Gabrielle and Xena from Xena: Warrior Princess (Renaissance Pictures)
Margaret Rasberry: When did you first hear about Film Matters?
Emma C. Farrell: I first heard about Film Matters when I was an exchange student at the University of Kansas. My professor for Television Studies announced in class that the magazine was at that time looking for students to submit papers on the topic of fandom – a subject which I have always been very passionate about, both as an active member of many fan communities myself and as a scholar. Since I am originally from Scotland, I must admit that I had never heard of Film Matters before, so I was very keen to learn more. From hearing my professor describe the magazine further to me and how it has engaged with the film studies community and celebrated the work of undergraduate film scholars, I knew that submitting a paper to the magazine and having it potentially published would be a wonderful and life-changing opportunity.
MR: What inspired your article and how did you submit it to Film Matters?
ECF: Xena: Warrior Princess has always intrigued me, both as an active fan of the show and from a theoretical perspective. Since I was a teenager, I have been a huge fan of the program and for many years I have been actively involved in “subtexter” and slash fiction online fan communities not only devoted to the shipping of characters Xena/Gabrielle, but to a variety of pairings and its associated shows. In addition to this, I am a keen academic and student of studies relating to gender, queer theory, and audience reception, having always been interested in how audiences both read and actively interpret certain media texts. With the topic of submission for Film Matters being on fandom, this was the first time I had been presented with the opportunity to write about Xena, its fan communities, and the subtext between Xena and Gabrielle both from a personal and academic point of view. From my own experiences as a “subtexter,” I remember that fandoms devoted to the Xena/Gabrielle pairing and subtextual interpretation were often considered as “out there” or inherently “queer” compared to more mainstream forms of Xena fandom. I wanted to show in my article that “subtext” fandom should not be considered as something that is “out there” or entirely “oppositional,” but is, rather, accounted for in the text and that the show lends itself to multiple and subtextual readings which leave open a variety of interpretive possibilities.
After hearing about Film Matters and the call for papers, I submitted my article to Professor John Tibbetts who was on the panel for selecting which articles would be put through for publication in the magazine. He replied with good feedback on the paper, even inviting me to talk further about it over a cup of coffee, and it was from there that I was fortunate enough to have it accepted for publication.
MR: How did getting published impact your life?
ECF: Getting published in Film Matters has had a tremendous impact on my professional and academic life. It has not only boosted my self-confidence as an aspiring academic writer and theorist, but has further made available so many opportunities which may have not been there had I not been published. When I returned to my home university in Scotland following my semester on exchange in Kansas, many of my professors had taken notice of the fact that I was published in Film Matters, with it contributing to my fortunate winning of the 2013 University of Stirling prize for most outstanding undergraduate student for media and communications studies. The inclusion of my publication in both CVs for jobs and my application for postgraduate study has also not only helped to set myself apart in many ways from other students, it has also been commented and looked upon by interviewers favorably and has resulted in me being successfully selected for work experience opportunities in the media as well as being selected for postgraduate study.
MR: What sort of feedback did you get on your article?
ECF: Since getting my paper published, I have received all kinds of feedback, not only from my professors, but also from fans, which I am fortunate enough to say has been overall very positive. Many of my fellow fans have been very kind and supportive, commenting on much of my views of “subtexter” fandom, with some opening up discussion boards around the topic which was both interesting to see and truly rewarding to be a part of. I have also received great feedback from my professors and fellow academics both in Kansas and back home who, after reading the paper, recommended that I pursue both a career in academia and postgraduate study not only in film, but also in gender and sexuality studies. It was after having the paper published, combined with the feedback I received, that I decided not only to focus much of my studies on fandom, queer theory and cultural studies, but also to pursue a Master’s in Gender Studies.
MR: Do you feel that there are more shows that follow the example of Xena and idea of shipping characters of the same sex together now more than ever? Or is it mostly the same?
ECF: In a sense, I do believe that there are more television shows and films today which follow the examples of previous shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess and incorporate or play around with a homoerotic subtext between certain pairs of characters, mainly if within the narrative they are depicted as having a particular kind of close or intense relationship which leaves open the possibility of homosexual readings for viewers. However, I do think that this has fallen more in conjunction with the fact that slash fiction and “subtext” fandom has become in recent years an increasingly more recognized part of popular culture. An interesting example of this would be Supernatural which has a major slash fiction fan base devoted to shipping brothers Sam/ Dean Winchester (as well as other notable characters), calling it “Wincest.” Supernatural became the first network television show to directly address slash fiction within the canon when both characters Sam and Dean find the “Wincest” fan community online, addressing it (jokingly) as “sick.” I think this really emphasizes that show writers and makers are recognizing the growing popularity of slash fandom and are choosing to incorporate homoerotic undertones or subtext into their program in order to attract a wider fan base and to leave open all sorts of interpretive possibilities for viewers. Having said that, however, I do feel that much of slash fandom is still being replicated to “oppositional” realms, or as something that is considered inherently “queer,” which is particularly highlighted by the example of Supernatural,suggesting it as something (albeit tongue-in-cheek) “sick” or strange, which, I would argue, should not be the case.
Author Biography
Margaret Rasberry is a Film Studies major at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
