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Rerik, Michael. "Queering the museum: Challenging heteronormative space in bechdel’s fun home." Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics 3. (2012): 223–30. Added by: joachim (23/07/2012, 09:20) Last edited by: joachim (30/05/2013, 16:54) |
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| Resource type: Journal Article Language: en: English Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1080/21504857.2011.629665 BibTeX citation key: Rerik2012 Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: "Fun Home", Autobiography, Bechdel. Alison, Counter culture, Gender, Halberstam. Judith, Museum, Postmodernism, USA Creators: Rerik Collection: Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics |
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In this paper I argue that Allison Bechdel’s memoir/graphic novel Fun Home challenges heteronormative notions of sexuality by using the graphic novel genre as a museum-like space to present gay and lesbian culture. Bechdel uses the subjectivity of memoir to subjectify the museum-like space of her book, which challenges Frederic Jameson’s heteronormative notion that postmodern space is highly objectified and without subjective possibilities. I use queer theorists, notably Judith Halberstam, to counter Jameson’s notions of heteronormative, objective postmodern theory and offer a critique that postmodern space can also be a site for queer counterpublics, or a place for counter-cultural and subjective activity that challenges hetero-norms, or ingrained cultural norms aligned along patriarchic dictation. Finally, I argue that Bechdel’s national bestseller gives voice to the usually suppressed gay and lesbian cultural experience, and that through the graphic novel and memoir genres, a large and popular audience hears this voice. Hence, Fun Home becomes a site where suppressed and dominant cultures collide.
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