Dylan Atkinson

Week 12: Can reality tv still be thought of as a genre given the high level of hybridity that exists?

Can reality tv still be thought of as a genre given the high level of hybridity that exists?

Reality Television is a genre that has evolved to include many different genres and concepts through continued hybridisation. Because there are so many different reality television programmes that all take on different styles and formats that shift continuously it has become difficult to trace the chronological history of reality television to a singular point of origin. This extreme hybridity that exists within reality television has led to the question of whether reality television can even be considered its own genre due to its blending of other genres.

It is difficult to pinpoint what exactly reality television has evolved into but according to Lorenzo-Dus and Blitvich (2013, p. 11) “it started out as a genre, but it has certainly evolved into a discourse.” Reality television has taken on many different formats over the years showing the frequency at which it changes, some examples of reality television formats include talent shows, dating shows, and cooking shows. Hill (2005, pp. 23-24) states that reality television changing so frequently is “an example of how television cannibalises itself in order to survive, drawing upon existing genres to create successful hybrid programmes, which in turn generate a ‘new’ television genre.” The abundance of formats in reality television can be viewed as a genre chain with the common thread between different reality television programmes being to entertain the audience. However, attempting to create a strict notion of what reality television is or what genre it could be considered is a fruitless effort because “the increased frequency of hybridized expression such attempts at generic identification are understandable, but they have not proved successful” (Wood, 2004, p. 48).

I feel that reality television is indeed its own genre, however, it is one that is constantly changing and evolving, merging different genres and blurring the line between reality and fiction. It has certainly changed significantly from the genre it originally was and although the individual quality of reality television programmes may fluctuate greatly, that does not invalidate the entirety of reality television as its own genre.

References

Hill, A. (2005). Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television. London; Routledge.

Lorenzo-Dus, N., & Blitvich, P. (2013). Real Talk – Reality television and Discourse Analysis in Action. Basingstoke, UK; Palgrave Macmillan.

Wood, B. (2004) A World in Retreat: The Reconfiguration of Hybridity in 20th-Century New Zealand Television. Media, Culture & Society, 26(1), 45-62. doi:10.1177/0163443704039709

Week 11: How real is Reality TV?

How real is Reality TV?

Reality television is a genre of television that is highly popular, reality television encompasses television series that focuses on individuals who are placed in exceptional situations with a group of people. The goal of the show for these individuals may be a reward that changes depending on the show. Reality television genres can take on many different forms including game shows, cooking shows, video diaries, talent shows, etc. Despite the many different genres of reality television, they all feature real people participating in real events as oppose to fictional creations. However, the line between reality and fiction has become increasingly blurred leading to the question, how real is reality television.

The truth is that reality television provides viewers a glimpse into the entertaining life, a lifestyle that is extremely exaggerated and does not reflect the real world in any way. It is an unachievable lifestyle for practically every viewer of the programme, nor does it account for the fact that the situations presented are predominately fabricated. What exactly is real is not the appeal of reality television, rather human interest that creates popular reality television.

Reality television was given the name not for its accuracy to average everyday life but rather because it uses real people and focuses on the conflict that arises because of their clashing personalities, despite these real people being in abnormal situations. This is how reality television creates the illusion of reality as it “places an emphasis on the representation of ordinary people and allegedly unscripted or spontaneous moments that supposedly reveal unmediated reality” (Biressi & Nunn, 2005). Reality television also does not use actors, instead using real people which adds to the illusion of reality because the audience presumes that these people are behaving like themselves and not playing a character. The style of cinematography that reality television implores also constructs the perception of reality the audience is shown. Reality television will often use handheld cameras to present most of the footage and lack narration which resembles a documentary, a genre that people know for its accuracy to reality (Murray & Ouellette, 2004). Hidden cameras are also used to suggest to the audience that because the people on screen are unaware, they are being filmed that their behaviour is more real than if a camera was in their face.

