The Blog of all Blogs
- Charlotte Rose Troy
- Apr 17, 2023
- 13 min read
Welcome back to the home of unoriginal thoughts. Today's blog is going to be a little different from the norm. For those who have been reading faithfully (I assume you all do), you know that this blog site is a requirement for my MA course. It was a tool to help with our editing and writing skills and also for tracking our research interests. This is the villain origin story of "The Unoriginal Thinker"- a site of pure unoriginal nonsense. So much time has passed since my very first post. As a writer as well as a student, I feel like I have really come into my own; my ability to write for academic and entertainment pieces, researching skills, and making information more accessible. So, let's roll back the years (technically a year cause it started in 2022 so don't try correcting me), and look at some of the blog highlights.
I have also categorized myself as a strictly feminist literary critic. My interests in film and literature have always focused on the perception of female characters as well as the discussion of the female condition. I never thought of seeing my issue with the perception of female characters in a more-wider context. I find a real problem in literature and film is the use of tropes. The reduction of characters to one-dimensional beings and to not give any greater insight into their character traits. It's very easy to have an issue with tropes but I wanted to give a very specific example for a blog post. I find it's usually more manageable rather than trying to connect a variety of different tropes under one blog post. This was first addressed in my first-ever blog post. My firstborn; "Anti-Heroes and Why We Love Them." In my discussion of the anti-hero I was very concerned about the previous glorification of traditional heroic figures;
"The past heroes have an admirable moral compass but one that leaves their audience deflated by their own lack of moral strength. However, the strength that these heroes exhibit is improbable, and not at all realistic. Heroes are created to be god-like and worshipped."
"Anti-Heroes and Why we Love Them" Charlotte Troy. 7 December 2022.
Initially, I did not feel that this post was going to be my first stepping stone toward deciding my thesis topic. I was more excited to post my first blog. Looking back though, I can see a clear connection. This post made me realise my own deeper interest in the representation of complex characters and the study of tropes.
I was not certain if this topic was going to be something I would like to continue with but I found that I did. My next post that followed was "Anti-Heroes of Novels and Films." As my first post focused on the appeal behind anti-heroic characters, I wanted to list some of my own personal favourites. While these characters are not necessarily morally good characters, I found myself again defending them for their poor representation. It was interesting to me that characters such as Carrie White (Carrie), Lisbeth Salander (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Rochelle (The Craft) had their identity so easily consumed by the outward perception of them. I found that none of these women really had strong control of the narrative of their lives. Without control of their narrative, certain anti-heroes are often pushed into taking more impulsive actions to be both seen and heard.
'Once Carrie had been able to access a deep power within her, it is not surprising to her audience that she lacks any sense of remorse or pity for those who had tormented her; "[i]t was time to teach them a lesson. Time to show them a thing or two" (King 138).'
"Anti-Heroes of Novels and Films" Charlotte Troy. 7 December 2022.
Figure 1. Joseph Taylor as Mr. Rochester and
Marianna Rodrigues as Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre.
Performed at The Lowry, Salford, March 23, 2018.
Photo taken by Emma Kauldhar.
It is quite ironic looking back now that a character I felt very defensive over was Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre. My original analysis of him was largely influenced by my earliest memories of Mr. Rochester on the BBC. He was painted as a dark, brooding male who was simply misunderstood. Despite his odd mannerisms, he truly cared for Jane Eyre and appreciated her. I felt that Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester were star-crossed lovers who were incapable of being together due to Bertha Mason.
"He betrayed Jane Eyre's trust and loyalty in his attempts to make her his supposed wife in a sham marriage. This ill-advised decision though does not present Mr. Rochester as a villain but as a man who was desperately in love and attempting to keep a hold of the woman he truly loved."
"Anti-Heroes and Why we Love Them." Charlotte Troy. 7 Decmember, 2022.
My original assessment of Mr. Rochester though was quite dismissive towards Bertha Mason. By not addressing his treatment of Bertha Mason as a larger issue, I treated her merely as an antagonistic plot-device. After having time to reconsider Mr. Rochester as a character, I found myself much more invested in his relationship with Bertha Mason. I did not know it at the time, but this was an element of my earliest blog post that would develop into a significant aspect of my MA Thesis.
