Elf gibi düşün: Christopher Paolini’nin genç erişkin fantezi serisi Miras Döngüsü’nde erkeklik ve duygu

Toplumsal cinsiyet ve cinselliğin fantastik edebiyattaki temsillerine yönelik akademik ilgi gittikçe artmakta ve araştırmacılar bu türün feminenlik ve heteroseksüellikle ilgili kabul gören görüşleri sarsma potansiyeli taşıdığını kabul etmektedir. Ancak, erkek karakterlerin ve okurların yaygınlığına ve popüler kültür metinlerinin genç izleyiciler üzerinde oluşturduğu etkiye rağmen, erkeklerin ve erkekliğin fantezi türünde nasıl inşa edildiğini sorgulayan çalışmaların sayısı oldukça azdır. Bu çalışma, eril stoacılık hakkındaki baskın fikirlerin Christopher Paolini’nin The Inheritance Cycle (Miras Döngüsü: 2005 - 2011) isimli genç erişkinlere yönelik fantezi serisinde nasıl ele alındığını ve (yeniden) tasavvur edildiğini ortaya çıkarmak amacıyla Raewyn Connell’ın hegemonik erkeklik kavramından ve Judith Butler’ın postyapısalcı cinsiyet teorilerinden faydalanmaktadır. Anlatı içerisinde duygusuz eril söylemler yer alıyor olsa da, büyü ve sihirli yaratıklar gibi fantezi türünün ayrılmaz parçalarının okuyucuları bu söylemlerin arzu edilirliğini, nasıl inşa edildiklerini ve oluştukları sosyal bağlama nasıl bağlı olduklarını sorgulamaya davet ettiğini savunuyorum. Sihirli telepatik bağlar, gözyaşı, sihirli ırklar ve büyüyü analiz ederek genç okuyucuların eril öznelerin duygularını nasıl deneyimleyebilecekleri ve ifade edebilecekleri hakkında karmaşık ancak genellikle ilerici fikirlerle karşılaştığını buldum. Bu makale, eril söylemlerin realizmin sınırlılıkları olmaksızın yansıtıldığı ve yeniden yaratıldığı bir araç sunması bakımından fantastik edebiyatın erkeklik çalışmaları içinde analiz edilmesi gerekli bir alan olduğunu göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

erkeklik, fantastik edebiyat, duygu; genç erişkin

Take it like an elf: masculinity and emotion in Christopher Paolini’s young adult fantasy series The Inheritance Cycle

Fantasy genre fiction has increasingly received academic attention for its representations of gender and sexuality, and scholars have acknowledged that the genre has the potential to challenge accepted ideas about femininity and heterosexuality. However, few studies have questioned how men and masculinity are constructed within the fantasy genre, despite the prevalence of masculine characters and readers and the influence that popular cultural texts exert over young audiences. This paper uses Raewyn Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity and Judith Butler’s poststructuralist gender theories to reveal how dominant ideas about masculine stoicism are negotiated and (re)imagined within Christopher Paolini’s young adult fantasy series The Inheritance Cycle (2005-2011). I argue that while unemotional masculine discourses are present within the narrative, fantasy genre conventions such as magic and magical creatures invite readers to question their desirability and recognize how they are socially constructed and compelled. By analysing magical telepathic bonds, crying, magical races, and magic, I find that young readers are presented with complex but often progressive ideas about how masculine subjects may experience and express their emotions. The article demonstrates that fantasy genre fiction is a crucial site for analysis in masculinities studies because it provides a means of reflecting and re-creating masculine discourses without the constraints of realism.

Keywords:

