master’s from the University of Texas at Austin in the Performance as Public Practice Program, and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto majoring in English Drama and Sexual Diversity Studies. He also holds a Diploma in Musical Theatre from the Randolph Academy. His scholarly interests include queer theory, sex and sexuality, gender, race, musical theater, dance, and gay culture. Stephen’s writing will have peer reviewed essays published in Theater Research In Canada and Modern Drama in 2016 and 2017 respectively . Alongside his scholarship, Stephen is a theater director and actor. iii This dissertation is dedicated to Mikhail Sorine, with my love and appreciation. And to Dr. J Paul Halferty, the greatest friend and mentor anyone could ask for. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I sincerely thank the members of my special committee, Ellis Hanson, Jason Frank, and in particular, the chair of the committee and my advisor, Nick Salvato. With their astute comments and criticism, these scholars guided me in crafting this dissertation. Their invaluable engagement with the ideas presented here will continue to shape me and my scholarship for years to come. I would also like to express my gratitude for the guidance and support offered by J. Ellen Gainor, Sara Warner, Kym Bird, and Lucinda Ramberg. These women, along with the members of my special committee, have been instrumental in my development as a professional scholar and academic over the past five years. The graduate students in the Department of Performing and Media Arts during my time at Cornell, especially Erin Stoneking, Jayme Kilburn, and Ozum Hatipoglu, provided the collegial support and friendship necessary to produce this document, and for that I want to express the most heartfelt gratitude. My parents, Margot and Robert Low, as always, deserve thanks for their continuing support. I want to express thanks to J. Paul Halferty who has been my friend and mentor since undergrad. Without his critical eye, unyielding support, patience, sense of humor, and friendship, none of this would have happened. And lastly, I want to think my partner, Mikhail Sorine, whose love and support has sustained me since I began graduate studies over seven years ago. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Biographical Sketch iii Acknowledgements v Introduction: Hey Girl! 1 Chapter One: Theatrical Iconography 47 Chapter Two: Theatrical Femininity 93 Chapter Three: Theatrical Masculinity 133 Chapter Four: Theatrical Space 168 Conclusion: “We Are Family” 207 vi TOWARD AN AESTHETIC OF GAY CULTURE A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY BY STEPHEN LOW MAY 2016 © 2016 Stephen Low ABSTRACT TOWARD AN AESTHETIC OF GAY CULTURE Stephen Low, Ph.D. Cornell University 2016 Toward an Aesthetic of Gay Culture analyzes various gay cultural phenomena to argue that the aesthetic of theatricality distinguishes contemporary gay cultural practice in the West. By identifying theatricality, a concept studied in both performance studies and cultural studies, as the central aesthetic feature of gay cultural practice, my dissertation disrupts the assumed correlation between gay identity and gay culture. Extending the analysis provided by David Halperin’s How To Be Gay , my project argues that the aesthetic structure of theatricality is inherent in the process of recoding heteronormative cultural phenomena to express queer meanings. In this process of recoding, the heteronormative meaning of phenomena is maintained while new meaning are simultaneously produced and communicated. My research builds on the performance theory of Richard Schechner, and defines theatricality as exhibiting a double negation. For example: The interpellation “Girl” commonly used in gay social worlds does not describe its intended audience as belonging to the female sex or the gender “woman,” but because this act of interpellation maintains the socially authorized meaning of the word “Girl,” the subject being hailed is not-not a “Girl” in so far as feminization has haunted gayness over the course of the twentieth century. By providing an analysis of the dramatic literature and persona of gay icon Oscar Wilde, the style of femininity embodied by transgender artist and gay community darling Nina Arsenault, the erotic masculinity in the artwork of Tom of Finland, and the paradoxical privacy of cruising and public sex, Toward an Aesthetic of Gay Culture surveys an array of artistic and social practices and identifies theatricality as the common aesthetic feature of gay cultural phenomena. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Upon the submission of this document, Stephen Low will receive a PhD in Theater Studies from Cornell University, having previously received a Master’s in Theater Studies from Cornell University, a Master’s from the University of Texas at Austin in the Performance as Public Practice Program, and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto majoring in English Drama and Sexual Diversity Studies. He also holds a Diploma in Musical Theatre from the Randolph Academy. His scholarly interests include queer theory, sex and sexuality, gender, race, musical theater, dance, and gay culture. Stephen’s writing will have peer reviewed essays published in Theater Research In Canada and Modern Drama in 2016 and 2017 respectively . Alongside his scholarship, Stephen is a theater director and actor. iii This dissertation is dedicated to Mikhail Sorine, with my love and appreciation. And to Dr. J Paul Halferty, the greatest friend and mentor anyone could ask for. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I sincerely thank the members of my special committee, Ellis Hanson, Jason Frank, and in particular, the chair of the committee and my advisor, Nick Salvato. With their astute comments and criticism, these scholars guided me in crafting this dissertation. Their invaluable engagement with the ideas presented here will continue to shape me and my scholarship for years to come. I would also like to express my gratitude for the guidance and support offered by J. Ellen Gainor, Sara Warner, Kym Bird, and Lucinda Ramberg. These women, along with the members of my special committee, have been instrumental in my development as a professional scholar and academic over the past five years. The graduate students in the Department of Performing and Media Arts during my time at Cornell, especially Erin Stoneking, Jayme Kilburn, and Ozum Hatipoglu, provided the collegial support and friendship necessary to produce this document, and for that I want to express the most heartfelt gratitude. My parents, Margot and Robert Low, as always, deserve thanks for their continuing support. I want to express thanks to J. Paul Halferty who has been my friend and mentor since undergrad. Without his critical eye, unyielding support, patience, sense of humor, and friendship, none of this would have happened. And lastly, I want to think my partner, Mikhail Sorine, whose love and support has sustained me since I began graduate studies over seven years ago. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Biographical Sketch iii Acknowledgements v Introduction: Hey Girl! 1 Chapter One: Theatrical Iconography