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http://DOI.ORG/10.33234/SSR.20.2
Making Sense of Gender through Superhero Narratives: Transmedia Evolution of “The Flash”
Ganna Tashchenko
School of Foreign Languages, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Ukraine; Département des Langues et Cultures, University of Bordeaux, France.
Abstract
The article addresses gender identity change through interaction with transmedia narratives. Much like other facets of an individual’s identity, gender is shaped by master narratives dictating what is deemed socially acceptable. Since, according to the concept of dialogic self, voices of fictional characters resonate with audiences as strongly as those of people around or even their own voices, characters act as the driving force of the story. Turning into independent units of meaning, they reinforce the already existing dominant narratives or pave the way for new ones to emerge. The article argues that evolution of familiar characters in the transmedia spaces plays a pivotal role in shifting away from traditional notions of masculinity and femininity toward greater diversity. Serving as role models by their very nature, superheroes, who develop new aspects of their gender identities, vividly demonstrate this trend as exemplified by the transmedial journey of “The Flash”.
Key words: cultural memory, Flash, gender identity, identity change, transmedia narratives.