Masculinity fantasy fiction, emotion, young adult,

PDF

___

Attebery, Brian. Strategies of fantasy. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992.
Baker, Daniel. “Why we need dragons: the progressive potential of fantasy.” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts. 23.3 (2012): 437-459.
Balay, Anne. “‘Incloseto Putbacko’: Queerness in Adolescent Fantasy Fiction.” The Journal of Popular Culture. 45.5 (2012): 923-942.
Beasley, Chris. “Problematizing contemporary Men/Masculinities theorizing: the contribution of Raewyn Connell and conceptual‐terminological tensions today.” The British journal of sociology. 63.4 (2012): 747-765.
Branney, Peter, and Alan White. “Big Boys Don’t Cry: Depression and Men.” Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 14.1 (2008): 256-262.
Brody, Leslie. R., and Judith A. Hall. “Gender and Emotion in Context.” Handbook of Emotions. Ed. Michael Lewis, Jeanette M. Haviland-Jones, and L. Feldman. New York: Guilford Publications, 2008. 395-408.
Buchbinder, David. Masculinities and identities. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1994.
Butler, Judith. Gender trouble: feminism and the subversion of identity. New York: Routledge, 1990.
Butler, Judith. Bodies that matter. New York: Taylor and Francis, 1993.
Connell, R. W. Masculinities (2 ed.). St. Leonards, New South Wales: Allen and Unwin, 2005.
Connell, R. W., and James W. Messerschmidt. “Hegemonic Masculinity: Rethinking the Concept.” Gender and Society. 19.6 (2005): 829-859.
Del Negro, Janice. “Eragon.” Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. 57.4 (2003): 163.
Demetriou, Demetrakis Z. “Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity: A critique.” Theory and society. 30.3 (2001): 337-361.
Drummond, Murray. “Reflections on the archetypal heterosexual male body.” Australian Feminist Studies. 26.67 (2011): 103-117.
Estes, Sally. “Eragon.” The Booklist. 99.22 (2003): 1981.
Halberstam, Judith. Female masculinity. North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1998.
Hamilton, Denise. “Back in the land of dragons and young heroes.” Los Angeles Times. August 21, 2005.
Hatty, Suzanne. E. Masculinities, violence and culture. New York: Sage Publications, 2000.
Hornby, Gill. “In an age of daemons.” The Times. July 20, 1996.
International Reading Association. “Young Adults’ Choices for 2005.” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 49.3 (2005): 227-234.
Jakupcak, Matthew, Matthew T. Tull, and Lizabeth Roemer. “Masculinity, Shame, and Fear of Emotions as Predicators of Men’s Expressions of Anger and Hostility.” Psychology of Men and Masculinity. 6.4 (2005): 275-284.
Jefferson, Tony. “Subordinating hegemonic masculinity.” Theoretical Criminology. 6.1 (2002): 63-88.
Jones, Mike. “Eragon.” Chronicle 25.11 (2002): 30.
Kellner, Rivka Temima. “J.K. Rowling’s Ambivalence Towards Feminism: House Elves—Women in Disguise—in the ‘Harry Potter’ Books.” The Midwest Quarterly. 51.4 (2010): 367-384.
Leonard, Tom. “Is this the new Harry Potter? Christopher Paolini has become a publishing sensation with his ‘Inheritance Cycle’ fantasy books.” The Daily Telegraph. September 29, 2008.
Lilleaas, Ulla-Britt. “Masculinities, Sport, and Emotions.” Men and Masculinities. 10.1 (2007): 39-53. doi:10.1177/1097184X07299329
Lynn, Ruth. N. Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults: A Comprehensive Guide. California: Libraries Unlimited Incorporated, 2005.
Macauley, Mike. Shurtugal: The Official Inheritance Cycle Fan Community. Accessed August 12, 2014 http://shurtugal.com/
Martin, George. R. R. A Game of Thrones (4th ed.). London: Harper Voyager, 2011a.
Martin, George. R. R. A Clash of Kings (4th ed.). London: Harper Voyager, 2011b.
Martin, George. R. R. A Storm of Swords 1: Steel and Snow (4th ed.). London: Harper Voyager, 2011c.
Martin, George. R. R. A Storm of Swords 2: Blood and Gold ( 4th ed.). London: Harper Voyager, 2011d.
Martin, George. R. R. A Feast for Crows (3rd ed.). London: Harper Voyager, 2011e.
Martin, George. R. R. A Dance with Dragons (2nd ed.). London: Harper Voyager, 2012.
May, Vivian. M. Pursuing intersectionality, unsettling dominant imaginaries. New York: Routledge, 2015.
Milestone, Katie, and Anneke Meyer. Gender and popular culture. Boston: Polity, 2012.
Mullen, Kenneth, Jonathan Watson, Jan Swift, and David Black. “Young men, masculinity and alcohol.” Drugs: education, prevention and policy. 14.2 (2007): 151-165.
Oliffe, John L., Paul M. Galdas, Christina S. E. Han and Mary T. Kelly. “Faux masculinities among college men who experience depression.” Health. 17.1 (2012): 75-92.
Oransky, Matthew and Jeanne Marecek. “‘I'm Not Going to Be a Girl’: Masculinity and Emotions in Boys’ Friendships and Peer Groups.” Journal of Adolescent Research. 24.2 (2009): 218-241. Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. London: Corgi, 2005.
Paolini, Christopher. Eldest. London: Corgi, 2006.
Paolini, Christopher. Brisingr. London: Corgi, 2009.
Paolini, Christopher. Inheritance. London: Doubleday, 2011.
Prater, Lenise. “Queering magic.” Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Popular Fantasy: Beyond Boy Wizards and Kick-ass Chicks. Ed. Jude Roberts and Esther MacCallum-Stewart. Oxford: Routledge, 2016. 21-34
Pullman, Philip. Northern lights. London: Scholastic, 1995.
Pullman, Philip. The Subtle Knife. United Kingdom: Scholastic Point, 1997.
Pullman, Philip. The Amber Spyglass. United Kingdom: Scholastic, 2000.
Random House. “Alfred A. Knopf Books for young readers unveils title and cover for book three in Christopher Paolini’s #1 bestselling Inheritance Cycle.” 2008. http://www.alagaesia.com/Brisingr_PressRelease_web.pdf Rosenberg, Liz. “Children’s Books; The Egg and Him.” New York Times. August 18, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/books/children-s-books-the-egg-and-him.html
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1st ed.). London: Bloomsbury, 1998.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2nd ed.). London: Bloomsbury, 2004.
Seidler, V. J. “Masculinities, Bodies, and Emotional Life.” Men and Masculinities. 10.1 (2007): 9-21.
Simpson, Jacqueline. “On the Ambiguity of Elves. Folklore. 122.1 (2011): 76-83.
Simpson, Paul. Stylistics: a resource book for students. New York: Routledge, 2004.
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings. London: Allen and Unwin, 1954-1955.
Ward, Elizabath. “A Boy and His Dragon.” The Washington Post. September 7, 2005.
Warner, Leah R. and Stephanie A. Shields. “The Perception of Crying in Women and Men: Angry Tears, Sad Tears, and the “Right Way” to Cry.” Group Dynamics and Emotional Expression. Ed. Ursula Hess and Pierre Philippot. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 92-117.
Wedgwood, Nikki. “Connell's theory of masculinity–its origins and influences on the study of gender.” Journal of Gender Studies. 18.4 (2009): 329-339.
West, Candace and Don H. Zimmerman. “Doing Gender.” Gender and Society. 1.2 (1987): 125-151.
Whitehead, Stephen. Men and masculinities: key themes and new directions. Malden: Polity Press, 2002.
Wloszczyna, Susan. “An orientation to 'Golden Compass' daemons.” USA Today. November 20, 2007.