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Neale: Genre Repertoires

Which came first, the chicken or the important to understand that genre is Nick Lacey gets to egg? Believe it or not this philosophical not a straightforward concept. Steve grips with hybridity question is relevant to genre because Neale, in Genre and Hollywood (1988), and genre repertoires we can ask the question, ‘what investigated the complexity of defining in the hard-boiled comes first, the genre (the chicken) genres: we may know a horror movie or the text it lays?’ The answer may when we see it but being able to define detective/super hero seem obvious: it must be the text it accurately in a way that includes all series, . because without texts there are no horror texts is exceptionally difficult. genres; but it’s not that simple. Take Despite the fact that many genres the first ‘’, Superman, who have a distinct repertoire of elements, appeared in Action Comics in 1938. – particular narratives, iconography, At the time the Superman comic strip characters and settings – Neale wasn’t considered to be an example showed these are always changing of the ‘superhero’ genre but part of and the boundaries between genres the tradition of ‘masked heroes’ that can be very vague. Here we are going included The Pimpernel (1903) to focus on two of his conclusions: (okay Superman doesn’t have a mask ‘Generic repertoires themselves but you get the idea). The success of can be at least partly compatible: Superman spawned mad-doctor films combine some and The Flash a year later and it was of the elements of horror and only then, when there was a number some of the elements of science of different texts that audiences, fiction… In this way, hybrid films, and critics, recognised as having cycles and genres are formed...’ similar elements, that the ‘superhero’ genre was born. Only retrospectively ‘The repertoire of generic could it be seen that Superman also conventions available at belonged to the genre. So the answer any one point in time is to the chicken-egg question is ‘both’; always in play rather than while the Superman text came first simply being replayed...’ it wasn’t identified as belonging to the superhero genre until after To examine Neale’s ideas we the genre had been recognised. shall consider the first season Fortunately you are not studying of Jessica Jones (2015), a Marvel for a philosophy exam but it is series available on .

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MMM67M67 final-11.30am.inddfinal-11.30am.indd 2626 008/02/20198/02/2019 12:5312:53 Genre Hybrids The Marvel logo at the start of Jessica Jones ensures that audiences understand that the programme belongs to the superhero genre. However the visual style and iconography of the title sequence, supplemented with a jazz inflected score, signifies film noir. Jessica Jones is a hybrid of ‘superhero’ and the ‘hardboiled detective’ trope typical of film noir. The television series Jessica Jones is not the first text to mix the dark expressionism of noir with superheroes. Such comics have been a staple hybrid subgenre for some time; for example (2001) in which Jones first appeared as a civilian after being the superhero Jewel. Despite this, the genre hybrid is likely to have more of an impact in a television series than in comics because the latter is a decidedly niche market. In 2017 The was released on Netflix and it’s likely that Jones’ success gave the producers confidence that there was a market for dark superhero narratives. The darker elements are typical of noir narratives and this bleaker Marvel product is more likely to be seen on non-network television, though (2016) is an exception. In noir (and superhero) narratives the protagonist is usually male so having a female detective walking ‘mean’ urban streets is a play on the gender expectations of the genres. Although voiceover narration is used, there are fewer typical ‘wise cracking’ lines associated with male detectives. Jones is a traumatised victim of rape and childhood tragedy

Illustration by Tom Zaino Tom Illustration by and so her humour is mostly acerbic.

The Marvel logo at the start of Jessica Jones ensures that audiences understand that the programme belongs to the superhero genre. However the visual style and iconography of the title sequence, supplemented with a jazz inflected score, signifies film noir. Jessica Jones is a hybrid of ‘superhero’ and the ‘hardboiled detective’ trope typical of film noir.

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MMM67M67 final-11.30am.inddfinal-11.30am.indd 2727 008/02/20198/02/2019 12:5312:53 “What the hell is a genre repertoire?” as the eponymous Jessica Jones ix David Giesbrecht, Netfl Giesbrecht, David

In noir (and superhero) narratives the protagonist is usually male so having a female detective walking ‘mean’ urban streets is a play on the gender expectations of the genres.

