I want him to hold me, but I’m afraid to ask: the objective correlative and the souvenir as representational narrative devices of queer male intimacy
- Authors: Ferreira, Evaan Jason
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Sexual minorities in art , Sexual minority culture , Intimacy (Psychology) , Sexual minorities in motion pictures , Intimacy (Psychology) in motion pictures , Homosexuality and motion pictures , Motion pictures Study and teaching , New media art , Nostalgia , Souvenirs (Keepsakes) , Gay men , Queer male intimacy , Objective correlative
- Language: English
- Type: Master's thesis , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/232556 , vital:50002
- Description: This thesis centres itself around an investigation into the representations of the relationship between intimacies and ideas of romance, love, desire, and vulnerability in male relationships. The premise for this body of work was sparked by my own observations on the conflation of sex and intimacy in representations of queer male love—particularly (but not exclusively) in mainstream film and media. Whilst intimacy and sex are not unrelated, the over-emphasis on the physical when trying to represent the connection between two men led me to consider other ways in which a relationship or special connection could be gestured towards — through other kinds of signifiers that last longer than physical contact and point to the importance of a particular connection. In the introduction, I consider my own experiences as a closeted queer teen when contemplating representations of queer relationships in mainstream media. I explore several studies by gender and film theorists who consider reasons and modes in which the representations of queer intimacies on-screen are distorted to favour a presumed heterosexual audience. In the first chapter, I discuss two potential means by which to relay a more complex emotional state via the use of narrative signifiers. I examine T.S. Eliot's (1919) theory on the objective correlative in narratives as a means to explore the emotional state of a character through metaphors which open up the reading rather than illustrating it through dialogue or direct speech. I then explore Susan Stewart's (1992) ideas on souvenirs of personal experience. In Chapter Two, I conduct a close reading of three mainstream films, which employ such signifiers in the attempt to share more complex representations of queer male intimacies through well-developed storylines and characters. The films Brokeback Mountain (2006), Moonlight (2016), and Call Me by Your Name (2017) have been selected based on their use of the objective correlative and souvenirs as plot devices (rather than exclusively physical intimacy) to demonstrate the emotional resonance between characters. The third and final chapter explores my own use of objective correlatives and souvenirs as symbolic, narrative devices in my practical body of work: an online garden of remembrance. My practical work focuses largely on the process of creation of these intimacy objects (the objective correlative or the souvenir) through an investigation into my own poetry, which details my experiences of intimacies with other men, specifically where vulnerability and secrecy played a large role. , Thesis (MFA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Fine Arts, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04
Young adults' experiences of romantic love relationships in virtual space
- Authors: Lambert, Tania
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Online dating , Intimacy (Psychology) , Young adults
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7577 , vital:21930
- Description: The arena for finding an intimate partner has changed significantly in the 21st century with online love relationships becoming more prevalent. Research indicates that individuals do experience meaningful online romantic love relationships and that these relationships often lead to face to face (FTF) relationships. However, limited research has been done on exploring the experiences of those who are/were involved in online romantic love relationships. Furthermore, research conducted on online love romantic relationships generally fails to investigate how people experience passion online, hereby ignoring this integral component of romantic love. The primary aim of the research study was to explore young adults’ experiences of romantic love relationships in virtual space. More specifically, the study explored how young adults experienced intimacy and passion as elements of romantic love online. The study was viewed from an interpretative paradigm and made use of a qualitative approach. The researcher conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with seven participants which were transcribed, and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four superordinate themes were identified, namely, Online Intimacy, Online Romance and Passion, Online Love, and Social Exchange Online. The participants experienced romantic love online and reported that these relationships were very significant, real and impacted on their psychological well-being. The study created a heuristic base that will provide impetus for this emerging field in research.
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- Date Issued: 2017
Intimacy in romantic relationships during young adulthood: the role of the mother-daughter relationship
- Authors: Addinall, Elizabeth Liezl
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Intimacy (Psychology) , Parent and child , Mothers and daughters
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (C Psy)
- Identifier: vital:11850 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/160 , Intimacy (Psychology) , Parent and child , Mothers and daughters
- Description: This study addressed the role of the mother-daughter relationship on the daughter‟s development of the capacity for intimacy with a romantic partner. The objective of this study was to examine whether separateness in mother-daughter interactions was related to romantic intimacy (sexual and non-sexual intimacy) in romantic relationships. The following instruments were used: 1) Socio-demographic questionnaire; 2) Competence in Mother-Daughter Relationship Questionnaire (ICQ-M) and 3) Personal Assessment of Intimacy Questionnaire (PAIR). 179 adolescent female university students participated in this study most of who were between the ages of 20 and 24. The results indicated that a positive relationship existed between separateness and sexual intimacy (r=.688, p<.01) as well as separateness and non-sexual intimacy (r=.598, p<.01). A positive relationship between connectedness and non-sexual intimacy (r=.468, p<.01) was also observed, however no correlation was observed between connectedness and sexual intimacy. These findings indicate that separateness in mother-daughter interactions has a definite effect on the different dimensions of romantic intimacy. Therefore, late adolescent women who possess the ability to assert themselves and express differences between themselves and their mothers are not as apprehensive as their peers when it comes to romantic intimacy with a partner.
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- Date Issued: 2008