Title: Becoming Monstrous: Queering Horror to investigate bodies & gender.
Author: NVDP
Department: MA Non Linear Narrative
Academy: Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague
Publishing Date: 2024
Abstract:
This thesis is exploring Gender and Identity through the concept of Monstrosity in Postmodern Narratives of Queer Horror. The urgency of this topic lies in the growing recognition of diverse gender identities and the evolving cultural discourse surrounding queerness in the postmodern context and expanding them into more fictional territories, particularly within the realm of horror cinema and literature. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks from Susan Stryker, Gilles Deleuze, Donna Haraway, and others, this study adopts a postmodern, posthuman, and queer theoretical lens to analyze the narratives of body horror and queerness. The methodological approach involves close textual analysis of selected films, such as 'Tetsuo: The Iron Man' and 'Titane,' alongside critical engagement with relevant theoretical literature, to explore the ways in which these narratives depict and challenge gender norms and identity constructs. The projected outcome of this research is to contribute to the ongoing debate surrounding gender, identity, as well as exploring themes of monstrosity and horror narratives and queering them, so they can serve as sites of resistance, transformation, and reclamation.
Read the full thesis here.
Author: NVDP
Department: MA Non Linear Narrative
Academy: Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague
Publishing Date: 2024
Abstract:
This thesis is exploring Gender and Identity through the concept of Monstrosity in Postmodern Narratives of Queer Horror. The urgency of this topic lies in the growing recognition of diverse gender identities and the evolving cultural discourse surrounding queerness in the postmodern context and expanding them into more fictional territories, particularly within the realm of horror cinema and literature. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks from Susan Stryker, Gilles Deleuze, Donna Haraway, and others, this study adopts a postmodern, posthuman, and queer theoretical lens to analyze the narratives of body horror and queerness. The methodological approach involves close textual analysis of selected films, such as 'Tetsuo: The Iron Man' and 'Titane,' alongside critical engagement with relevant theoretical literature, to explore the ways in which these narratives depict and challenge gender norms and identity constructs. The projected outcome of this research is to contribute to the ongoing debate surrounding gender, identity, as well as exploring themes of monstrosity and horror narratives and queering them, so they can serve as sites of resistance, transformation, and reclamation.
Read the full thesis here.