Gender Roles in Reconstructed Fairy Tales: Interstellar Cinderella

Öz

In classic fairy tales, which function as powerful cultural narratives, it is gender that determines the lifestyles and activities of the characters; while heroic male characters are more active and mostly described as fighters or rescuers, females are more passive ones who are generally beautiful victims dependent on males. However, these stereotypes are no longer prevailing because the presuppositions of readership have changed over time in parallel with the changes in societal and cultural values all over the world in this new era. As a result of these changes, it has become inevitable to reconstruct existing fairy tales to eliminate gender stereotypes and to meet the presuppositions and requirements of new-generation readership. Deborah Underwood reconstructs the famous fairy tale Cinderella in the futuristic Interstellar Cinderella, where she exchanges gender roles by generating responses against the classic patriarchal order. Drawing on feminist fairy-tale criticism and gender theory, this study critically examines the changing gender roles in the reconstruction of the fairy tales. Grounded in the feminist analyses of Lieberman, Dworkin, and Beauvoir, the study situates traditional fairy tales as the analytical foundation against which the contemporary retelling is read. Through close textual and visual analysis, the article aims to explore how Interstellar Cinderella reconstructs traditional Cinderella motifs to challenge gender stereotypes surrounding beauty, passivity, and marriage.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Cinderella
• fairy tales
• gender stereotypes
• gender roles
• feminism

Yeniden Kurgulanan Peri Masallarında Toplumsal Cinsiyet Rolleri: Yıldızlar Arası Sindirella

Öz

Güçlü bir kültürel anlatı olan klasik peri masallarında karakterlerin yaşam tarzını ve eylemlerini belirleyen cinsiyettir; kahraman ve cesur erkek karakterler daha aktif, çoğunlukla savaşçı veya kurtarıcı iken kadınlar genellikle erkeklere bağımlı, onlar tarafından kurtarılmayı bekleyen güzel kurbanlar olan daha pasif karakterlerdir. Ancak tüm dünyada gerçekleşen sosyal ve kültürel değerlerdeki değişimlere paralel olarak okurların beklentileri de zaman içinde değiştiği için bu stereotipler günümüzde artık geçerliliğini yitirmektedir. Bu değişimlerin bir sonucu olarak mevcut klasik masalların toplumsal cinsiyet kalıplarını ortadan kaldıracak ve yeni nesil okurların beklentilerini karşılayacak şekilde yeniden kurgulanması kaçınılmaz hale gelmiştir. Deborah Underwood, klasik ataerkil düzene karşı tepkiler üreterek cinsiyet rollerini değiştirdiği fütüristtik Yıldızlar Arası Sindirella kitabında klasik Sindirella masalını yeniden kurgulamıştır. Feminist masal eleştirisi ve toplumsal cinsiyet teorisinden yola çıkan bu çalışma, masalların yeniden inşasında değişen toplumsal cinsiyet rollerini eleştirel bir şekilde incelemektedir. Lieberman, Dworkin ve Beauvoir’ın feminist analizlerinden yola çıkan çalışma, geleneksel masalları çağdaş yeniden anlatımın okunduğu analitik temel olarak konumlandırmaktadır. Metinsel ve görsel inceleme yoluyla ele alınan bu çalışma, Yıldızlar Arası Sindirella’nın güzellik, edilgenlik ve evlilik etrafında kurulan toplumsal cinsiyet kalıplarına meydan okumak için geleneksel Sindirella motiflerini nasıl yeniden inşa ettiğini araştırmayı amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sindirella
• peri masalı
• cinsiyet steriotipleri
• toplumsal cinsiyet rolleri
• feminizm.

Kaynakça

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