What constitutes a ‘good’ queer cinema? The question is as ambiguous as the idea of queer theory, which in its actuality is characterized to be “…nothing in particular to which it necessarily refers. It is an identity without a [defined] essence”. The combination of queer theory’s fluid nature and the rather touchy subject of queer history often make it difficult to draw black and white conclusions on what discerns an exceptional queer film from a mediocre one. Blue Is the Warmest Colour, based on
The representation of queer culture within Canadian literature, and more specifically theatre, can vary based on the multiple means that the playwright chooses to animate. In this instance, by differentiating French Canadian and Western Canadian queer theatre, we are able to analyze what drives each cultural representation. Montreal had experienced gay liberation in the mid 70’s, and theatre was empowered by such a movement to captivate audiences with the idea of a gay individual rather than
American lives amid the many years of the most recent century. His verse is normally effortlessly comprehended and straight forward to the point. However, it could be analyzed in three different theories; New Historicism, Post-Colonial Criticism, and Queer Theory. “The Weary Blues” is a verse ballad with two voices. The focal story voice portrays an African American or Negro, in this 1923 sonnet, in Harlem, New York, who is watched singing and playing a soul number. The lyric gives an example of soul
In 1968, Esther Newton work was one of the first major anthropological that studied the homosexual community in the United States. Newton’s PhD thesis “the drag queens; a study in urban anthropology” examined the experiences, social interaction and the culture of the drag queens. In various kinds of theatrical settings there were men who dressed and performed as women, or as an expression of their sexual identity (Newton, 1968). Later in 1972, she wrote the book “Mother Camp: female impersonators
perspective on the story, although in my readings of psychology, particularly the psychological knowledge surrounding both women and queers, I find the discipline incredibly tainted with patriarchy and heterosexism. At this point, I’d like to define a few terms somewhat precisely, at least as I intend to use them in the context of this paper. In this paper, I use the term "queer" for two reasons: one of which is in the spirit of reclaiming a word that has traditionally been used to verbally abuse non-heterosexual
understanding of the way we think is perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of understanding our own society. It is for this reason that the fields of psychotherapy, psychology, psychiatry, and sociology are so incredibly important. Within these areas of study, the boundaries of normative life must fall away in order for us to truly understand our minds. When there is discrimination in a field as extensive as the understanding of the human psyche, we run the risk of wholly alienating entire segments of the
People often need to have validation from themselves, in regard to both their sexuality and general self, before being able to be accepted others. Too often this important fact is disregarded by today's culture and societal norm. This appears to be a recurring theme throughout the many passages and articles we have read in class, as well as in various piece of fictional literature. I will be using the 1991 film "Paris Is Burning," a short work of fiction by Jane S. Fancher called "Moonlover and
American Eugenics: Race, Queer Anatomy, and the Science of Nationalism Works Cited Missing Nancy Ordover argues that current attempts to regulate marginalized social groups are eugenicist movements couched in new language. While "today, the preoccupation with immigrant fertility is couched in concerns over expenditures rather than in classic eugenicist worries over the depletion of the national gene pool" (54), that supposed strain on the national economy presented by immigration is still located
celebrities coming out like Ellen Degeneres during her tv show Ellen. The two kinds of media contrast as a form of whether or not to come out as a gay or not during a time when AIDs was prominent and new. Within the early 1990s there is a rise in queer culture that many people did not know for what it was. At first, the United States thought it was problematic because it was an invasion on the home-front and the country is trying to figure out its own identity culturally, which led to the “culture”
important sites where viewers negotiate personal and cultural concepts of sexuality and subjectivity. This queer reading of Buffy the Vampire Slayer investigates the disguised homo-erotic tensions between the out lesbian characters in the series. It avoids an elaborate search for homoerotic and non-normative sexual couplings between other characters in the series. If I were to do such a queer reading, I would probably concentrate on the Willow and Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), or Faith (Eliza Dushku)
