Blood on her hands: a practice-led approach to exploring violent heroines in dystopian fiction Claire Byrnes Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing Production), Queensland University of Technology Graduate Diploma of Library and Information Services, Queensland University of Technology Certificate in Creative Writing (Novel), Stanford University Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts School of Communication, Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology 2018 1 Key words Gender, female, dystopia, violence, Australian literature, science fiction, creative practice. 2 Abstract This creative practice-led research project investigates the creation of violent female protagonists in dystopian fiction in order to discover what these type of characters reveal about society’s ideas of gender. The aim of this project was to produce a research product or artefact that was deliberately poetic in presentation in order to encourage readers to consider the complexity of female gender construction at a deeper level. The project does this by incorporating aspects of evocative practice research, action research, and fiction in the research methods. Through the application of my own creative practice in writing the fictional work, Swan Song, in conjunction with research and analysis of gender theory and dystopian fiction, including comparative texts by female authors such as Margaret Atwood and Emily St. John Mandel, violent heroines were revealed to be complex products of their experiences. My research into this area also found traditional gender roles reflect and reinforce the cultural status quo of any given society, and the way gender is constructed can be challenged and redefined. As opposed to being something fixed or intrinsic to the body, gender is imposed on the body in accordance with the cultural values and norms of the society from which the individual was born and raised in. During the course of my research project, I was primarily interested in constructing a female protagonist who exhibited behaviour and character traits that did not conform to traditional, western norms associated with female gender and femininity. I chose to use dystopian fiction as both the site of research exploration and the means of 3 disseminating research findings. I made this deliberate choice in order to take advantage of the genre’s elasticity when it comes to depicting a futuristic society and as a way to contribute to the body of work by female authors who explore similar discourses within the broader genre of science fiction. Furthermore, the findings of this research project will contribute to the discourse of gender theory and to the field of Australian literature, particularly to the body of work produced by Australian female authors. 4 Statement of original ownership The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet requirements for an award at this or any other higher education institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made. Signature: QUT Verified Signature Date: August 2018 5 Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor, Glen Thomas, for his encouragement and perseverance over the years. His insights and good humour have been invaluable. I would also like to thank my husband for his support; Melissa Parent; and Ellen Thompson for being a wonderful liaison librarian to creative writing students. 6 Table of Contents Blood on her hands: a practice-led approach to exploring violent heroines in dystopian fiction ......................................................................................................... 1 Key words ................................................................................................................ 2 Abstract .................................................................................................................... 3 Statement of original ownership .............................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. 6 Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... 7 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 8 Background .......................................................................................................... 8 Research statement, questions and approach ....................................................... 9 Definition of key terms .......................................................................................... 12 Methodology .......................................................................................................... 13 Literature and contextual review (including text analysis) .................................... 17 Gender theory: Women under construction ....................................................... 17 Dystopian fiction: Under analysis ...................................................................... 21 Swan Song: Intersections with the literature ...................................................... 30 Creative piece: Swan Song .................................................................................... 31 Chapter One ....................................................................................................... 31 Chapter Two ....................................................................................................... 35 Chapter Three ..................................................................................................... 38 Chapter Four ...................................................................................................... 47 Chapter Five ....................................................................................................... 55 Chapter Six ......................................................................................................... 66 Chapter Seven .................................................................................................... 72 Chapter Eight ..................................................................................................... 79 Chapter Nine ...................................................................................................... 84 Chapter Ten ........................................................................................................ 90 Synopsis ........................................................................................................... 101 Reflection ............................................................................................................. 105 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 112 Bibliography (QUT APA Style)........................................................................... 114 7 Introduction Background Science fiction and feminism theory have formed what would have once seemed like an unlikely alliance. From the first wave of feminist science fiction authors such as Marge Piercy, Ursula Le Guin, and Joanna Russ in the 1970s, science fiction, including dystopian fiction, has become a popular genre for female authors to explore issues, such as gender and politics (McBean, 2014, pp. 40-42; Villegas- Lopez, 2015, pp. 26-27). Science fiction offers female authors an avenue in which “to challenge the inherent violence of the patriarchal system and to rewrite the script for the ideal society of the future” that was not previously available to them (Maxwell, 2011, p. 110). The fantastical element of the genre is flexible enough to allow for the fluid representation of gender relations, and as a result the genre has proved to be of particular interest and use to female authors (Tiger as cited in Watkins, 2012, p. 120). This assertion is supported by a variety of contemporary texts including Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014) and a series of novels by Kass Morgan titled The 100, The 100 – Day 21, The 100 – Homecoming, and The 100 – Rebellion (2013; 2014; 2015; 2016) which have been adapted into a successful television series. Dystopian fiction, in particular, is experiencing a resurgence of popularity in recent times, which may be attributed to the current political climate of the Western World, with academic forums making particular reference to the election of President Donald Trump in the United States (Branco, 2017, p. 94). The increased appetite for the genre has seen a shift in reproducing literary content in other formats. For 8 instance in the past year, Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) was remade in another format, this time as an award-winning television series, which premiered on 26 April, 2017, and has since been renewed for a second season due to go to air in 2018. Orwell’s classic Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) was also adapted for the theatre by Icke and MacMillan with the play performed in Australia and internationally in 2017, and Washburn’s Mr Burns, a Post-Electric Play was revisited by the Belvoir Street Theatre company during its 2017 program. Research statement, questions and approach This practice-led research project utilised the genre of dystopian fiction as both the site of research experimentation and mode of dissemination