Because reality television creates the illusion of reality theorists have suggested that audiences are less concerned with the absolute truth that reality television may occasionally achieve. Instead, they are more interested in the experience that sits somewhere between reality and fiction (Murray & Ouellette, 2004). Audiences of reality television want to view something that will entertain them regardless of how real or fake it is, but the best content that comes from reality television is when that line is blurred leading to the most entertaining moments of a series.

References

Biressi, A., Nunn, N. (2005). Reality TV: Realism and Revelation. London; Wallflower.

Murray, S., Ouellette, L. (2004) Reality TV: remaking television culture. New York; New York University Press.

Week 10 Question: What distinctions are there between alternate history, postmodern alternate history and uchronie genres?

2. What distinctions are there between alternate history, postmodern alternate history and uchronie genres?

Alternate histories are a science fiction genre that is centered around the premise that some events we are familiar with did not have the same outcome as our world, the result being an entirely different world (Hellekson, 2000, p. 248). Alternate histories may also include other science fiction elements like time travel or parallel worlds that act as their own alternate histories that exist alongside each other. There are several approaches to alternate histories that can be distinguished from one another, these are the alternate history, postmodern alternate history, and uchronie.

Alternate history is the most straight forward genre of alternate histories, as the main distinction between this genre and others of alternate histories is that it has a much more linear and diachronic view of time. A diachronic view of time is a single string of events throughout history, a singular line that encompasses all of history. Applying this to alternate history the line might be altered somewhere along the line which affects everything after so it can be easily changed.

On the other hand, there is the postmodern alternate history, and the distinction between this and other genres of alternate histories according to Ramson (2010, p. 263) is “the postmodern alternate history tends to foreground historical chaos.” The genre of postmodern alternate history was suggested by Paul Alkon and later Amy Ramson, foregrounding historical chaos means placing a highly chaotic and important moment of history at the front of the text and will typically the reason for the alternate history of a text. Postmodern alternate history also predominately uses a synchronic view of time. Philip K Dick’s The Man in the High Castle (1962) is an alternate history novel that could be considered postmodern alternate history. This is because Dick’s view of history is more synchronic than diachronic and the text foregrounds WWII, using one of the most common themes of the genre, the Nazi’s winning WWII.

Finally, there is uchronie which is the French term used for the alternate histories genre and the key distinction of this genre is that it “emphasizes less a causal or diachronic notion of history and more a synchronic or polyphonous one” (Mountfort, 2016, p. 288). This synchronic view of history is one that suggests events that occur throughout history are their moments in history as oppose to the diachronic view which was a single string of linear events. These individual moments may coexist alongside each other and they are all a part of a piece. It shares some similarities to the many worlds theory, which posits that all outcomes of quantum measurements did happen in another world or universe.

References

Dick, P. (1962). The Man in the High Castle. London: Penguin.

Hellekson, K. (2000). Towards a Taxonomy of the Alternate History Genre. Extrapolation.

Mountfort, P. (2016). The I Ching and Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. SF-TH Inc.

Ransom, A. (2010). Warping Time: Alternate History, Historical Fantasy, and the Postmodern Uchronie Québécoise. Extrapolation.

Week 9 Question: According to Mountfort et al. (2018), what are the three main genres of cosphotography, and how did they historically develop?

1. According to Mountfort et al. (2018), what are the three main genres of cosphotography, and how did they historically develop?

Cosphotography is a genre of photography that is mostly seen at conventions where photography of people in cosplay is taken with a range of different modes and settings. The idea of photographing people in costume has existed far before the notion of cosplay with perhaps the earliest account of cosphotgraphy according to Mountfort (2018, p. 48) being from “the United States from around 1908, when William Fell of Cincinnati attended a masquerade ball held at a skating rink in Ohio dressed as Mr. Skygack.” Cosphotography includes several different genres the first being officially conducted costume competitions at conventions and secondly, the genre labeled hallways snapshots where photographs of people in cosplay are taken in convention spaces. Later in the 1970s, a third genre of cosphotography had begun, this being the studio portrait.

