Within the last decades, the so-called Queer Theory, which emerged from Post-Structuralism, has gained particular importance. Essentially, Queer Theory critically focuses on the tradition of inscribing gendered stereotypes and identities... more
Within the last decades, the so-called Queer Theory, which emerged from Post-Structuralism, has gained particular importance. Essentially, Queer Theory critically focuses on the tradition of inscribing gendered stereotypes and identities on sex. Consequently, the process of questioning of prevalent stereotypes breaks with the myth about a gendered identity.
Considering Australia, “[t]raditional notions of Australian identity” also draw on the discursively constructed heteronormative dichotomy of female and male. Moreover, these “oppositional gender stereotypes […] date back to the early days of settlement, when male muscle power and female endurance were described as seminal features” (Knellwolf King 189)
Simultaneously to the rise of the Queer Theory in the 1990s, various movies were produced which also challenge this very notion of sexualized identity and the “problematic image of Australian masculinity” (Kunze 49). According to Kunze, the movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Elliot
1994) critically focuses on prevailing heteronormativity in Australian society, and thereby, “promotes a message of diversity that queers […] masculinized nationalism” (49). In the course of the following essay, it is the aim to shed some light on the question of how Priscilla, Queen of the Desert challenges prevailing stereotypes of Australian manhood and masculinity. Moreover, the cinematographic depiction of gender as something constantly fluid will be of particular interest. Essentially, it can be argued that this effect is achieved by the juxtaposition of drag queens to the harsh, masculine Australian desert. In order to fully engage with the topic, this essay is divided into the following main sections:
The first subsection highlights the cultural context in which Elliot’s movie was produced. According to Kunze, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert can be read as a “deliberate response to the adronationlist ocker comedies of the 1970s” (53). Therefore, it is the aim of this section to emphasize the relationship between Priscilla’s production and the dominating socio-cultural norms as well as former cinematic productions. Of particular interest is the scene in which the trio gets confronted with the residents of Cooper Pedy. The re-appropriation of unsophisticated, aggressive, and hypermasculine ocker humour within a queer context excellently demonstrates the social construction of gender (Kunze 54); simultaneously, Bernadette is also “represented as a better woman” (Brooks 87).
The second subsection then focuses on the more obvious genre of Priscilla, namely the road movie. Due to the fact that the protagonists are travelling through the desert, various aspects can be discerned. According to Brooks, the constant movement of the protagonists “opens up a space where nature/culture, man/woman, male/female, [and] animal/human are blurred (86). Due to the harsh conditions of the Australian desert, their journey becomes a physical quest as well. Typically for the genre of road movies, this physical quest then also “synchronizes with a psychological journey” of the three protagonists (Brooks 85). In the course of the movie, “the travellers literally travel from the outer edges of Australia to its centre” (Kunze 54). According to Kunze, this journey also depicts their ultimate journey from marginalization (54) to the discovery of the inner selves (Brooks 85). In addition, the movies general objective is underlined by the ascription of femininity to their vehicle (Biber 40). “Priscilla [, the bus,] becomes a capsule in which stable categories – ‘man’, ‘home’ – become mobile, [and] temporary” (Biber 40).
The third subsection then focuses on the climax of the protagonists’ symbolic journey and their individual motives. Priscilla finally reaches its climax when the trio climbs King’s Canyon. In this key-scene, “they not only conquer the Australian landscape, they [also] symbolically liberate it for themselves and for those formerly excluded” (Kunze 56). Essentially, the contrast between the hypermasculine desert and the feminized male subjects highlights the ambiguity of gender.
Finally, the last subsection of this essay concentrates on the movie’s critical reception. Unfortunately, its actual ‘power’ of challenging prevalent norms can be seen as quite ambivalent; on the one hand, the performances offered feature camp acts which parody “structures that exclude transgendered figures”. On the other hand, however, this parodying of course also acknowledges the power of these mocked structures (Brooks 87). Under further consideration, the movie’s message even contradicts itself to some extent by featuring inappropriate characters; while Priscilla promotes the idea of queer acceptance, it also uncritically features and reproduces the stereotype of an ethnic minority (Kunze 57).
However, by turning a blind eye to the previously mentioned negative aspects, Priscilla has accomplished a major step; by challenging stereotypical Australian masculinity as well as featuring various ethnic minorities of Australia, such as Aborigines, transgenders, and homosexuals, it took a step “towards presenting Australia in its actual heterogeneity” (Ivancsits 85).
