Umeå University's logo

umu.sePublikasjoner
Endre søk
RefereraExporteraLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Referera
Referensformat
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Annet format
Fler format
Språk
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Annet språk
Fler språk
Utmatningsformat
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Dreams of a subversive future: sexuality, (hetero)normativity, and queer potential in science fiction film and television
Umeå universitet, Humanistiska fakulteten, Institutionen för kultur- och medievetenskaper.
2016 (engelsk)Doktoravhandling, monografi (Annet vitenskapelig)
Abstract [en]

The aim of the thesis is to explore depictions of sexuality in popular science fiction film and television through a focus on storytelling, narrative, characters and genre. The thesis analyses science fiction as a film and television genre with a focus on the conventions, interpretations, and definitions of genre as part of larger contexts. Central to the argumentation is films and television series, from Star Wars and Star Trek, to Firefly and Torchwood. The approach allows a consideration of how the storytelling conventions of science fiction are, and have been, affected by its contexts. Through a consideration of a historical de-emphasis on narrative complexity and character formation in science fiction, the thesis displays and analyses a salient tendency towards juvenile and heteronormative narratives. This tendency is represented by a concept that I call the Star’verses, through which this dominant idea of science fiction as a juvenile, techno-centred, masculine, and heteronormative genre became firmly established. This generic cluster has remained a dominant influence on science fiction film and television since the 1980s. However, as argued, a major discursive shift took place in science fiction at the turn of the millennium. This adult turn in science fiction film, and television in particular, is attributed to contextual changes, but also to the influence of television dramaturgy. It explains why science fiction in the 21st century is not as unfamiliar with depictions of sexuality as its predecessors were. This turn does not signal a total abandonment of what the Star’verses represent; it instead contributes to a change to this dominant idea of the generic identity of science fiction.

While sexuality has been disassociated from much science fiction, it is also argued that the science fiction narrative has extensive queer potential. Generic conventions, such as aliens and time travel, invite both queer readings and queer storytelling; the latter however is seldom used, especially in science fiction film. A majority of the examples of science fiction narrative that use this queer potential can be found in television. In cinema, however, this progression is remarkably slow. Therefore, the thesis analyses whether the storytelling techniques of Hollywood cinema, to which science fiction film owes much of its dramaturgy, could be considered heteronormative. A comparison is made to television dramaturgy in order to display the possibilities for the serialised, character-focused science fiction narrative. Ultimately, the thesis investigate the possibility for subversive storytelling and whether a normative use of dramaturgy needs to be overthrown in order to tell a subversive story.

sted, utgiver, år, opplag, sider
Umeå: Umeå universitet , 2016. , s. 214
Emneord [en]
Science fiction, film, television, genre, sexuality, queer, storytelling, gender, subversive, intelligibility, Torchwood, Firefly, Star Wars, Star Trek, adult turn, Star’verses, dramaturgy, heteronormativity, film history, Hollywood
HSV kategori
Forskningsprogram
litteraturvetenskap
Identifikatorer
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-62893ISBN: 978-91-7601-522-3 (tryckt)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-62893DiVA, id: diva2:951331
Disputas
2016-09-02, Hörsal F, Humanisthuset, Umeå, 10:00 (engelsk)
Opponent
Veileder
Tilgjengelig fra: 2016-08-15 Laget: 2012-12-20 Sist oppdatert: 2018-06-07bibliografisk kontrollert

Open Access i DiVA

fulltext(10657 kB)6029 nedlastinger
Filinformasjon
Fil FULLTEXT01.pdfFilstørrelse 10657 kBChecksum SHA-512
4770165b3dc0ccddca4ad18e057b89b59f47b8b69e2b149c6e8fa89dc99cd1c44bf19352c2835256239e1b4845dddd16f5f123a4eb6e3cf8cf194dd3f14fd9f8
Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf
spikblad(114 kB)161 nedlastinger
Filinformasjon
Fil SPIKBLAD01.pdfFilstørrelse 114 kBChecksum SHA-512
ac2ed87af9f604edfc4753e19c06f7a3a848081a651ead8916405f536456852eeda656a0e7bff00195b5686f68a8cf0998ac9801bb0281975be0c1d67b83a87a
Type spikbladMimetype application/pdf

Person

Wälivaara, Josefine

Søk i DiVA

Av forfatter/redaktør
Wälivaara, Josefine
Av organisasjonen

Søk utenfor DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar
Totalt: 6034 nedlastinger
Antall nedlastinger er summen av alle nedlastinger av alle fulltekster. Det kan for eksempel være tidligere versjoner som er ikke lenger tilgjengelige

isbn
urn-nbn

Altmetric

isbn
urn-nbn
Totalt: 8663 treff
RefereraExporteraLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Referera
Referensformat
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Annet format
Fler format
Språk
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Annet språk
Fler språk
Utmatningsformat
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf