Contributing writer for The Artifice.
Junior Contributor I
Marvel and the return to moralistic storytellingWhy is it that Marvel and other action-based franchises such as DC tend to ascribe at least one distinct social cause to each film? Is it a return to the overly simplistic style of prescriptive storytelling that was popularised in fairytales? Films such as Captain Marvel or series like the Falcon and the Winter soldier directly focus on social issues that are in current discourse (broadly feminism and anti-war sentiments). Though there seems to be more focus upon grey areas between the black and white, good guy bad guy format that originated in the comic series there is still very little complexity given to such large issues. Is it important for films such as Black Panther, which has had a great impact on the Black Lives Matter movement and provided much needed diversity in representation, to be released? Or are they simplifying complex issues, fitting them into a three act structure that has the potential for sequels, to market them to a specific demographic? Though both sides can easily be argued, it remains important to consider how prescriptive binary morality of good and bad can affect social movements, especially when displayed in films that have an immense global reach.
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Why Is Utopian Literature Less Popular Than Dystopian Literature? | |
Phoebe Wallet-Bridge actually appears on the podcast ‘the Guilty Feminist’ and talks about fleabag in depth. The characters’ flaws make her into a stronger feminist representation than any ‘perfect’ feminist icon could be. | The Portrayal of Feminism in Fleabag (2016) |
I would disagree with the idea that masculinity is defined by what women find romantically appealing. Many of the characters listed go against traditional modes of masculinity (being too emotional or too effeminate). Masculinity is defined largely by male peers. | Men Written by Women: Dreamboats or Brutes? |
I think the idea of dystopia always seems more realistic, more reachable than any kind of utopia. Not only is it the knowledge that political and social unrest will never cease, but also the individualistic hope that we could ‘survive’, that we could build our way to a personal utopia in the face of dystopia.