Xavia

In an effort to start creating an actual online presence (finally) slash to get my work published in a way that actually recognizes the particular nuances of my field, I'm finally using my blog to share my theoretical work, not just my artistic work. Instead of vagueblogging about it, here's probably the best example of this problem in my oeuvre, my Gleesis. I completed this in the fall of 2012 as part of my capstone project for my minor in LGBTQ Studies for my B.A. at Colgate. It was presented on February 7, 2013 as part of the Center for Women's Studies' Brown Bag Series. Afaik, Colgate doesn't catalog bachelor's theses in its library, so pretty much only five people have ever read the thing (as opposed to my Master's thesis, which about ten people have read). It still was technically publicly presented so I can ethically cite it or whatever, but the further I get in my research, the harder it is for me to work without referencing this piece, which until now no one really had access to.

Academic publishing is a beast I don't fully understand--and frankly it's far too exclusive for my taste and copyright law is a hellscape. Furthermore, so much has changed in the show, the Glee fandom, in fan studies, and in my own thinking on the topic that this would never get published regardless. But I DO understand fandom publishing, and part of my eventual research is about fandom spaces as a form of (limited) peer review, so, peers, for your review, I present this historical document in all its trashtastic glory, "Meatsuit Realness: Vocality, Gender, Sexuality, and Cyborgs in Glee".

*tries to upload file* oh right, Dreamwidth probably doesn't have file hosting. Also, this is an opportunity to a) embrace the format and b) provide some needed edits and annotations SO you're going to get the revised edition complete with editorial commentary. Original notes will use Arabic numerals, annotations will use Latin characters. If I figure out how to be super fancy maybe I can hyperlink to the notes themselves, but that sounds like a project for future!Xavia. ANYWHO here's my revised edition of the Gleesis.



( Abstract/First Paragraph )

Performing the He(te)roic Narrative (Part 2)
The Gendered Voice (Part 3)
Meatsuit Realness (Part 4)
Conclusion and Works Cited (Part 5)

a) The series ended in 2015. Season 4 was still airing while this paper was being written.
b) While this was more-or-less true in 2012, Glee has since opened the door for successful TV musicals such as Empire, Smash, Star, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, among others.
c) Whether or not these portrayals are positive is a matter of significant controversy.