Browsing by Author "O'Connor, Annika Margareta"

This thesis discusses the presence and role of gender in death personifications in works of contemporary fantasy literature. The works selected, Death by Neil Gaiman, Mort by Terry Pratchett, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, each depict Death as a person, employing gender identities of female, male, and undefined in their characterization of Death. Using theories of personification studies, thanatology and gender studies, this thesis examines the appearances, social titles, and actions of each personification to argue that gender plays a central role in perceptions of a character’s personhood and approachability. The more a personification conforms to their expected gender roles in any of the aforementioned ways, the more accessible and less intimidating they become, shaping the audience’s understanding of death by invoking their culturally primed preconceptions and familiar frames of reference. Utilising Jean Bocharova’s definition of cultural frames of reference, this thesis examines the highly socially dependent nature of personification, and the inextricable role gender still holds in perceptions of personhood, including the personification of abstract concepts as fictional characters. In the analysed works, gender is used to accentuate certain perceptions and interpretations of death and dying and is thus also used to modify audience expectations and impressions. Gendered actions further reveal the perpetuation of gender roles in society, leading to a reminder of the ultimately socially contractual nature of gender and gender roles, even when it comes to personifying abstract concepts. With an increase in open gender nonconformity and the questioning of gender roles, it is crucial to acknowledge and discuss the prominent role gender and gendered attributes play in fiction, even in personifications of an abstract concept. By examining these features, it is possible to address the significance gender is given as a storytelling device that is used to set expectations and convey information.