Considering Australia, “[t]raditional notions of Australian identity” also draw on the discursively constructed heteronormative dichotomy of female and male. Moreover, these “oppositional gender stereotypes […] date back to the early days of settlement, when male muscle power and female endurance were described as seminal features” (Knellwolf King 189)
Simultaneously to the rise of the Queer Theory in the 1990s, various movies were produced which also challenge this very notion of sexualized identity and the “problematic image of Australian masculinity” (Kunze 49). According to Kunze, the movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Elliot
1994) critically focuses on prevailing heteronormativity in Australian society, and thereby, “promotes a message of diversity that queers […] masculinized nationalism” (49). In the course of the following essay, it is the aim to shed some light on the question of how Priscilla, Queen of the Desert challenges prevailing stereotypes of Australian manhood and masculinity. Moreover, the cinematographic depiction of gender as something constantly fluid will be of particular interest. Essentially, it can be argued that this effect is achieved by the juxtaposition of drag queens to the harsh, masculine Australian desert. In order to fully engage with the topic, this essay is divided into the following main sections:
The first subsection highlights the cultural context in which Elliot’s movie was produced. According to Kunze, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert can be read as a “deliberate response to the adronationlist ocker comedies of the 1970s” (53). Therefore, it is the aim of this section to emphasize the relationship between Priscilla’s production and the dominating socio-cultural norms as well as former cinematic productions. Of particular interest is the scene in which the trio gets confronted with the residents of Cooper Pedy. The re-appropriation of unsophisticated, aggressive, and hypermasculine ocker humour within a queer context excellently demonstrates the social construction of gender (Kunze 54); simultaneously, Bernadette is also “represented as a better woman” (Brooks 87).
The second subsection then focuses on the more obvious genre of Priscilla, namely the road movie. Due to the fact that the protagonists are travelling through the desert, various aspects can be discerned. According to Brooks, the constant movement of the protagonists “opens up a space where nature/culture, man/woman, male/female, [and] animal/human are blurred (86). Due to the harsh conditions of the Australian desert, their journey becomes a physical quest as well. Typically for the genre of road movies, this physical quest then also “synchronizes with a psychological journey” of the three protagonists (Brooks 85). In the course of the movie, “the travellers literally travel from the outer edges of Australia to its centre” (Kunze 54). According to Kunze, this journey also depicts their ultimate journey from marginalization (54) to the discovery of the inner selves (Brooks 85). In addition, the movies general objective is underlined by the ascription of femininity to their vehicle (Biber 40). “Priscilla [, the bus,] becomes a capsule in which stable categories – ‘man’, ‘home’ – become mobile, [and] temporary” (Biber 40).
The third subsection then focuses on the climax of the protagonists’ symbolic journey and their individual motives. Priscilla finally reaches its climax when the trio climbs King’s Canyon. In this key-scene, “they not only conquer the Australian landscape, they [also] symbolically liberate it for themselves and for those formerly excluded” (Kunze 56). Essentially, the contrast between the hypermasculine desert and the feminized male subjects highlights the ambiguity of gender.
Finally, the last subsection of this essay concentrates on the movie’s critical reception. Unfortunately, its actual ‘power’ of challenging prevalent norms can be seen as quite ambivalent; on the one hand, the performances offered feature camp acts which parody “structures that exclude transgendered figures”. On the other hand, however, this parodying of course also acknowledges the power of these mocked structures (Brooks 87). Under further consideration, the movie’s message even contradicts itself to some extent by featuring inappropriate characters; while Priscilla promotes the idea of queer acceptance, it also uncritically features and reproduces the stereotype of an ethnic minority (Kunze 57).
However, by turning a blind eye to the previously mentioned negative aspects, Priscilla has accomplished a major step; by challenging stereotypical Australian masculinity as well as featuring various ethnic minorities of Australia, such as Aborigines, transgenders, and homosexuals, it took a step “towards presenting Australia in its actual heterogeneity” (Ivancsits 85).
Research Interests:
In Margaret Atwood’s contemporary rewriting Bluebeard’s Egg, great and well known fairy tales are used and modified in order to subvert them (Merli 2). As a result of her modifications, Atwood hides their traces in order to reveal... more
In Margaret Atwood’s contemporary rewriting Bluebeard’s Egg, great and well known fairy tales are used and modified in order to subvert them (Merli 2). As a result of her modifications, Atwood hides their traces in order to reveal contemporary problems (Merli 2). Essentially, Atwood revisits two fairy tales from the Brothers’ Grimm, namely Fitcher’s Bird and The Robber Bridegroom. However, Bluebeard’s Egg does not get its uniqueness from borrowed elements, but from “Atwood’s ability to shape Grimms’ material to her own purposes” (Peterson 4). As a result, Atwood successfully deconstructs the relationship between Sally and Ed. Due to Atwood’s undeniable success in transforming great classics, it is the aim of this paper to give a brief overview and to discuss some selected feminist issues as well as social critique in Atwood’s Bluebeard’s Egg.
