Masculine constructions: A comparison of Roald Dahl's novel and the film adaptation of fantastic Mr. Fox

Mauliddhia Cinta Kyrana, Dhita Hapsarani

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Roald Dahl's novel Fantastic Mr. Fox tells the story of a Mr. Fox who attempts to save his family and community from the farmers who threaten them. When director Wes Anderson adapted the novel into a stop-motion animated film, he presented a different version of Fantastic Mr. Fox, particularly in its construction of masculinity. Dahl expresses dominant masculinity using the character of Mr. Fox, whereas Anderson's presentation is a more diverse portrayal of masculinity using the characters of Mr. Fox, Ash, and Kristofferson. The objective of this research is to reveal the way masculinity is represented and constructed in both book and film works using qualitative research and textual analysis as research methods, as well as the concepts of masculinity developed by Connell and Kimmel as the theoretical framework. The primary finding of this research can be witnessed in the portrayal of gender stereotypes, which centralize on different types of masculine construction. The constructions are presented through the development of characters and plot in the film adaptation as compared with the novel. Furthermore, negotiation of dominant masculinity is seen in the film adaptation.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProblematising Representation in Popular Culture
PublisherNova Science Publishers, Inc.
Pages113-123
Number of pages11
ISBN (Print)9781536179583
Publication statusPublished - 26 Jun 2020

Keywords

  • Children's literature
  • Gender representation
  • Gender stereotypes
  • Masculinity

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