The Queen's Gambit seen through fanart and feminism: Creating a new visual identity in today's cultural climate

Abstract

Denne oppgaven utforsker forholdet mellom Walter Tevis' roman The Queen's Gambit og den nye Netflix-filmatiseringen av fortellingen, og stiller spørsmål ved hvordan Netflixs serie har blitt så populær siden utgivningsdatoen i 2020. Et argument er at serien har utviklet en ny visuell identitet til historien. I forbindelse med dette er fanart (fan-kunst) brukt som utgangspunkt for å vise hva som er viktig i seriens visuelle uttrykk. At hovedpersonen, Beth, er i sentrum av all fanarten, antyder at publikum har respondert godt til en tøff kvinnelig karakter. Andre medvirkende faktorer til seriens popularitet er diskutert, slik som et serieformat, teknologisk utvikling og usynlig filmatisering. Til tross for populariteten har feministisk kritikk problematisert den mannlige innflytelsen på serien. Tesen spør: hva gjør denne nye visuelle identiteten mulig, og hvordan er dette problematisk gjennom et feministisk standpunkt.

This thesis seeks to explore the relationship between Walter Tevis’s novel The Queen’s Gambit and the recent Netflix mini-series adaptation of the story and pursues the question of how the Netflix series gained such popularity since its 2020-release. One argument explored is that the series has developed a new visual identity for the story. In conjunction with this, fanart is used as a point of departure to show what is emphasized in in the series’ visual expression. The fanart suggests that having a strong female character has been a success as the protagonist, Beth, is depicted in almost all the fanart. Other contributing factors to the success, such as the series format, technologic advancement and a hidden adaptation is also discussed. Despite its success, feministic critique of the series points to the male gaze affecting the series’ expression and apparent feminist message. The text asks: what makes this new visual identity possible, and at what cost is it made, in a feminist point of view? A new visual identity expressed through fanart, feminism, technological advancement, and a series format all suggest an answer to the former question. The latter question proposes that Hollywood still has a long way to go in terms of telling authentic feminist stories, but that series’ such as The Queen’s Gambit are necessary to further shape the cultural climate.