Official costumes competitions are the most formal genre of cosphotography that appear within conventions and feature multiple attendees of said convention who are in cosplay that participates in the costume competition, typically on a stage or runway. By presenting themselves on the runway cosplayers are consenting to photographs of their cosplay being taken and want to be seen in a more formal setting. Cosplayers will often try to act in character to heighten their performance on the runway. This genre of cosphotography emerged in “the annual Masquerade originally a kind of fancy dress ball was inaugurated at the 1940 Chicago conference” (Mountfort, 2018, p. 50). A reason for the genre’s inception may have been developments in camera technology and that technology becoming widely available to the public with affordable models.

Hallway snapshots are the least formal cosphotography genre and do not require the cosplayer’s consent, photographs taken in this style of cosphotgraphy are almost entirely shot within hallways of the convention center or inside the convention itself. Like with the official costume competitions the hallway costume emerged in the late 1930s and “casual shots are in evidence from 1939 (Mountfort, 2018, p. 50). As mentioned, hallway snapshots are far less formal than the other two genres of cosphotography and the lack of consent is a reason for this with photos looking heavily out of character. Angles are often unflattering and can show cosplayers performing mundane tasks or taking a break from the main floor.

The final genre of cosphotography is the studio portrait although the name is similar to a fashion shoot, done within a private location, and photographers hired specifically for the photoshoot, and professional cosplayers may do something along those lines. The staging is generally done in or around the convention center and not a dedicated studio. The studio portrait emerged in the 1970s, an early star of the studio portrait was Angelique Trouvere who cosplayed characters like Red Sonja and Vampirella. Studio portraits are just as formal as the costume competitions although the difference between the two is that “many of these carefully modelled shots resemble fashion studio photographs more than runway and hallway snapshots” (Mountfort, 2018, p. 51). The framing of the studio portrait is intended to look more professional; cosplayers and their photographers achieve this by selecting a photogenic location around the convention center. It results in photographs that can cleverly pass as professional without the cost associated with renting a studio space.

References

P, Mountfort. (2018). Planet Cosplay. Bristol, UK; Intellect Books.

Week 8 Question: To what extent can narratology, translation and adaptation studies aid us in understanding cosplay?

3. To what extent can narratology, translation and adaptation studies aid us in understanding cosplay?

Cosplay is an art form that is a popular way for fans of a certain series to express their love for it by dressing up and performing as characters from popular media. The discussion surrounding the art form continues to evolve and change over time as cosplay is increasingly popular and fan engagement also evolves. When approaching cosplay, there are several methods of analysis that can be applied to cosplay as a way of understanding it, these being narratology, translation, and adaptation studies.

Narratology is the study of narrative texts and the structure of narrative; the approach is effectively applicable to any narrative regardless of the medium. The term can be applied to literature, film, video games, and other mediums, however, it is difficult to apply narratology to cosplay. This is because most cosplay comes from existing texts that have long-running narratives, it results in the inability to translate an entire text’s narrative on to the cosplay. As such, the question surrounding narrative within cosplay is how much of it survives the transition to the medium of cosplay, Mountfort (2018, p. 31) asks “whether the terminology of narratology, the study of narrative texts, is of any relevance.” Attempting to apply narratology to cosplay, the narrative text would be the original text that a cosplayer derives their cosplay from, and the actor is the character that a cosplayer also decides. Although narratology cannot be directly applied to cosplay as a way of understanding the entire narrative of a text that a cosplay originates from; it can assist us in understanding the unique way narrative is told in cosplay. A cosplay might not be able to convey the entire history of the original text’s world, but it could potentially showcase a singular event that relates to the character of choice.

