School of Culture and Communication - Theses

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    Female desire and agency in selected short stories by Lorrie Moore & Thrill: short stories
    Barber, Emily Rose ( 2016)
    This dissertation employs Simone de Beauvoir’s and Jessica Benjamin’s theories of female subjectivity to perform a gynocritical feminist exploration of women’s desire and agency as depicted in selected short stories by Lorrie Moore. Examining Moore’s short stories ‘You’re Ugly, Too’ (Like Life 67–91), ‘Willing’ (Birds of America 5–25), ‘Two Boys’ (Like Life 3–19) and ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors: A Guide to the Tenor of Love’ (Self-Help 97–116), the thesis aims to discuss the ways in which Moore’s stories call into question both the objectification of women under patriarchy, and the impact that this objectification has on female subjectivity, desire and agency. It is my hypothesis that, key to Moore’s critique of the objectification of women, is the portrayal in her short fiction of straight women whose complex romantic and sexual encounters with men compromise their sense of themselves as subjects capable of desire and agency. My research attempts to show that Moore’s stories comment on the often-compromised desire and agency of women under patriarchy, and can be considered creative solutions to the question of how short fiction might function to broach the complexities of female subjectivity. The creative component of the dissertation, Thrill, comprises seventeen short stories that explore female desire and agency. Thrill responds to Moore’s work, and to the thinking of Beauvoir and Benjamin, by depicting young heterosexual women grappling with issues of desire, agency, and subjectivity. These stories hinge on the idea that female subjectivity is controlled and negated by a patriarchal sexual politics which is at its most potent in the interpersonal sexual arena.
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    Terrorising the imagination: moral pornography and sadomasochistic aesthetic in contemporary literature
    Jones, January ( 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.