School of Culture and Communication - Theses
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ItemSoma-masculinities: centring the body within studies of masculinities( 2018)Whilst feminist and queer scholarship have paid generous attention to bodies and embodiment in their attempts to better understand gender and sexuality, studies of masculinities have tended to lag behind. In this thesis, I attend to the theoretical strains within studies of masculinities to demonstrate that these studies are at an impasse, a point at which scholars remain reluctant or unable to push beyond current frameworks into new and, as I argue, productive territory. In particular, these studies have most readily employed social constructionist approaches in their analyses, typified by Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity, however such frameworks have been unable to adequately describe and account for the complexities, contradictions and possibilities of masculinities and male subjectivities. I suggest that bodies are central to this understanding and must be brought into the frame in a more significant manner. Throughout this thesis I draw attention to the blind spot within these studies and attend to bodies more closely through an examination of contemporary masculinities. In particular I consider three specific sites of the body: the phallic, the hegemonic and the homosexual body. I interrogate these through a number of case studies, including pornography, Australian rules football and online dating sites, all of which continue to arouse interest and debate within academic and public spheres. It is here that I draw attention to some of the limitations of current studies and attempt to produce a richer account of the key questions and problems within these debates. In doing this, I introduce a new framework I call soma-masculinities which I employ to address masculinities in a more profound manner, and make some original contributions to the scholarship. In particular, this framework places a greater emphasis on the material body and its fleshy components; it aims to bring the flesh into bodies and questions of masculinity. Soma-masculinities is not one specific theory or concept but rather a mode of enquiry. Thus, it utilises a broad toolkit that incorporates conceptual models that are already available and engaged, particularly within feminist and queer theory. I demonstrate how this framework might offer a more capacious account of contemporary masculinities and the complex ways in which they are embodied and lived.
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Item(Re-)examining Blank Fiction: an excerpt from Barely Anything, a novel & Sex, narcissism and disconnection in Australia and the United States( 2016)(Re-)Examining Blank Fiction: Sex, Narcissism and Disconnection in Australia and the United States analyses works of ‘Blank Fiction’ from Australia and the United States within a selection of novels, including: Less Than Zero (1985) by Bret Easton Ellis, Loaded (1995) by Christos Tsiolkas, Rohypnol (2007) by Andrew Hutchinson, The Delivery Man (2008) by Joe McGinniss Jr., and Snake Bite (2014) by Christie Thompson. It examines the use of images drawn from celebrity and lifestyle magazines, music videos, advertising, pornography, television, and Hollywood cinema and argues that these novels co-opt images of mass culture in an effort to critique contemporary social practices, values, and lifestyle. Additionally, this dissertation provides an excerpt of a novel entitled Barely Anything. Barely Anything, like other Blank Fiction novels, details the social practices of a small group of young adults, addressing themes of sex, boredom and privilege on both sides of Melbourne’s Yarra River.
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ItemTerrorising the imagination: moral pornography and sadomasochistic aesthetic in contemporary literature( 2012)The thesis provides a close textual analysis of two American novels – A Recent Martyr (1987) by Valerie Martin and Two Girls, Fat and Thin (1991) by Mary Gaitskill. Using Angela Carter’s definition of ‘moral pornography’, I critically examine each author’s depiction of sadomasochism, and especially their use of what can be described as an overarching sadomasochistic aesthetic. One of the main aims of this thesis is to build on Carter’s definition in light of recent debates on pornography. I will show what ‘moral pornography’ looks like and what form it takes in contemporary literature through the novels of writers I believe are subverting the power dynamics that influence sexual activity. An important hinge to the argument is the historical connection between religion and capitalism that manifests in sadomasochistic behaviour, an idea that is explored through the work of Jessica Benjamin and Lynn Chancer. The texts will also be discussed in relation to the debates on pornography that were taking place when each was written and the current debates on the same topic that have surfaced in the last decade. This thesis will counter anti-pornography criticism and instead investigate the ways literature is a subversive medium to explore and challenge the problematic equation of power and sexuality. This occurs through specific narrative techniques that allow for the shifting identifications of the reader, allowing them to pass through many different subject positions, as well as the ability to reassess their position towards such roles. Ultimately, the thesis argues that sadomasochism, in particular, the representation of female masochism should not always be viewed as degrading or regressive nor be relegated to good or bad categories. This is because, as an aesthetic strategy, sadomasochism has the potential to explore the complex power relations that exist at the very heart of society.