Subversive!sue--the study of Mary Sue as empowerment in fan fiction

Date of Publication

2007

Document Type

Bachelor's Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Literature

Subject Categories

Fiction

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Literature

Thesis Adviser

Anne Frances Sangil

Defense Panel Member

Shirley Lua
Ma. Teresa Wright

Abstract/Summary

This thesis, like all Mary Sue fan fics, is all about Mary Sue -- specifically, how her being larger-than-life is, in fact, a perfect fit within fan fiction. She too is but a form of fantasy fulfillment, and thus should be right at home within fan fiction -- it is simply from the viewpoint of those who constrain themselves within the box of the believable and the real that see her as a deviant, even a nuisance. The thesis adopts John Fiske's view of television popular culture as a means of subversion against the homogenization and control of the culture that controls television: that television's adherence to what is accepted as real and logical is simply a discourse that the dominant group uses to naturalize what they believe is natural and, therefore, right. This struggle can also be seen within the ranks of popular culture-- within fan culture and fandoms, to be precise. A fandom's strict adherence to the reality and logic of its canon text can be seen as an attempt to impose its chosen -- its logical, natural -- interpretations of the canon text as the only good way of interpreting it, and therefore the Mary Sue becomes an attempt at subversion.

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Format

Print

Accession Number

TU14603

Shelf Location

Archives, The Learning Commons, 12F, Henry Sy Sr. Hall

Physical Description

121 leaves ; 28 cm. + : 1 computer optical disc

Keywords

Fantasy fiction--History and criticism; Subversive activities; Intertextuality; Plots (Drama; novel; etc)

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