“Beyond Home and Sex? Gender and Sexuality in Elizabeth Moon’s Paksworld series. Jennifer O'Sullivan BA (Hons) This thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts School of Arts Federation University Submitted in September 2018 i Abstract Historically, fantasy fiction has tended to present sexuality and gender in a conservative light. Contemporary authors in this genre have the opportunity to imagine worlds in which they can critique these norms and offer new and subversive alternatives. Elizabeth Moon’s work has been seen by some readers and critics (Mains, et al, Bach) to challenge conservative gender roles, and while in some areas this is evident, a critical reading of her Paksworld series through a feminist lens reveals that her work is still largely restricted by normative notions of gender and heteronormative contexts and ideals. In this thesis I argue that while Moon’s female characters are allowed a certain amount of autonomy, they are still often repressed by those around them, silenced, or subject to male dominance and/or sexual violence. Those women in the novels who achieve a position of social, political or spiritual power are forced to make choices between roles: for example, between being a warrior and a mother, and are not allowed to ‘have it all’. Moon does subvert some familiar feminine tropes – her fantasy princesses for example avoid being married against their will, and her female warriors are more complex than simply being ‘sheroes’. Utilising masculinities and disability theory, I also analyse Moon’s treatment of men and masculinity. While Moon presents several familiar male fantasy tropes, she also portrays some surprisingly subversive men. These men are forced to reimagine and reinterpret their own masculine identities by having to confront ageing, disability, mutilation and loss of personal power while negotiating traditionally masculine homo-social environments. Finally, I argue that Moon’s presentation of sexuality in the Paksworld series is problematic and conservative in that very few of her characters are having pleasurable, consensual sex, especially not outside traditional marriage structures. Furthermore, the Paksworld series is largely heteronormative, with same-sex desire identified predominantly with a character who ii is presented as an antagonist to Paks. Paks herself is asexual, and I argue that Moon uses this as a way to avoid dealing with the issue of female sexual desire rather than an opportunity to explore asexuality as a valid sexual preference or identity. Overall, I argue that despite some subversive elements, Moon’s characters are still largely restricted by conservative expectations of genre, culture, gender and sexuality. iii iv Acknowledgements This thesis is the result of the advice, encouragement and generosity of many people. I would firstly like to extend my unlimited gratitude to my supervisors, Dr David Waldron, Dr Linda Wight and Dr Simon Cooper for their professionalism, expertise, patience and hard work. I would also like to acknowledge the work of the fantastic staff at Research Services, Federation University – especially Lauren Peldys and Joanne Davis for their support, forbearance and assistance. Thankyou also to the postgraduate cohort, for coffee, conversation and camaraderie. Last, but nowhere near least, my thanks and love to Michael, who always believed I could do this, even when I didn’t. 'Jennifer O'Sullivan was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Fee-Offset Scholarship through Federation University Australia.' v Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………….....ⅰ Statement of Authorship…………………………………………….ⅲ Acknowledgements……………………………………………….…ⅳ Introduction………………………………………………………......1 Chapter 1: Genre…………………………………………………......7 Chapter 2: Men and Masculinities………………………………….24 Chapter 3: Women and Femininities……………………………….60 Chapter 4: Sexualities………………………………………………93 Conclusion………………………………………………………...117 Works Cited……………………………………………………….122 1 Introduction Fantastic fiction occupies an important place in popular culture. Its popularity has grown in recent decades, as has been demonstrated by the success of works like JK Rowling’s Harry Potter (1997 – 2007) series, George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (1996 – present), and Neil Gaiman’s American Gods (2001) along with their film and television adaptations. According to Mark Chadbourn (3), “The fantasy genre is enjoying enormous popularity with readers and audiences worldwide”. Mark Newton (3) notes the appeal of fantasy’s ability to create alternate worlds, writing that “People like to explore greater themes…Anything is possible in fantasy, and the genre can exercise our ability to think, and to wonder”. Fantasy has the potential to present alternative and diverse societies in order to question traditional belief systems. Daniel Baker (437) writes that “fantasy’s increasing presence in the marketplace together with the genre’s potential for progressive socio-political representation, indicates the genre’s aesthetic power”. Some authors in this genre produce subversive works which question the status quo. English author China Miéville, for example, writes from a specifically Marxist perspective and works to present fantasy which explores contemporary issues. Miéville states that “…Because I come at this with a political perspective, the world that I’m creating is embedded with many of the concerns that I have…” (The Believer – Interview with China Miéville, Lou Anders). The metaphorical quality of fantasy allows writers to explore issues such as gender and sexuality in ways which can be less overtly challenging and confrontational than in literature in which the fictional world presented closely resembles our own primary world. Baker further notes that “by going past reality, by plunging through and beyond it, fantasy can offer an interesting, at times disturbing, perspective” (437). Sarah Jo Webb (155) writes that fantasy provides a rich ground for metaphor and symbol, and that the “indirection of metaphor and symbol asks the 2 reader to dig more deeply, to create a meaning that roughly corresponds to what the writer intended but is richer and more personal”. Fantasy can question established ideas, create cultures which explore alternative ways of being, and examine cultural and social beliefs through innovative characterizations and settings. Miẻville highlights the importance of fantasy and its ability to direct readers towards new concepts and ideas: “No matter how commodified and domesticated the fantastic in its various forms might be, we need fantasy to think the world, and to change it” (Editorial, 48, qtd in Baker). Eric Garber and Lyn Paleo (preface ⅵ) write that fantastic literature is an ideal genre to examine popular attitudes toward variant sexualities, due to its ability to imagine alternative possibilities. John Garrison (222) similarly observes that fantasy (and science fiction) “often features new forms of sexual identity and relationships, whether as central elements of the plot or as a component of a narrative’s imagined culture”. Garrison also suggests that “Fantasy narratives can create unique environments in which to explore sexual identities that could exist outside the range of real-world cultural possibility”. Often the presence of magic within fantasy texts allows for exploration of otherness and speculated sexualities. Lynn Flewelling’s The Bone Doll’s Twin (2001), for example, portrays a young girl destined to be Queen who is magically transformed into a boy to protect her from assassins. She grows up unaware of her true gender and through this character Flewelling explores expectations with regard to gendered behaviour. Garrison (222) writes “Other works, however, go beyond simply reimagining our own culture and its sexual modalities to speculate what form as-yet- unrealized sexual identities might take”. NK Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (2010) is an excellent example of this, where a god assumes many forms across the gender and biological sex spectrum. While Fantasy texts have often remained conservative in their approach to sexuality and gender, historically reinforcing traditional norms and cultural 3 expectations, progress is being made by many contemporary authors toward subversive treatment of sexuality and gender. Elizabeth Moon is a popular writer of fantasy and science fiction. Her Paksworld series utilises the High Fantasy tradition and also embraces subgenres such as military fantasy, epic and heroic fantasy, and medieval fantasy, and attempts to subvert some traditional tropes and socio-cultural norms commonly found within these genres. As I demonstrate in Chapter One, High Fantasy (also often called epic fantasy), is perhaps one of the most traditional sub- genres, and is set in an entirely fictional fantasy world. The stories are often lengthy and epic, involving multiple characters and large-scale quests where the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of the heroes. In this thesis I examine the extent to which Moon subverts conservative tropes of gender and sexuality that are common in much fantasy fiction and in particular, in the High Fantasy tradition in which she is working. In an interview with Jayme Lynn Blaschke, Moon comments on the value of dealing with social issues, using fantasy fiction as a vehicle: “You can also make explicit certain social problems that again, would be prejudged or not encountered at all in real life, because people have set up