Author: ashtonbult

Week 3 Question

Why might the queering of Tintin offer new life to the series?

Tintin is an iconic comic book series, however it has been subject to much controversy regarding representation of woman (depicted as irritating and naggy), race (depicted as native and unintelligent in earlier comics) and the queer community (non-existent).  In recent years, there have been multiple fans as well as critics such as Lichtenstein (1993) who claim that he has queer tendencies and is supposedly in a closeted relationship with the Captain (p.1). However, I believe that the queering of Tintin could have serious negative results, rather than breathing new life into the series.

Matthew Parris is an openly gay British journalist for The Times who published an article regarding Tintin’s sexuality which led to much controversy. One of his more infamous quotes was when Parris (2009) stated that Tintin is obviously gay because he was “a callow, androgynous blonde-quiffed youth in funny trousers and a scarf moving into the country mansion of his best friend, a middle-aged sailor?”. These sorts of comments immediately create stereotypes. If he was in the LGBTQIA+ community, the reasoning should not be due to attributes such as his clothing and accommodation, but due to the writing and characterisation.

Labelling a character as gay for the sake of representation comes across as insincere. This insincerity could potentially lose existing fans. Herge had made it clear in interviews that he does not view Tintin as a queer character. France Info, the French public news radio network, stated in 2009 that when studies in the 1970s claimed this, Herge scoffed at the theory. In theory, it depends on whether you believe in death of the author or authorial intent. Authorial intent is the simple idea that what the author tells us regarding their work is fact. On the other hand, the ‘death of the author’ is the concept that “regardless of what the author intends to say with a book, the true meaning of a book can only be determined by the reader” (Barthes, 1967). Personally, I think both have a part to play, however with Herge’s obviously negative opinion towards this theory does indicate that officially queering Tintin could come across as insincere, and there’s no guarantee of gained fans.

Tintin’s character is neutral and open to interpretation. He does not seem romantically interested in woman, however representation of woman in Tintin generally is minimalistic. Critics claim there is homo-erotic subtext, but other critics do not agree. Mountford (2020) even stated that “envisaging Tintin as a girl or young woman would make little material difference to his depiction in the series, other than perhaps to raise eyebrows at his living arrangements” (p. 13). In conclusion, I do not believe an official queering of Tintin would breathe new life into the series, due to the potential creation of negative stereotypes and the author’s intent being completely dismissed. If people see him as a queer icon however, they have the right to view him as such. There are plenty of queer icons that do not identify as homosexual, such as Judy Garland or Beyoncé. However, he does not need an official label.

 

References

 

Baker, F (12th January, 2009) Tintin ‘outing’ enrages fans who insist he is so macho. Retrieved from https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/01/12/tintin-outing-enrages-fans-who-insist-he-is-so-macho/

 

King, R (10th January, 2009) French furious that Brits say Tintin was gay. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/2009/1/french-furious-that-brits-called-tintin-gay?r=AU&IR=T

 

 

Mountfort, P. (2020). Tintin, gender and desire. Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. https://doi-org.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/10.1080/21504857.2020.1729829

 

 

Ramsey, R (7th June, 2017) Authorial intent and the “Death Of The Author’. Retrieved from https://duelinglibrarians.net/blog/authorial-intent/#:~:text=In%20other%20words%2C%20authorial%20intent%20means%20very%20little.&text=%E2%80%9CThe%20Death%20of%20the%20Author%E2%80%9D%20or%20authorial%20intent%20still%20creates,be%20up%20for%20new%20interpretations.

 

Week 1 Questions

  1. How has the academic reception of popular genres changes over time?

Back when popular genres first became popular, such as comics, anime and fantasy novels, they were not considered ‘serious’ literature by academics and universities. It was rarely taught at universities, instead choosing to focus on classical literature, the works of authors such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and J.D Sallinger.

However, in the modern day, popular genres are much more commonplace in universities, taught alongside conventional texts, or even having their own specific papers. Many academics consider popular genres an important aspect of literature. Highly respected universities such as Cambridge and Yale now include papers regarding popular genres as well as classic. Though popular genres may not seem ‘serious’ at first glance, popular genre reception from academics has generally been better received.

2. What might the value be of studying them?

Although classic literature is important, it is hard for modern audiences to relate to these classic figures, who lived in a completely different time period, with different rules. Popular genres are more popular with readers, and many deal with more modern issues. They often have unique writing techniques and interesting points of view, they have a message or reflection on society, from a more modern perspective then an author such as Shakesphere or Virginia Woolf.