Thesis

Romancing the beast : intersections of power, gender, and sexuality in Omegaverse fan fiction

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2022
Thesis identifier
  • T16361
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 201866844
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • In this thesis, I argue that the Omegaverse genre of fan fiction often critiques existing systems of cis-hetero-patriarchy which shapes much of the Western society readers and writers in the Omegaverse community confront on a daily basis. This thesis explores the many fascinating and curious elements of Omegaverse fan fiction - discerning the ways in which it can offer critique for concepts encompassed by Western constructs of gender, sexuality, and hierarchies of social power. I argue that tropes borrowed from previous genre fiction, such as romance novels and monster media, provide the Omegaverse with conventions that it often uses to suspend traditional gender binaries, explore boundaries of sexual consent, and find pleasure in fantasies that explore dynamics of power that are more cyclical and reciprocal than many power structures in reality. The original contribution of this work is informed by the tropes and dynamics of the Omegaverse and how they can be read to interact with live and emerging issues through hyperbolic, sex-forward world-building. The genre has previously been theorized as a tool to uncritically reinforce structures of cis-hetero-patriarchy into the otherwise queerly positioned realm of fan fiction. However, I argue that the genre has grown to critique these institutions through explorations of queer potentialities. Using the animalistic fantasy elements of the genre, the Omegaverse can be read to prompt dialogues between status and power. This thesis makes the subtleties of these dialogues explicit and argues that they support an interpretation of the genre as queerly positioned.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Mahn, Churnjeet
  • Blair, Kirstie
Resource Type
DOI

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