Slashing the Romance Narrative

Abstract

We, the women of the RSM, in an effort to form a really loose confederation of passionately uncommitted rational anarchists, accept no rules and no limits. We have no boundaries. We do not explain ourselves. We do not accept American Express . . . We reserve the right to slash anyone, anywhere, at anytime.

“They All Lived Happily Ever After. Obviously.”: Realism and Utopia in Game of Thrones-Based Alternate Universe Fairy Tale Fan Fiction

“…Game of Thrones fairy tale AUs perfectly exemplify this principle, as these fan works reconceptualize the HBO show, the books the show is based on, and the fairy tale genre, as well as other fan-specific genre conventions, while the books themselves also draw heavily on numerous layers of fairy tale, alternate history, and fantasy novels, films, and stories as intertexts. Such complexity emphasizes the status of authors as communal actors who reorder an existing discursive field; as discussed by scholars like Julie Levin Russo, the politics and aesthetics of fan works must not, therefore, be considered in terms of the qualities of the text alone, but in contrast to the entire amateur and professional cultural milieu, as fan authors' and artists' expressions are frequently only made implicitly via their subtle departures from other versions and narrative norms [69][70][71][72].…”

The Fairy Tale and Its Uses in Contemporary New Media and Popular Culture

“…Game of Thrones fairy tale AUs perfectly exemplify this principle, as these fan works reconceptualize the HBO show, the books the show is based on, and the fairy tale genre, as well as other fan-specific genre conventions, while the books themselves also draw heavily on numerous layers of fairy tale, alternate history, and fantasy novels, films, and stories as intertexts. Such complexity emphasizes the status of authors as communal actors who reorder an existing discursive field; as discussed by scholars like Julie Levin Russo, the politics and aesthetics of fan works must not, therefore, be considered in terms of the qualities of the text alone, but in contrast to the entire amateur and professional cultural milieu, as fan authors' and artists' expressions are frequently only made implicitly via their subtle departures from other versions and narrative norms [69][70][71][72].…”

Prison Break General Gabbery

“…Historically, slash has been "interesting" to academics working within the field of fan studies because of its transgressive potential. Anne Kustritz (2003) found in "Slashing the Romance Narrative" that most slash writers are heterosexual women with tertiary education. Joanna Russ (1985) argues in Magic Mommas that slash's more explicit aspects can be read as feminist pornography, while Patricia Frazer Lamb and Diane Veith (1986) argue in "Romantic Myth, Transcendence, and Star Trek Zines" that even the slash with explicit homoerotic content can be metaphorically understood in terms of women's desires for equal relationships with equal partners.…”