In the first chapter, some general characteristics of fairy tales are presented; it primarily discusses the original purpose of fairy tales. In the second chapter then, the focus shifts to Atwood’s work as a rewriting; hence, Atwood’s narrative technique is discusses and compared to the traditional fairy tale. Chapter three then is dedicated to an extensive analysis. Here, the focus is primarily on similarities and symbols; therefore, intertextual relations are especially emphasised. In the last chapter of this paper, number 4, Atwood’s rewriting is specifically examined from a feminist perspective.
In the first chapter, some general characteristics of fairy tales are presented; it primarily discusses the original purpose of fairy tales. In the second chapter then, the focus shifts to Atwood’s work as a rewriting; hence, Atwood’s narrative technique is discusses and compared to the traditional fairy tale. Chapter three then is dedicated to an extensive analysis. Here, the focus is primarily on similarities and symbols; therefore, intertextual relations are especially emphasised. In the last chapter of this paper, number 4, Atwood’s rewriting is specifically examined from a feminist perspective.
Research Interests:
The aim of this essay is to give a brief introduction on Marches of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-, and Transsexual Community (abbreviated with LGBT). First of all, the problematic of “authentically homosexual” space (Bell et al. qtd. in Hold and... more
The aim of this essay is to give a brief introduction on Marches of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-, and Transsexual Community (abbreviated with LGBT). First of all, the problematic of “authentically homosexual” space (Bell et al. qtd. in Hold and Griffin 409) in relation to the emergence of the queer scene is discussed. Consequently, this space must be appropriated in order to serve the needs of the LGBT-community. Due to the fact that “the dancefloor has always been a holy place”, the appropriation of space is demonstrated with the example of music in gay clubs (Gill 134 qtd. in J. Taylor 175). Since LGBT-parades show certain similarities with carnival, the fourth section of this essay is then devoted to Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of carnival. Bakhtin’s hypothesis is that carnival “buries and revives” (12) the dominant system. Carnival does both, it weakens but also strengthens the dominant system. Therefore, Gay-parades can be also considered as a catalyst of political antagonism (Stallybrass and White qtd. in Lundberg 187).
Research Interests:
Within recent years, electronic language corpora have experienced major advantages due to technical progress. As a consequence, corpus linguistics has gained a central stage in the usage-based approach. The usage-based approach assumes... more
Within recent years, electronic language corpora have experienced major advantages due to technical progress. As a consequence, corpus linguistics has gained a central stage in the usage-based approach. The usage-based approach assumes that “[t]he relation between language use and the language system is dialectic” (Tummers, Heylen & Geeraers 2005: 228). This means that “grammar does not only constitute the knowledge repository to be employed in language use, but it is also itself the product of language use” (Tummers, Heylen & Geeraers 2005: 228). In other words, “every usage event may slightly redefine a person’s internal language system” (Tummers, Heylen & Geeraers 2005: 228). As a consequence, corpus data play an important role for the identification of “the mechanisms and factors of language change” (Tummers, Heylen & Geeraers 2005: 236).
Adhering to the general hypotheses of the usage-based approach, it is the aim of this paper to give insights into English modal verbs in general, and must in particular. In the first section, theoretical preliminaries are being discussed. Therefore, modality, core-modal verbs, semi-modal verbs as well as general types of modality are outlined. Having set the scene, section two then discusses previous findings concerning modal verbs in contemporary English. Therefore, Leech’s (2003) major contribution is discussed in more detail, in order to prepare the reader for the corpus analysis of this research. Sections three and four are then dedicated to the method and data-selection which is applied in this examination. Finally, section five then presents data regarding the development of English modal verbs in the Diachronic Corpus of Present-Day Spoken English (DCPSE). Here, findings from Bowie, Wallis & Aarts (2013) as well as the own outcomes are discussed and compared. This in-depth analysis is then followed by a discussion of major influences and motivations behind the observed changes. Finally, section seven draws attention to some drawbacks regarding corpus linguistics.
Adhering to the general hypotheses of the usage-based approach, it is the aim of this paper to give insights into English modal verbs in general, and must in particular. In the first section, theoretical preliminaries are being discussed. Therefore, modality, core-modal verbs, semi-modal verbs as well as general types of modality are outlined. Having set the scene, section two then discusses previous findings concerning modal verbs in contemporary English. Therefore, Leech’s (2003) major contribution is discussed in more detail, in order to prepare the reader for the corpus analysis of this research. Sections three and four are then dedicated to the method and data-selection which is applied in this examination. Finally, section five then presents data regarding the development of English modal verbs in the Diachronic Corpus of Present-Day Spoken English (DCPSE). Here, findings from Bowie, Wallis & Aarts (2013) as well as the own outcomes are discussed and compared. This in-depth analysis is then followed by a discussion of major influences and motivations behind the observed changes. Finally, section seven draws attention to some drawbacks regarding corpus linguistics.
