Defense Date
3-20-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
Master of Arts
Degree Name
Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media
First Advisor
Melissa Bianchi, Ph.D., first advisor;
Second Advisor
Janine Morris, Ph.D., second advisor;
Third Advisor
Juliette Kitchens, Ph.D., third advisor.
Keywords
feminism, postfeminism, feminist rhetoric, dramedy, genre studies
Abstract
Centered on Lena Dunham’s Girls (2012) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag (2016) this thesis examines the use of genre conventions in dramedy to facilitate feminist critiques of postfeminist ideals. In conducting a case study of feminist rhetoric present in the shows Girls and Fleabag, this thesis addresses a gap in genre studies concerning the social and political potency of the dramedy genre. The thesis utilizes rhetorical critique, through generic methods, to identify the specific techniques used by Dunham and Waller-Bridge. Through its analyses, this thesis argues that dramedy can uniquely operate as a work of social action and critique, using conventions such as cringe aesthetics, excessive nudity, female intimacy, and more, to facilitate such goals. In this way the dramedy models the mutually advantageous relationship between genre and feminist rhetoric, carving out space in entertainment to explore the nuances of social action.
NSUWorks Citation
Cailin Rolph. 2024. "We are Bad Feminists!": Understanding Genre and Rhetoric in (Post)Feminist Dramedy Television. Master's thesis. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, . (174)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hcas_etd_all/174.
Included in
English Language and Literature Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Rhetoric and Composition Commons