At this point, the blog itself is seen to be branching out. I decided to do a review of the movie Prey 2022 as an attempt to revamp 'The Final Girl' trope. Once more, my work demonstrates a fixation on character presentation and the usage of tropes. In comparison to my two previous posts, I felt slightly stronger in writing this post. As I have previously mentioned about most of my research interests being centred on feminist literary criticism, I was more confident in writing on this particular subject. It was more familiar and allowed me to tap into my own knowledge. This was really the blog post that made me look at the Contemporary Research Module in a different light: blogs are not just for relaying information but offer an opportunity to really discuss our own passions.
I would like to emphasise that this post was not my firstborn but maybe my favourite child. Every parent has a favourite and I am really no different. My main concern for the post itself was trying to unpack some of the harmful gender connotations that I found associated with 'The Final Girl' Trope. In my opinion, which is not that original, the trope itself works on establishing a clear definition of deserving feminity. Certain women deserve to live more than others. This is largely due to their ability to abide by societal norms of womanhood and for performing their gender appropriately.
As I had stated in the original post, "'The Final Girl' should appeal to her female audience but instead, she inevitably reaffirms patriarchal ideals of femininity."
"The Final Girl Evolution- an actual feminist icon." Charlotte Troy. 7 December, 2022.
Figure 2. Slut walk in New York City, October 1, 2011.
Taken by David Shankbone.
The concept that there is a correct version of womanhood that should be rewarded in films and literature seemed really problematic to me. The message that was promoted echoed a similar mindset that has always been used to explain the mistreatment of women. Well "she was asking for it", right? In the world of horror films and in our actual reality, this has been constantly used against women. These apparent terms & conditions that we all agree to guarantee our safekeeping and our ability to be respected. It cannot be simply accepted that "sexual women get killed and only pure women survive" (Cowan & O'Brien 194).
Another aspect of the trope is the reliance on whiteness. Women of colour were excluded from being the last woman standing. I also found it quite confusing but very interesting the intersectionality presented in racial and gender identity. This is an aspect of my research that I would eventually address in the early drafts of my MA Thesis as well as later blog posts.
Like a dog with a bone, I could not let go of this idealized version of feminity. I decided to move past from the obvious horror and slasher film franchise and present it as a more ethical issue. I wanted to see the lengths to which the media found it acceptable to promote an ideal of womanhood. Following on from this, I also wanted to comment on the ways in which films and literature often exploit these virtues. This led to the idea of tackling the usage of rape-revenge narratives in films and novels. Similarly to 'The Final Girl' trope, I often felt that rape-revenge narratives are improperly exploited. It presents itself as another form of 'Girl Power' allowing for a victim of sexual assault to reclaim her identity and exact gruesome revenge on those who had wronged her.
"Is this too much? Exploitation vs Liberation in Rape-Revenge Narratives", attempted to delve into these difficult matters. In a similar vein, to my post about 'The Final Girl' trope, I discussed the ideas of virtues and female sexuality. Once more, a woman's entitlement to justice is directly linked to her ability to remain virtuous. It must be made quite clear to the audience that the victim is a true victim. There can be no doubt that her own behavior or actions resulted in her rape. In simple terms, the victim must have done everything right to be seen as deserving of vengeance, "she must be sober, chaste and most of the time, also white and hetrosex" (Pâquet 386). These films and novels are of course fiction. This does not automatically undo the clear implications being made about the treatment of women. While this did not directly apply to my own research, it allowed me to see the stereotyping of women in a very real and dangerous reality. Women are subjected to a very strict code of gendered behaviour and find that their image is often consumed by this. It is also quite concerning that their bodies much like their identity are seen to be transformed by the crime of rape itself.
"This sense of distance along with the hyper fixation on the body of the victim creates confusion within the narrative. Her body has clearly been defiled but the transition from an innocent body to a transformed body is often eroticized."
"Is this too much? Exploitation vs Liberation in Rape-Revenge Narratives." Charlotte Troy. 11 January, 2023.
Figure 3. Vintage Victorian Fashion Plate
No. 1. Ladies Magazine, January 1886.