Translation studies can also aid us in understanding cosplay as the medium revolves greatly around referencing source texts and the accuracy of that referencing. The common belief surrounding translation used to be that they should be as painfully faithful to the original text as possible, where every single word and sentence is very literal. Translations now, however, take more creative liberties and they must be taken when translating from one language to another. Such is the case when translating Japanese as words can have multiple meanings. Translators must choose the appropriate meaning behind a word by attempting to discern what the original author intended. It results in translations that are never truly accurate but are better because of the changes made. This is how translation studies can help us better understand cosplay as translation studies according to Mountfort (2018, p. 32) “have moved away from the expectation of isomorphism (one-to-one correspondence) between a source text and the target text that characterized their pre-theoretical phase.” Cosplay is comparable to the way translations have changed because cosplay is not required to be a replica of a character’s design. Not being entirely faithful can result in a better cosplay because it must accommodate for how physics in the real-world work if an aspect of a character is impossible to recreate.

Like translation studies, adaptation studies also help us better understand cosplay because as Mountfort (2018, p. 33) mentions “A similar shift has occurred in adaptation studies, which has had to deal with the added dimension of translation across media.” Adaptation studies are incredibly aware of the changes that must be made when transitioning to a different medium. A good adaptation is one that should make changes appropriate for the medium regardless of accuracy to the original text. Cosplay then presents a complicated issue as complete faithfulness to the original text is in some cases impossible given the designs of characters from series that are popular to cosplay. However, adaptation studies show that a good adaptation is not necessarily accurate to the original text and this also applies to cosplay. A good cosplay may change an aspect of a character in a different way that ultimately makes the cosplay work better.

Reference

P, Mountfort. (2018). Planet Cosplay. Bristol, UK; Intellect Books.

Week 7 Question: King (2010) describes Horror as being defined through three basic elements. Explain, using references, what these three elements are. Think of a horror story you’ve read/watched/heard that makes use of all three of these elements and show how King’s definition is at play in that narrative.

1. King (2010) describes Horror as being defined through three basic elements. Explain, using references, what these three elements are. Think of a horror story you’ve read/watched/heard that makes use of all three of these elements and show how King’s definition is at play in that narrative.

In Danse Macabre (King, 2010) acclaimed horror writer Stephen King defines the horror genre as being comprised of three basic elements these elements being, terror which King considers to be the finest element, horror, and revulsion the element King attempts to avoid the most. King also mentions how these three elements are layered in order of importance with “terror on top, horror below it, and lowest of all, the gag reflex of revulsion” (King, 2010, p. 22). The Witch (Eggers, 2015) is a horror film that makes use of all three of these elements to craft the horror within the film’s narrative.

The first, and finest element that King defines as the essential elements of horror is terror, King (2010, p. 20) says that “it’s what the mind sees that makes these stories such quintessential tales of terror. It is the unpleasant speculation called to mind when the knocking on the door begins in the latter story.” This definition of terror is quintessential to The Witch as it builds horror primarily in this way, what the film shows to the audience is a lot less scary than what the film does not show. An example would be towards the beginning of the film when the baby Samuel is kidnapped by a witch living in the woods. During this scene, we are shown brief glimpses into what the witch is doing with Samuel but never enough for the audience to fully understand. It is the implication that instils a sense of fear within the audience not what is shown, such as when the witch holds a knife close to Samuel and the audience is terrified that she may kill a baby.

The second element King mentions is horror, which he classifies as the second most important element and describes it as “that emotion of fear that underlies terror, an emotion which is slightly less fine, because it is not entirely of the mind. Horror also invites a physical reaction by showing us something which is physically wrong” (King, 2010, p. 20). The Witch makes use of horror by using imagery that elicits a physical reaction from the audience by showing them something wrong and unnatural. The most obvious scene where this occurs is the possession scene in which Caleb writhes around uncontrollably as his family watches in horror. He first spits out a bloody apple and then begins to scream and move in a way that disturbs the audience before he passes away. The audience recognises this as physically wrong and is how the horror is crafted.

