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Surman, David. "The Single Female Intruder." Refractory 20 2012. Accessed 9 Jul. 2014. <http://refractory.unime ... u.au/2012/11/07/surman/>. Added by: joachim (09/07/2014, 08:05) |
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| Resource type: Web Article Language: en: English Peer reviewed BibTeX citation key: Surman2012 Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Animation, Film, Game, Gender, Intermediality, Japan, Manga Creators: Surman Collection: Refractory |
Views: 4/674
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| Attachments | URLs http://refractory. ... 2012/11/07/surman/ |
| Abstract |
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This essay examines a contemporary cultural icon that operates across distinct media boundaries, as a kind of transmedia archetype. Of interest is the visuality of what I call the ‘single female intruder’, which emerges as the intersection of a variety of low cultural forms, and has its origins in the Japanese visual and literary culture of the nineteenth century. What are the characteristics of the single female intruder? She wears closely fitted clothing, which describe the shape of her body, though she is tall, willowy and androgynous. She comes equipped with a variety of powerful weapons and technologies, that she keeps secreted away on her person, and combines this armoury with expert knowledge of a variety of relevant disciplines. She is always proficient in martial arts, though her willingness to fight is measured against the dramas of her past, tempering the speed of her sword-hand. Her movement is characterised by an impossible elegance, and she seems preternaturally adapted to exploit any space that she comes to occupy. The technologies she deploys are an extension of the physical body, and never encumber her.
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