This thesis explores the idea of the “monstrous-feminine,” or the idea that female monsters of television and film are linked to their femininity in a way that male monsters are not linked to their masculinity. Using the work of scholars such as Barbara Creed, Shelley Stamp Lindsey, and Jane M. Ussher, the thesis covers various facets of women’s lives as seen through the distorted lens of the monstrous. The character of Helena from the television show Orphan Black is used as a concrete example of the stages of the monstrous-feminine: the girl-child, menstruation and puberty, sexuality, and motherhood.

Los medios de comunicación, especialmente el cine y televisión, ocupan un papel importante en la población, pues estos recrean, fomentan o adaptan diversos aspectos de la sociedad. Un claro ejemplo es la ficción televisiva, la cual suele ser la que fomenta la aparición de identidades y representaciones, generando así estereotipos. Si bien existe un gran número de programas y series de representaciones culturales, también han ido apareciendo otros sobre representaciones de género, sobretodo de la identidad femenina. Gracias a las distintas revoluciones y protestas femeninas, estos programas han ido pasando de representar a la mujer como el “sexo débil” a representar a una mujer “empoderada”. A partir de esta investigación buscamos identificar la manera en la que la serie Orphan Black (2012-2017) subvierte los estereotipos femeninos existentes en la sociedad y cómo es que fomenta la aparición de nuevas representaciones femeninas. En este trabajo se desarrolla una ardua investigación no solo de los movimientos femeninos que llevaron a lo que se ve hoy en día en los medios, sino también de las formas de representación y estereotipos en el cine y televisión sobre la mujer. Finalmente, el análisis de las temporadas escogidas de la serie determina que la serie recoge los estereotipos existentes sobre la mujer y los destruye: a nivel figurativo, es decir, en la manera de representar físicamente al personaje; y a nivel narrativo, la manera en como el personaje se desarrolla y cambia sus acciones. Así es cómo la serie construye nuevas representaciones femeninas. / The media, especially film and television, play an important role in the population, as they recreate, promote or adapt various aspects of society. A clear example is television fiction, which is usually the one that encourages the appearance of identities and representations, thus generating stereotypes. Although there are a large number of programs and series of cultural representations, others have also appeared on gender representations, especially of feminine identity. Thanks to the various revolutions and female protests, these programs have gone from representing women as the "weaker sex" to representing an "empowered" woman. From this research we seek to identify the way in which the Orphan Black series (2012-2017) subverts existing female stereotypes in society and how it encourages the emergence of new female representations. In this work an arduous investigation is developed not only of the feminine movements that led to what is seen today in the media, but also of the forms of representation and stereotypes in film and television about women. Finally, the analysis of the selected seasons of the series determines that the series collects the existing stereotypes about women and destroys them: on a figurative level, that is, in the way of physically representing the character; and at the narrative level, the way in which the character develops and changes his actions. This is how the series builds new female representations.

Ce projet examine comment la politique et l’amitié sont actualisées dans la fiction spéculative du XXIe siècle à travers différents médias. Cette thèse aborde la manière dont ces relations interpersonnelles affectent la sphère sociale et le statu quo des mondes fictifs à l’étude. Pour orienter la discussion, j’utilise le concept d’autonomie relationnelle qui reconnaît l’interdépendance des individus autonomes et de la communauté en général et l’éthique du care qui environne la moralité comme étant relationnelle et contextualisée. L’utilisation conjointe de ces deux cadres me permet de discuter de la façon dont les amitiés sont propices à la participation politique. Le premier chapitre présente une discussion globale de The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) de Margaret Atwood et notamment de son influence au sein du genre de la fiction spéculative féministe. Ensuite, dans une première section, je me concentre sur les notions d’autonomie par rapport à l’adaptation graphique du roman d’Atwood par Renée Nault (2019), que je compare avec la bande dessinée Bitch Planet de Kelly Sue DeConnick et Valentine de Landro (2013-2017). Dans une seconde section, je me concentre sur l’éthique du care en tant que processus pouvant favoriser des amitiés empreintes d’implications politiques en analysant l’adaptation télévisée de The Handmaid’s Tale, produite par Hulu, et la série Orphan Black, produite par BBC America. La fiction spéculative permet d’expérimenter librement avec différentes idées politiques et de comprendre comment la société pourrait réagir dans des scénarios extrêmes. Ces expériences de pensée reflètent nos propres luttes et lacunes politiques et pourraient ultimement indiquer de meilleures façons de résoudre les problèmes actuels. / This project examines how politics and friendship are actualized in speculative fiction across different media in the twenty-first century. This thesis discusses how these interpersonal relationships affect the social sphere and the status quo of the fictional worlds in question. To guide the discussion, I use the concept of relational autonomy, which recognizes the interconnectedness of both autonomous individuals and the community at large, and ethics of care, which understands morality as relational and contextualized. I use these two frameworks in tandem to discuss how friendships are conducive to political participation. The first chapter presents an overarching discussion of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985) in its legacy to the feminist speculative fiction genre. Following, in the first section, I focus on notions of autonomy in relation to Renée Nault's graphic novel adaptation of Atwood’s novel (2019) and contrast it with Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine de Landro’s comic Bitch Planet (2013-2017). In the second section, I focus on the ethics of care as a process that can foster friendships with political implications by analyzing Hulu's TV adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale and BBC America's Orphan Black. SF offers the freedom to test different political ideas and to understand how society might react in extreme scenarios. These thought experiments reflect our own political struggles and shortcomings; ultimately, they might point at better ways to solve current problems.

No description available.