The final and least important element to King is revulsion, he finds it to be the least important element because it relies on shock and disgust rather than the horror being carefully constructed to scare the audience. Yet despite this, he still says that “the truth of this can’t be argued; it’s bad enough to see a gelatinous crab-thing spread over some fellow’s face, but the infamous “chest-burster” scene which follows is a quantum leap in grue” (King, 2010, p. 20). Much like how King does not like to rely on revulsion to create horror, The Witch is very light on moments intended to gross the viewer out and as mentioned, builds its horror slowly and does not reveal a lot to the audience. But it is still utilised within the film with can be seen when small glimpses of blood and violence do appear in the film. It is not overly gratuitous but still enough to gross out the audience, the most blood and gore appears when Thomasin kills her mother with a cleaver and begins to hack away at her. Covering herself in her own mother’s blood. It shocks the audience which completes the usage of King’s three elements of horror in The Witch.

References

Eggers, R. (2015). The Witch [Film]. A24.

King, S. (2010). Danse Macabre. Everest House.

Week 6 Question: Reyes (2014), describes Body Horror as being a “fictional representation of the body exceeding itself or falling apart, either opening up or being altered past the point where it would be recognised by normative understandings of human corporeality.” How do The Colour out of Space and Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth make use of this definition to explore themes of the unknown?

1. Reyes (2014), describes Body Horror as being a “fictional representation of the body exceeding itself or falling apart, either opening up or being altered past the point where it would be recognised by normative understandings of human corporeality.” How do The Colour out of Space and Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth make use of this definition to explore themes of the unknown?

The concept of body horror is closely associated with the horror genre as another way to instil a sense of fear within the viewer. Seeing that the objective of the genre is to accomplish this, it is an effective way of making the viewer feel disgusted. Body horror is a broad term however and can cover a wide variety of different ways that the body can be changed, Reyes (2014, p. 11) describes body horror as being a “fictional representation of the body exceeding itself or falling apart, either opening up or being altered past the point where it would be recognised by normative understandings of human corporeality.” This definition relates closely to the cosmic horror genre as it uses imagery and concepts that are incomprehensible to our understanding of human corporeality. Colour Out of Space (Stanley, 2020) uses Reyes’ definition of body horror to explore a key theme in cosmic horror which is the unknown.

Within the Lovecraft mythos, a way in which the unknown is depicted is the presence of extra-terrestrial beings that arrive on earth and begin to influence the world from the shadows, Joshi (2007, p. 99) states that the Lovecraft mythos “depicts the incursion of immensely powerful forces from the depths of space labelled as gods by the human beings who either combat them or seek to gain a sliver of reflected power by worshipping them.” This is where body horror can appear in cosmic horror as these beings have appearances that are incomprehensible to the human mind. Also, as their influence over the world spreads further it can begin to affect people who remain close to them, body horror can take effect when this happens. This is how Colour Out of Space depicts its extra-terrestrial being and uses themes of the unknown as neither we nor the characters in the film can understand what its motivation is, where it came from, why it is here, or what it even is. Body horror also affects the characters in various ways that further explores the themes of the unknown.

As mentioned, body horror covers a lot of different attacks on the body, Reyes (2014, p. 52) mentions that “the general understanding seems to be that, if a text generates fear from abnormal states of corporeality, or from an attack upon the body, we might find ourselves in front of an instance of body horror.” This is certainly true for Colour Out of Space as there is a clear intention to generate fear from the viewer and this fear comes from how the characters are affected. It both scares the viewer and explores the unknown as they are transformed in ways, we cannot comprehend. The most obvious example of body horror is when Theresa and Jack are fused into an amorphous blob that is incomprehensible to our minds, as it is unknown why or how they were morphed together. The same body horror happens with the Llamas and family dog. Another example of body horror is when Ezra’s body seemingly collapses in on itself, presumably because he had been granted some form of insight. In every example of body horror in Colour Out of Space, the characters are transformed beyond human recognition, and by using body horror in this way the film explores the unknown as we cannot understand why or how their bodies have been morphed. It makes the viewer fear the unknown as they cannot understand the body horror nor the being responsible for it.

References

Joshi, S. (2007). The Cthulhu Mythos.

