The challenge of sustaining critique across time and texts: “I never said that” about The Hunger Games
Keywords:
The Hunger Games, masculinity, femininity, popular mediaAbstract
Abstract: This article analyzes how a group of preadolescent girls responded to the novel and film, The Hunger Games (2008; 2012) as explored throughout a series of discussion group sessions. While providing more nuanced interpretations of gender as represented in the novel, the girls were more accepting of normalized heteronormative gender performances in the film adaptation. We argue that these texts simultaneously challenge and reproduce dominant gendered and heteronormative ideas and for the importance of providing all learners with spaces for critical discussion of popular culture texts.
Résumé
Cet article analyse la façon dont un groupe de pré-adolescentes ont réagi au roman et au film The Hunger Games (2008-2012) par une série de discussions en groupe. Bien qu’elles aient des interprétations plus nuancées du genre représenté dans le roman, les jeunes filles acceptaient plus facilement les performances hétéronormatives normalisées selon le genre dans l’adaptation cinématographique. Nous faisons valoir que ces textes remettent en question et reproduisent, simultanément, les idées dominantes hétéronormatives basées sur le genre, ainsi que l’importance d’offrir à tous les apprenants un endroit où ils peuvent discuter de façon critique les textes de la culture populaire.
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