[Commlist] New Book: Straight Korean Female Fans and Their Gay Fantasies

Straight Korean Female Fans and Their Gay Fantasies

(University of Iowa Press, 2019)


Description

This book is about ardent Korean female fans of gay representation in 
the media, their status in contemporary Korean society, their 
relationship with other groups such as the gay population, and, above 
all, their contribution to reshaping the Korean media’s portrayal of gay 
people. Jungmin Kwon names the Korean female fandom for gay portrayals 
as “FANtasy” subculture, and argues that it adds to the present 
visibility of the gay body in Korean mainstream media, thus helping to 
change the public’s perspective toward sexually marginalized groups.

The FANtasy subculture started forming around text-based media, such as 
yaoi, fan fiction, and U.S. gay-themed dramas (like Will & Grace), and 
has been influenced by diverse social, political, and economic 
conditions, such as the democratization of Korea, an open policy toward 
foreign media products, the diffusion of consumerism, government 
investment in the culture, the Hollywoodization of the film industry, 
and the popularity of Korean culture abroad. While much scholarly 
attention has been paid to female fandom for homoerotic cultural texts 
in many countries, this book seeks to explore a relatively neglected 
aspect of the subculture: its location in and influence on Korean 
society at large.


Reviews

“This is the first book-length treatment of Korean women’s engagement 
with transnational fandom. The author makes innovative arguments that 
help us understand women’s changing roles in Korean society, the growing 
significance of female consumers for the Korean culture industries, and 
women’s interest in and support for queer issues and identities that are 
transforming Korean genderscapes.”—Mark McLelland, author, Male 
Homosexuality in Modern Japan: Cultural Myths and Social Realities.

“Straight Korean Female Fans and Their Gay Fantasies is a vital 
contribution to the fields of fan and audience studies. Jungmin Kwon 
writes with a clear and purposeful personal voice, demonstrating the 
value of the situated fan-scholar perspective. Thoughtful, engaging, and 
thought-provoking, this book is a pleasure to read.”—Louisa Ellen Stein, 
author, Millennial Fandom: Television Audiences in the Transmedia 
Age(Iowa, 2015)


Table of Contents

  *

    Acknowledgments

  *

    Introduction

  *

    Chapter 1: Girl Fans Queered

  *

    Chapter 2: Fans Empowered

  *

    Chapter 3: FANtasy Mainstreamed

  *

    Chapter 4: FANtasy Cinematized

  *

    Chapter 5: FANtasy Bridged

  *

    Conclusion

  *

    References

  *

    Index


About the Author

Jungmin Kwon is Assistant Professor of digital culture and film studies 
in the School of Film at Portland State University.


Order

  *

    University of Iowa Press

<https://www.uipress.uiowa.edu/books/9781609386214/straight-korean-female-fans-and-their-gay-fantasies>

  *

    Amazon

<https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Korean-Female-Their-Fantasies/dp/1609386213/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=jungmin+kwon&qid=1552935541&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull>


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