My blog posts do show a preoccupation with the role of gender and female identity. At this point in my blogging, I wanted to explore my interests with a direct connection to my MA Thesis. Prior to writing "What is in a name? Warped sense of self and identity in Wide Sargasso Sea", my course had a very informal session with Lee Jenkins about our thesis topics. It was slightly scary, as this was the first time we had really been asked to give some of our earliest, embryonic ideas for a thesis. I knew already that I was interested in governess literature from my undergraduate degree. Most of my interaction with this genre was from a historic perspective, trying to better understand the societal perception of the governess figure. From this, I began to think about governess heroines in literature such as Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre and Miss Jessel from The Turn of the Screw. The comparative study though did not really click between these two women. Instead, I found Bertha Mason and Miss Jessel to have much more in common.
The following week I had an informal meeting with Lee Jenkins herself, who suggested that the inclusion of some adaptations might strengthen this comparative. As my interest was mainly in the inability of women to control their own narrative and outward perception I wanted to discuss novels such as Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I felt that as an adaptation it engaged with the character of Bertha Mason very well. She was no longer the 'mad woman in the attic' but a sad little Creole girl who desperately tried to belong. Perhaps if there was more concern for her life as a white Creole girl, she would seem less frightening as a villain.
"Her existence itself largely depends on uncertainty as her ethnicity and heritage operate in between two opposing binaries the native who worked on the plantations and the English who exploit their work from overseas. Antoinette cannot depend on either binary to wholly claim her as their own."
"What is in a name? Warped sense of self and identity in Wide Sargasso Sea." Charlotte Troy. 17 February, 2023.
This reworking of the identity of Bertha Mason and the suggestion that she had a different name always fascinated me. It really made me consider the unreliability of narrators such as Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre as well as the narration. This ambiguity surrounding her identity would soon become a focal point of my MA Thesis.
This concept of ambiguity appears differently in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Rather than dealing with confusion about racial identity, the real ambivalence lies in the existence of Miss Jessel and Peter Quint. It is never confirmed by James whether the ghosts are haunting Bly Manor or if the governess has simply gone mad. This has not prevented critics from trying to give a correct reading of the novella. This was indirectly discussed in my post on "Wikipedia Editing." As a part of my Contemporary Research module, I was required to find an article on Wikipedia or a couple of articles to edit, The edits could be as simple as making the language more accessible. However, I decided to use this opportunity to incorporate some of my thesis research into the Wikipedia article on The Turn of the Screw.
I decided to include a section on the concept of 'Ambiguity' in the Wikipedia entry. I felt that the element of ambiguity in the novella itself was dismissed within the original entry. The article did highlight the varying perspectives of scholarly critics and their interpretation of the novella. I found that these different opinions all focused on the idea of a "correct reading." It is suggested by many critics that James does give the answer within the novella on the existence of ghosts. By implying there is a correct version of the novella, I feel that this downplays the creation of ambiguity within this text.
"Thus, ignoring the possibility that the author himself had no correct interpretation in mind and that it was his intention that the novella remains ambiguous. The novella itself though cannot be truly categorised as ambiguous, if a possibility remains that there is a “correct reading.”
"Wikipedia Editing." Charlotte Troy. 1 March, 2023.
Previously, my blogging style was much more subject-based. The purpose of these posts was to relay information in an accessible format and to keep the tone light-hearted and engaging. This was my first post where I felt I was really forced to do some self-reflection. It really gave me an opportunity to examine my editing and writing skills. I tried to remain as neutral as possible in my assessment. Obviously, I did not want to spend the blog post inflating my own ego. However, I did not want to be too hard on myself. I had been given a chance to look at my writing and find ways in which I could improve. Being able to critique one's own work is a transferrable skill outside the world of academia. I was excited to really look at my work through a different lens.
"If I had to criticise an element of my work, I would perhaps have introduced a secondary literary critic besides Shlomith Rimmon-Kenan. Although I stand by my choice to make her findings a focal point to the framing of my argument, I can see that a further opinion would have strengthened my argument."
"Wikipedia Editing." Charlotte Troy. 1 March, 2023.
There is another post that I would like to discuss in relation to my journey on this blog. The reason for its significance is its connection to my MA Thesis topic. This would be one of my most recent posts "Mini-Conference Mayhem." For those that are not familiar with this post (cough, cough, read it), it outlines my first presentation in an academic setting. The Mini-Conference is arranged by the English Department at UCC and gives a platform to postgraduate students. Some speakers prefer to discuss their own personal literary interests. I opted to use this conference as an opportunity to further discuss my MA Thesis. The title of my presentation had been decided "Voiceless Villains: Similarities in the 'Otherings' of Bertha Mason and Miss Jessel."
