In both the STARZ series, Outlander, created by Ronald D. Moore, and the original book by Diana Gabaldon, there is an examination of gender and sexual orientation as it relates to power. The protagonist, Claire, a WWII combat nurse that is magically transported to Scotland in 1743, finds herself alternately adjusting to and coming in conflict with a sexist and violent culture. This paper will examine the points at which she loses and gains power both within the Scottish Highlander society she finds herself in and in her relationship and subsequent arranged marriage (both to protect her and to serve the political ambitions of others) to Jamie Fraser. The TV show and the book pose numerous questions. Where is the line between love (to the point of abandoning one’s ego) and independence (to the point of harming someone else through the assertion of one’s own will)? Coupled with this exploration is the examination of sexual orientation through the villian, Black Jack Randall, who is portrayed as ruthless and cruel in the beginning of the story (resulting in two attempted rapes of Claire), but only truly twisted and pathologically sadistic once it’s revealed that he is gay and obsessed with possessing Jamie. Is there a level of homophobia in making Jack’s homosexuality a further damning component of his character? Or, was the intention to avoid the depiction of brutal violence against women by having the brutal violence in Jack’s character displayed through his torture and rape of a man, Jamie? Either way, Jack’s sexual orientation is integral to the depiction of his desire for complete domination of another human being. In summary, this paper will examine gender and sexual orientation within Outlander as it relates to power dynamics within the characters’ relationships and the society within which they are situated.
About the presenterYvonne Leach
Yvonne Leach is a tenured faculty member in the Cinema & Television Department at Drexel University and has been a program director, department head, and associate dean. She began as a filmmaker teaching production courses, but now she teaches primarily television studies courses. Her television scholarship focuses on television trends, story and production topics, as well as gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity. She co-authored Television Show Trends, 2016-2020: Authenticity, Diversity, Sexual Candor, and Retrospection.