"The punchline to a sad joke about female agency"
7 Days in the Orange Verse #23
Hello Zesties,
I’m currently writing a series of poems about violence against women on the screen. Lighthearted, I know! Here are some interesting phrases and tropes I’ve learned this week.
1 Cold Open
A scene that plays out before the opening credits that sets the tone of the TV episode. It gets the audience straight into the plot so they are immediately involved in the story. In crime drama, you’re probably witnessing the murder that the rest of the episode will try to solve. [Wiki]
2 Women in Refrigerators AKA Fridging
A plot device, often in comic books/superhero movies, whereby the antagonist murders/maims the superhero’s girlfriend, thus, sparking his desire for revenge. Termed ‘fridging’ by Gail Simone after Major Force murders Green Lantern’s girlfriend and stuffs her in a fridge. [Wiki]
3 The Last Girl
Think Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween and Neve Campbell in Scream - these ladies survive the killer. Seems feminist but in reality, it’s underhand slut-shaming. Lily O’Farrell (Vulga Drawings) gives a wonderful breakdown:
4 I’m Going to Coin a New Word
I want there to be a word for when you recognise either a real or fictional crime scene on TV. I’ve asked the internet, and I’ve asked a friend who has written papers on TV detective shows, and the closest we’ve come up with is the uncanny and defamiliarisation. Both of these words are great but they do not include the aspect of seeing it through a screen. Now, I’ll have to make the word up.
5 Poem
The Women Who Walk Us Home
~ Kate Baer
6 Quote
“more or less the last thing Emma Stone [as Gwen Stacy] does before she quite literally flounces off to meet her doom is snit, "Nobody makes my decisions for me, nobody! This is my choice. Mine." ... [S]omeone chose to give her those words. ... To make those powerful words the punchline to a sad joke about female agency.”
~ Catherynne M. Valente
7 Prompt
Write a poem using one of the tropes above.
Think, the call is coming from inside the house, or write your own cold open.
Have a wonderful week creating.
Lots of love,
Lorna 🍊