vision due to HIV related illness. The strategy to deny the viewer a visual image of the person with AIDS was effectively a counterpoint to the saturation of images that was prevalent in early 1990s post modern culture.[4] The intersection between queer activist politics and post modernist culture was important to the practice of many western artists working around issues associated with HIV... ... middle of paper ... ... Beauvais, Y 1992, AIDS A SIDA, film, France, 51/2 min Bordowitz, G 1993
and sisters (547). Sculley Bradley, Richmond Croom Beatty and E. Hudson Long in “The Social Criticism of a Public Man” consider his poverty a determining influence in his life: “…a young man engrossed in historical study and in learning the writer’s craft is not notably queer if he does not seek society or marriage, especially if he is poor” (47-48). Fame was slow in coming for the author, likewise prosperity. Clarice Swisher in “Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography” explains in great detail the
These past few decades have seen a large increase in awareness of issues concerning homosexuality. Gender is intricately linked to homosexuality and numerous theorists have explored gender and sexuality under the umbrella term of Gay and Lesbian studies or Queer theory. In the music video of their song Inner Smile, the pop group Texas have seemingly adopted a radical image change when the groups front-person, Sharleen Spiteri, appears in drag as Elvis. The director of this video, Vaughan Arnell, utilizes
In his novel Laughter in the Dark, Vladimir Nabokov employs cinematic techniques to tell the story of director Albinus and starlet Margot. Nabokov's use of imagery and techniques from the cinema is evident throughout the novel. However, his style is not that of a screenplay, as his polished prose is always infused with his trademark irony. Gavriel Moses notes that Nabokov is aware of the overwhelming presence and claim to truth of film images, but he also recognizes that formulaic films tend to displace
Classical Readings on Cultural Anthropology What do we have to learn through the study of different cultures? I was hoping for some wonderful revelation in the collection of writings. I may have found one. This book was a difficult read for me. I am not sure whether it’s my age or my inexperience with classical readings. I also found it difficult to formulate a report on a collection of readings, the last report I did was on Laura Ingall’s Little House on the Prairie. This reading was a little
Analysis and Interpretation of A Clockwork Orange A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess, is one of the most experimental, original, and controversial novels of the twentieth century. It is both a compelling work of literature and an in-depth study in linguistics. The novel is a satirical, frightening science fiction piece, not unlike others of this century such as George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. However, the conflicts and resolutions in A Clockwork Orange
epic hero (Duchêne 14), he ensured his status as a lasting folk hero and perennial bestseller (Calder 19). The reality was that Heinrich Schliemann was an incredible con man, a generally unlikable braggart who succeeded only because of his queer mix of genius and fraudulence. He had a shylock's conscience when it came to business dealings, and his shady methods pervaded both his life and his archaeology (Burg, 15-31). Schliemann had a habit of rewriting his past in order to paint a more dramatic
Heathen and Christian Elements in the Wanderer The modern word 'weird' bears only a superficial resemblance to its etymological descendent, wyrd. What now stands for 'strange' and 'queer' only has an archaic connection to its classical meaning of 'Fate'. During the process of evolution, however, the word went through many phases, especially during the formation of the English language by the Anglo-Saxons. Wyrd appears fairly often in Old English poetry and prose, indicating a
reality-makeover show that became a national obsession. The show was "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." Two years earlier, in December of 2000, Showtime produced what was to become one of the most controversial and popular television shows in the network's history: "Queer as Folk," inspired by the BBC original of the same name. Queer was here- in a big, bold way. These two pop culture phenomenon set up a discourse for the pivotal word in each title, "Queer." Examining both in the context of their own, self-prescribed
him. Yet Hamlet never went so far over "the edge" so as to not come back from reality, yet for reasons psychological, he procrastinated actions that he should have taken, until it was too late. I will first discuss Hamlet, the origins for his queer behavior and if it twas feigned or not. In the first act we see that Hamlet is a sort of idealistic man coming back to the world from university in Wittenburg. Coleridge described Hamlet in this point of the play as a "Renaissance" man, who has