“Oh Villanelle, My Baby…”: The serial engagement of Killing Eve digital queer female fans
(2023) MKVM13 20231Media and Communication Studies
Department of Communication and Media
- Abstract
- The present thesis conducts a case study that focuses on the complex TV drama Killing Eve and digital queer female fans of Killing Eve regarding their understanding of identities and queer relations represented in the series and their (dis)engagement with the series. This study draws on the tripartite frameworks of complex TV drama, LGBTQ+/queer studies, and digital fandom. The main objective of this study is to provide knowledge of Killing Eve’s poetic storytelling and to understand how digital queer female fans engage with the series through their identities and experiences. By doing so, the study aims to raise the awareness of heteronormative hegemony on screen in contemporary media and society.
Guided by qualitative methodology, this... (More) - The present thesis conducts a case study that focuses on the complex TV drama Killing Eve and digital queer female fans of Killing Eve regarding their understanding of identities and queer relations represented in the series and their (dis)engagement with the series. This study draws on the tripartite frameworks of complex TV drama, LGBTQ+/queer studies, and digital fandom. The main objective of this study is to provide knowledge of Killing Eve’s poetic storytelling and to understand how digital queer female fans engage with the series through their identities and experiences. By doing so, the study aims to raise the awareness of heteronormative hegemony on screen in contemporary media and society.
Guided by qualitative methodology, this study applies multi-methods to explore the case of Killing Eve female queer fans. To contextualize Killing Eve and understand the engagement of digital queer fans, this study firstly conducts a narrative analysis of the series’ poetic storytelling, including an examination of the characters, events, genres, and tropes that exist within the show’s storyworld. In order to explore queer fans’ understanding of and engagement with Killing Eve, this study conducted one-to-one semi-constructed interviews with 10 different queer female fans from Killing Eve Facebook fan groups. The sample includes 5 queer female fans aged 20-40, and 5 queer female fans aged 40+. Using thematic text analysis on the interview data, the present study then investigates the interviewees’ understanding of Killing Eve’s female and queer representation, its emotional authenticity, and their identification with the representations. Further, the study analyses queer female fans’ engagement with and dislike for Killing Eve, demonstrating the series’ inauthenticity in its female and queer representations from the perspective of the interviewees.
The findings suggest that Killing Eve’s use of elements of thriller, queer romance, comedy, and playful language transgresses across genres, making it genre-bending. However, the use of three tropes demonstrates that it is not genre-bending. Fans in this study like and enjoy Killing Eve’s “liptick lesbian” trope and transgression trope, but are heartbroken over its “bury your gays” trope, which these fans dislike. The findings further reveal the complex relationship queer fans have with the serial killer character Villanelle and Killing Eve through their identities and experiences. This thesis contributes a unique framework for the existing literature surrounding Killing Eve. It also contributes to the knowledge around complex transgressive characters and storylines, digital fandom, queer representation, and queer fans. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9114280
- author
- Jiang, Yunshan LU
- supervisor
-
- Annette Hill LU
- organization
- course
- MKVM13 20231
- year
- 2023
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- complex TV, drama, digital fandom, queer representation, LGBTQ+ fandom, queer fans, media engagement
- language
- English
- id
- 9114280
- date added to LUP
- 2023-06-15 15:34:42
- date last changed
- 2023-06-15 15:34:42
@misc{9114280,
abstract = {{The present thesis conducts a case study that focuses on the complex TV drama Killing Eve and digital queer female fans of Killing Eve regarding their understanding of identities and queer relations represented in the series and their (dis)engagement with the series. This study draws on the tripartite frameworks of complex TV drama, LGBTQ+/queer studies, and digital fandom. The main objective of this study is to provide knowledge of Killing Eve’s poetic storytelling and to understand how digital queer female fans engage with the series through their identities and experiences. By doing so, the study aims to raise the awareness of heteronormative hegemony on screen in contemporary media and society.
Guided by qualitative methodology, this study applies multi-methods to explore the case of Killing Eve female queer fans. To contextualize Killing Eve and understand the engagement of digital queer fans, this study firstly conducts a narrative analysis of the series’ poetic storytelling, including an examination of the characters, events, genres, and tropes that exist within the show’s storyworld. In order to explore queer fans’ understanding of and engagement with Killing Eve, this study conducted one-to-one semi-constructed interviews with 10 different queer female fans from Killing Eve Facebook fan groups. The sample includes 5 queer female fans aged 20-40, and 5 queer female fans aged 40+. Using thematic text analysis on the interview data, the present study then investigates the interviewees’ understanding of Killing Eve’s female and queer representation, its emotional authenticity, and their identification with the representations. Further, the study analyses queer female fans’ engagement with and dislike for Killing Eve, demonstrating the series’ inauthenticity in its female and queer representations from the perspective of the interviewees.
The findings suggest that Killing Eve’s use of elements of thriller, queer romance, comedy, and playful language transgresses across genres, making it genre-bending. However, the use of three tropes demonstrates that it is not genre-bending. Fans in this study like and enjoy Killing Eve’s “liptick lesbian” trope and transgression trope, but are heartbroken over its “bury your gays” trope, which these fans dislike. The findings further reveal the complex relationship queer fans have with the serial killer character Villanelle and Killing Eve through their identities and experiences. This thesis contributes a unique framework for the existing literature surrounding Killing Eve. It also contributes to the knowledge around complex transgressive characters and storylines, digital fandom, queer representation, and queer fans.}},
author = {{Jiang, Yunshan}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{“Oh Villanelle, My Baby…”: The serial engagement of Killing Eve digital queer female fans}},
year = {{2023}},
}