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Femininity and Masculinity in Japanese Media

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In this 4-6 page paper (double-spaced, 12-point font, 1” margin), you should advance a sustained argument comparing two fictional texts by using the theory of your choice. • Choose two of the fi... ctional texts (Battle Royale, Train Man, Rose of Versailles, Mariko Mori’s art, or Novala Takemoto’s Kamikaze Girls novel) to compare. • You may use J. Halberstam’s theories or language of analysis in order to advance your sustained argument about the fictions. You may choose to write on the following themes (or you may come up with your own, which must be approved by me) Be sure to offer an argument that addresses your own view/analysis of both works. Your paper should not just compare and contrast where you list similarities and differences. Support your analysis with concrete evidence from the works in the form of description or textual quotation (always citing the relevant page numbers from written works). • femininity or masculinity: compare how either masculinity or femininity is constructed, narrated, and/or represented in two texts. What is the relationship between femininity/masculinity and power; between public personas on the one hand; and private, often personal manifestations on the other? How do the fictions, films, and filmmakers establish a relation between public and private in the gendered sense? You can also address the intersection of agency and construction of femininity or masculinity in your chosen texts. • style: consider and analyze the way in which style--color palettes, sound and music elements, set construction and lighting, portrayal of character movement, etc. --is used to emphasize narrative and thematic elements, introduce parody or homage, and shape the visual presentation of the film(s) as a whole. For example, you might consider the way violence is stylized in two films. You should consider the following questions regardless of what elements you focus on: to what ends are presentation and format used to shock, unsettle, or draw in the viewer? How does an exaggerated or unorthodox stylistic presentation contribute to the theme and content of the film(s) you are discussing? • laughter. Discuss the role of laugher as it appears in your chosen fictions/films/art. What are characters laughing at? How is it related to the laughter of the viewer? Your thesis should propose an argument about how humor informs the broader themes of the work. Consider how humor reflects a larger social context, and what laughter tells us about the broader social context that is framed by particular moments of levity. Moreover, make sure to think through how laughter is represented (ie: what form does it take?). Remember to state your argument, give evidence, and then elaborate on how you interpret that evidence, and how it supports your point. For this paper there is no need to do any external research beyond what we’ve read/learned in class. Focus on your analysis of the primary texts, advancing an argument, evidencing it well, and drawing a conclusion from that. [Show More]

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