Reyes, X. (2014). Body Gothic: Corporeal Transgression in Contemporary Literature and Horror Film. University of Wales Press.

Stanley, R. (Director). (2020). Colour Out of Space [Film]. SpectreVision.

Week 5 Question: What is the ‘shōjo’ and how does it often function in anime?

6. What is the ‘shōjo’ and how does it often function in anime?

Shōjo, literally translated as ‘young woman’ in English, is a genre of anime and manga that focuses on romantic relationships between leading characters and the emotions of characters. The term shōjo is often designated to girls that age between 12 and 13, however, it also alludes to the fine line between adulthood and childhood during a person’s development. This is seen with how a lot of protagonists within shōjo are distinctly in this age range and are predominantly female. Despite the genre being design specifically for an audience of young female teenagers, adult males surprisingly make up a significant proportion of the shōjo audience and readership. A possible reason for this as stated by Susan J. Napier is that shōjo stories “embody the potential for unfettered change and excitement that is far less available to Japanese males, who are caught in the network of demanding workforce responsibilities” (Napier, 2001, p. 119). For these Japanese males, shōjo stories are effectively a form of escapism from their everyday lives in the workplace where they undertake stressful jobs.

This is somewhat emblematic of the entire shōjo genre, it is primarily a form of escapism, featuring a highly romanticised version of reality. Many worlds depicted in shōjo have a dream-like quality to them and are incredibly fantastical, Dani Cavallaro describing them as “serenely dreamy and bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder” (Cavallaro, 2006, p. 11). These worlds found within shōjo are in clear contrast to the more grounded, graphic, and grittier ones in other anime works with stories revolving around war and technology. A variation on the shōjo found within anime, making it even more magical and dream-like, would be the mahō shōjo which translates to magical girl. This subgenre has a heightened focus on magical and fantasy elements.

Within anime, the shōjo functions predominately as a highly romanticised and emotional love story in which the shōjo protagonist who is often depicted as very feminine, falls in love with the lead male character. Despite often having a female lead, which is fairly uncommon in anime, they lack agency and the male lead will typically be the one to approach them and progress their relationship further in the anime. This is the core of most shōjo anime, they attempt to engross the viewer in an emotional romance. However, there is also common subversion of the shōjo where despite having the appearance of one, the lead heroine is more in line with their male counterparts found in shōnen anime in terms of the agency they have. An example would the young protagonists of Hayao Miyazaki’s works due to his heroine’s age and appearance being representative of shōjo. But instead of them acting as a passive being in a romanticized reality, they are incredibly independent and massively courageous, Dani Cavallaro mentions that they “transcend stereotypical notions of femininity and masculinity” (Cavallaro, 2006, p. 11). There are also other examples of anime that take the common idea of the shōjo and inject them into anime that deal with more complicated ideas, changing the functionality of the shōjo.

References

Cavallaro, D. (2006). The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. London: McFarland & Company.

Napier, S. (2001). Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke. New York: Palgrave.

Week 4 Question: What was the cultural impact of Akira (1988), and why does it occupy a key place in the canon of anime greats?

1. What was the cultural impact of Akira (1988), and why does it occupy a key place in the canon of anime greats?

Among the wide catalogue of influential anime, there is nothing more important to the development and popularity of the genre than Akira (Otomo, 1988). Akira is one of, if not the most important anime creations, it was the film that exposed many western audiences to the world of Japanese animation and as a result, the cultural impact of Akira was ginormous. Akira’s impact truly cannot be understated, Susan J. Napier mentions that “Akira is also a complex and challenging work of art that provoked, bewildered, and occasionally inspired Western audiences when it first appeared outside of Japan” (Napier, 2005, p. 5). The cult following that Akira acquire was substantial considering how unknown anime was to the western world earning over $80 million worldwide in VHS sales alone. Put simply, Akira showed the western world that Japanese animation existed.