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MMM67M67 final-11.30am.inddfinal-11.30am.indd 2828 008/02/20198/02/2019 12:5312:53 The repertoire of elements of most ‘movement’ campaigns against is an Kilgrave, ‘superhero’ texts will require the titular example of male arrogance and evil however, has no characters, wearing spandex, to save in action. Jessica Jones is a damaged the world (narrative) from nefarious individual, often misanthropic, but desire for world villains (character) using special nevertheless tries to do the right domination and effects driven and advanced thing and she won’t give up fighting. technology (both iconography). If this hybrid, superhero-noir is basically a Settings are recognisably our own, leads to more audiovisual texts (as pathetic man but are also an ‘alternative world’ (the it already exists in comics) of this Marvel Cinematic Universe in this subgenre then there will be a new who represents case) where superpowers are real. cycle of texts. Typically, if a text white, male Of these elements Jessica Jones with a significant generic variation retains only the superpowers and is successful then others will follow privilege. setting. The villain, Kilgrave, who can until their popularity fades. make people do what he wants simply Whether Jessica Jones is a harbinger by speaking to them, is played (as of this cycle or not, it has made a if often the case in American texts) considerable impact in its critique of by a British actor, David Tennant. male misogyny in a gripping narrative. Kilgrave, however, has no desire for world domination and is basically a When she is talking to the mother of Nick Lacey is a freelance Film and Media pathetic man who represents white, her adopted sister (Trish) she says: Studies teacher, textbook author and ‘I wish there was a’ mother male privilege. His petulance when his regular contributor to MediaMag. His of the year’ award and then I attempt to seduce Jones (by buying study guides on Do The Right Thing, Pan’s could bludgeon you with it.’ her childhood home, hoping she would Labyrinth and Vertigo are available on The first episode opens with a love him) fails, shows his childishness Kindle. knowing reference to the dark city of when he doesn’t get his way. noir when she says: ‘New York may As Neale shows, it is the fluidity of be a city that never sleeps…’ The noir genre that allows these variations and genre predominates in the episode can change the way we regard the as there are only a few superhero noir and superhero genres. However moments: seven minutes in when simply identifying generic variations she jumps unfeasibly high onto a in a text is not enough in itself as escape, and ten minutes later, when we also need to consider the effect she is lifting a car. Both of these events these changes have: in other words, are not actually shown but implied. It’s what is this hybrid text about? not until the fourth episode, when she There isn’t space to answer superhumanly trashes a room in anger, that question in detail here but that we clearly see her super powers. Charlotte Andrews’ suggestion Jones is a hard boiled – meaning is a good starting place: she is cynical – private detective ‘[Jessica Jones is] a scalpel-sharp who, like the protagonists of ‘classic’ dissection of patriarchy at its noirs, such as Mike Hammer in Kiss Me most abhorrent, a harrowing Deadly (1956), is not entirely mentally examination of power, control, Further reading stable (the back story of her trauma is abuse and trauma – and the revealed during the series). The logo superhuman strength required Charlotte Richardson Andrews of the programme’s title is cracked, to survive all that.’ (2016) (2016) ‘Jessica Jones: the antihero we like her psyche, and she is also the need’, British film institute, available ‘lone wolf’ hero of noir as she has few So the noir narrative about at: http://www.bfi.org.uk/news- friends. The cynicism of noir is evident surviving trauma, caused by white, opinion/sight-sound-magazine/ in her voiceover: ‘She’s either an idiot male arrogance, uses superhero reviews-recommendations/tv/ in love or being conned. Which pretty powers as a metaphor to explain jessica-jones-antihero-we-need much amounts to the same thing.’ the (superhuman) personal qualities The visual style of film noir drew required to recover from the abuse. Daniel Murphy (2016) ‘Jessica upon German expressionism of 1920s Kilgrave gets what he wants simply Jones’ and Gendered Forms of cinema and there are a few heavily by asking for it and this reflects the Seeing’, Popmatters, available at: stylised camera set-ups: for example privileged position that white, middle https://www.popmatters.com/ the overhead shot that emphasises class males have in western society. jessica-jones-and-gendered-forms- her shadow on the sidewalk. The sexual abuse that the #MeToo of-seeing-2495451026.html

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