Dissertation
Queerly Ever After: An Exploration of Fairy Tales through a Plurisexual Lens
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Doctor of Creative Arts, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
2018
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25907/00034
Abstract
The conventions of the European fairy tale canon-comprising the traditional European literary works of Charles Perrault, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, and Hans Christian Andersen-perpetuate heteropatriarchal ideals. These limit the ability of readers with diverse sexualities and genders to form understandings of their own identity and place within Western society, while simultaneously contributing to societal attitudes that negatively impact on the queer community. Though some works have made attempts to subvert these heteropatriarchal conventions-such as feminist and queer reimaginings of the European fairy tale canon-there has typically been an emphasis on representing monosexual characters and behaviours, with few existing tales exploring the fluidity of sexuality and gender, and the possibility for plurisexual identities that this reveals. Queerly Ever After is a collection of interlinked short stories constructed to form a greater understanding of representations of plurisexuality, particularly in ways that can expose and challenge heteropatriarchal conventions typical of the European fairy tale canon. The accompanying exegesis has been used to contextualise the creative artefact within existing works and academic discourse. This research, conducted under the candidature of a Doctor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing) seeks to address three key research aims: firstly, this research explores the genre conventions of the European fairy tale canon through the existing work of academics such as Jack Zipes and Elizabeth Harries, and highlights the heteropatriarchal representations within these texts; secondly, this work examines existing queer fairy tales and compares their attempts to subvert genre conventions to the feminist fairy tales that challenge patriarchal structures; and lastly, through the construction of Queerly Ever After, the research establishes how one can consciously select conventions of the European fairy tale canon, queer fairy tales, coming out stories, and feminist fairy tales to adhere to and/or subvert, with the purpose of representing and empowering diverse plurisexual women and their identities.
Details
- Title
- Queerly Ever After: An Exploration of Fairy Tales through a Plurisexual Lens
- Authors
- Alayna M Cole
- Contributors
- Ross Watkins (Supervisor)
- Awarding institution
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Creative Arts
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- DOI
- 10.25907/00034
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Creative Industries - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450757702621
- Output Type
- Dissertation
- Research Statement
- false
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