Before Akira, animation in the west was predominately seen as a medium design for children Napier mentions how “animation was generally regarded as a minor art, something for children, or, perhaps, the occasional abstract, art-house film” (Naiper, 2005, p. 5). This is seen with how the vast majority of Walt Disney Picture films are designed for a much younger audience, specifically children. For western audiences that grew up children’s cartoons, Akira would have been genuinely shocking as it was radically different from what they would have been exposed to. Akira’s visuals, soundtrack, storyline, and other aspects were unlike anything western audiences would have seen at the time. Akira was uncompromising in this regard and is another reason why it had a massive cultural impact. This idea is true for a lot of anime, as Napier states “Its complex story lines challenge the viewer used the predictability of Disney … while its often dark tone and content may surprise audiences who like to think of cartoons as childish or innocent” (Napier, 2005, p. 9). Akira showed western audiences an animated film that did not stray away from graphic depictions of violence and sexuality, something that was virtually never seen before the advent of Akira.

Akira was also influential in the creation of the subgenre, Japanese cyberpunk, popularizing the subgenre after the Akira manga series started it. Without Akira some of the most influential and important anime simply would not exist, it paved the way for other important Japanese animation to make their way over to the west and further the interest in anime. Due to the monumental cultural impact of Akira, it has cemented itself as a key film in the great canon of anime alongside many other great works. A reason as to why Akira established itself as one of the greats in the anime canon is how it has remained culturally relevant even 32 years after its creation. This is due to the poignant themes and imagery in Akira resembling a lot of the continuous struggles that people face against corrupt government systems.

References

Napier, S. (2005). Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle. Hampshire: Palgrave/ Macmillan.

Otomo, K. (Director). (1988). Akira [Film]. Tokyo Movie Shinsha.

Week 3 Question: Why might the queering of Tintin offer new life to the series?

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

Tintin has already been established as a series plagued with issues regarding Hergé’s depiction of gender and sexuality yet despite this the topic of Tintin’s sexuality has been an aspect of discussion surrounding the series. This is due to Tintin’s sexuality within the comics being very ambiguous and as a result of this, the queering of Tintin could breed new life into the series by reclaiming him as a gay icon and in a way that could build off Tintin’s ambiguous sexuality. Taking the series in this direction could also present a way forward, past the problematic depictions of gender in the comic series.

Very little, if anything, about the character of Tintin, is defined by his gender, there is not anything particularly masculine about him. In Paul Mountfort’s article, Tintin, gender and desire (2020) he mentions how “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 with Haddock” (Mountfort, 2020, p.13). Throughout the many readings of the comic series, Tintin himself has been read as a strongly feminised character, especially when compared to Haddock who exhibits many traits that are typically associated with masculinity. This is due to Tintin showcasing many ‘feminine’ qualities like being silent, observant, and surprisingly tender, evidence of Tintin exhibiting these qualities is furthered due to his relationship with Haddock in which he assumes a more passive position. This is why the vagueness surrounding Tintin’s gender and sexuality is seen as inherently queer as it allows Tintin to be viewed as any gender or sexuality. Mountfort claims that “he can be read as a boy, a ‘girl’ (in relation to Haddock) and thus a quasi-adult male, or even a castrato. As gay, a-, bi-, or even pan-sexual” (Mountfort, 2020, p. 14). These qualities allow Tintin to be read as a queer character and why it would be a surprisingly natural step to canonize him as a gay icon. “He appears to sit somewhere outside of the heteronormative and in this respect evidences a form of queering” (Mountfort, 2020, p.3). Taking Tintin in this direction would not only create a revitalization of the series in some way, whether it be through an adaptation, remake, or brand-new series, it could allow Tintin’s character to be explored in various new ways and expand upon him.

Therefore, the queering of Tintin would help breed new life into the series by introducing a progressive aspect that shows the series is willing to change since the representation of gender and sexuality in the series is severally outdated. This allows the series to move forward past the problematic gender representation. The result would be a series that has undergone a cultural rehabilitation of sorts that could bring the series back and would also take advantage of the hidden potential present in the series by capitalizing on the possibility of Tintin as a gay icon.

References

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