Rewriting the romance: Emotion work and consent in arranged marriage fanfiction

Popova, Milena

Abstract

In this paper, I explore arranged marriage fanfiction stories as a space where marriage as an institution is challenged and alternative discourses around sexual consent in unequal intimate relationships are generated.

Fanfiction is amateur fiction based on existing media. Within fanfiction, the arranged marriage trope bears significant resemblance to the marriage of convenience romance novel trope. I argue that by focusing on relationships which involve disparities of social standing, arranged marriage fanfiction stories explore marriage as an institution which reproduces and amplifies inequalities. As a result, they cast marriage consummation - and sex within marriage generally - as an at least potentially coercive practice. Furthermore, while arranged marriage fanfiction stories retain some key elements of the romance genre, notably the Happily Ever After ending and the sex scene - often the marriage consummation - which doubles as the emotional climax, they make key changes to how the relationship between the main characters develops and particularly how the emotion work necessary to make the relationship work is divided between the partners. It is these changes which allow arranged marriage fanfiction stories to challenge dominant discourses of sexual consent within marriage and propose an alternative view of how consent within unequal relationships can be made meaningful.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 24, 2018
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Apr 25, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 1, 2018
• Journal: Journal of Popular Romance Studies
• Print ISSN: 2159-4473
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 7
• Keywords: fan fiction, fanfiction, emotion work, romance novels, sexual consent
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/865383
• Publisher URL: http://jprstudies.org/2018/07/rewriting-the-romance-emotion-work-and-consent-in-arranged-marriage-fanfictionby-milena-popova/
• Contract Date: Apr 25, 2018