"It's great to get some hands-on experience with organizing and participating in such an event. I cannot pretend that I was not a little anxious about the event because of my mortal enemy. Pecha Kucha, that demon."
"Mini Conference Mayhem." Charlotte Troy. 10 April 2023.
Writing this post was quite nerve-wracking as the mini-conference had just taken place. There is something quite difficult about trying to do a self-evaluation on an assignment before you had received your grade. I was convinced any praise I had rewarded myself would become instant karma. Once more, I was glad to get an opportunity to assess myself as not just a researcher but as a public speaker. I feel that there is a sense of irony that I am concerned with my outward perception given the conference topic.
After writing about my experience at Textualities 2023, I also wrote about my Thesis Presentation a couple of days prior. The importance of this post was the clear outlining of my thesis topic and making it somewhat presentable. While my blog entries do vary from personal experience to entertainment and self-reflective pieces, this is the first piece that gave an insight into the creative process of academic writing. It was quite bitter-sweet to write the blog post itself and to recall the difficulty in selecting a topic of interest.
"I cannot pretend that coming up with a thesis topic was easy. At all. Like many other students, I was convinced since September that I knew what I would be studying. I had it all planned out. I believed that I would be analyzing rape-revenge narratives in literature and films."
"Thesis Presentation." Charlotte Troy. 17 April, 2023.
Well, that is the blog portfolio. The highs and lows of my blogging career. I am glad to say there have been more highs than anything else. Looking back on these different posts, I am quite amazed that I actually wrote all these posts. I am not saying that they are masterpieces of literature (although if anyone wants to publish my works in a biography on my life, contact me), but they show how far I have come in my academic writing. I went from someone who was quite uncertain regarding what I wanted to discuss, and how I wanted to write, and found my voice as a writer. It also introduced me to the new realities of academic writing in the world of online platforms. I learned the usage of GIFS, images, making soundtracks for my blogs and so much more. I cannot promise that I will upload regularly on this platform but I am certain this is not the end of 'The Unoriginal Thinker.'
Until next time,
there will be a next time,
Stay, Unoriginal.
Works Cited:
Cowan, G. & O'Brien, M. "Gender and survival vs death in slasher films: A content analysis." Sex Roles, vol. 23, 1990, pp.187-196.
Pâquet, Lili. "The Corporeal Female Body In Literary Rape-Revenge: Shame, Violence, and Scriptotherapy." Australian Feminist Studies, vol. 33, 2018, pp.384-99.
Troy, Charlotte. "Anti-Heroes and Why we Love Them." December 7, 2022. https://119357256.wixsite.com/the-unoriginal-think/post/anti-heroes-and-why-we-love-them
Troy, Charlotte. "Anti-Heroes of Novels and Films." December 7, 2022. https://119357256.wixsite.com/the-unoriginal-think/post/anti-heroes-of-novels-and-films
Troy, Charlotte. "The Final Girl Evolution- an actual feminist icon." December 7, 2022. https://119357256.wixsite.com/the-unoriginal-think/post/the-final-girl-evolution-an-actual-feminist-icon
Troy, Charlotte. "Is this too much? Exploitation vs Liberation in Rape- Revenge Narratives." January 11, 2023. https://119357256.wixsite.com/the-unoriginal-think/post/is-this-too-much-exploitation-vs-liberation-in-rape-revenge-narratives
Troy, Charlotte. "What is in a name? Warped sense of self and identity in Wide Sargasso Sea." February 17, 2023. https://119357256.wixsite.com/the-unoriginal-think/post/what-is-in-a-name-warped-sense-of-self-and-identity-in-wide-sargasso-sea
Troy, Charlotte. "Wikipedia Editing." March 1, 2023. https://119357256.wixsite.com/the-unoriginal-think/post/wikipedia-editinghttps://119357256.wixsite.com/the-unoriginal-think/post/wikipedia-editing
Troy, Charlotte. "Mini-Conference Mayhem." April 10, 2023. https://119357256.wixsite.com/the-unoriginal-think/post/mini-conference-mayhem
Troy, Charlotte. "Thesis Presentation," April 17, 2023. https://119357256.wixsite.com/the-unoriginal-think/post/thesis-presentation
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