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This paper is a qualitative study of signs and associations that seemingly communicate the influence of film tropes on female character design in video games. It analyzes and correlates the visual attributes and characteristics of the League of Legends character Zeri with the traditional attributes and trends of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG) film trope, and applies theories within women’s representation and gender to examine the results. The findings suggest that Zeris design and description communicates the traditional characteristics of the MPDG such as quirky, energetic, nostalgic, retro, cute and “twee” and that several of these attributes may reflect an idealized portrayal of the female character rooted in fictive stereotypes. Furthermore the paper highlights the complex interaction between design elements and their ability to communicate (possibly unintended) concepts, and the concepts ability to transcend media formats. This paper includes a design documentation after page 25 called "Kalasklister i Djurparken", which is the second part of the final exam project(s) at the Visual Communication program at Malmö University. "Kalasklister i Djurparken" is an image bank that aims to update the marketing of Helsingborg's djur- och lekpark (zoo and playground) in order to appeal more to children.

This paper is a qualitative study of signs and associations that seemingly communicate the influence of film tropes on female character design in video games. It analyzes and correlates the visual attributes and characteristics of the League of Legends character Zeri with the traditional attributes and trends of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG) film trope, and applies theories within women’s representation and gender to examine the results. The findings suggest that Zeris design and description communicates the traditional characteristics of the MPDG such as quirky, energetic, nostalgic, retro, cute and “twee” and that several of these attributes may reflect an idealized portrayal of the female character rooted in fictive stereotypes. Furthermore the paper highlights the complex interaction between design elements and their ability to communicate (possibly unintended) concepts, and the concepts ability to transcend media formats. This paper includes a design documentation after page 25 called "Kalasklister i Djurparken", which is the second part of the final exam project(s) at the Visual Communication program at Malmö University. "Kalasklister i Djurparken" is an image bank that aims to update the marketing of Helsingborg's djur- och lekpark (zoo and playground) in order to appeal more to children.

El presente trabajo de investigación tiene como finalidad realizar una comparativa entre los estereotipos cinematográficos de la Manic Pixie Dream Girl y el Manic Pixie Dream Boy, estableciendo de qué manera y desde qué perspectivas se desarrolla el tratamiento de ambos personajes según su género. De esta forma, se realizará un análisis de cuatro películas escogidas mediante diversos criterios en las que aparece la figura del Manic Pixie Dream Boy: Escuela de jóvenes asesinos (Heathers, 1989), Titanic (1997), 10 razones para odiarte (10 things I hate about you, 1999) y Bajo la misma estrella (The fault in our stars, 2014). A pesar del debate actual acerca de las características que definen a la Manic Pixie Dream Girl, se ha tomado como referencia la teoría existente, planteada por el crítico Nathan Rabin en 2005, para abordar estas películas desde un análisis comparativo. En base a esto, el trabajo intentará comprender los propósitos y las metas del estereotipo masculino, analizando, asimismo, las diferencias y similitudes entre ambos.

Seven years ago, James MacDowell (2010) detected a new aesthetic and narrative sensitivity pertaining to American independent cinema, characterized by a balance between ironic distance and emotional sincerity. Since the publication of McDowell’s article, the word quirky became quickly associated with the works of directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson or Michel Gondry, turning into a catchphrase that has been used to describe every film protagonized by eccentric characters, utilizing a perfectionist visual language, and endowed with a certain naïveté in the tone and treatment of pathetic situations. These productions appeal to the sentimentality of a millennial audience that is no longer as cynical or politically engaged as their predecessors; in fact, the narrative and formal transgressions that are typical of quirky productions tend to stay on the surface, never questioning issues of gender, race, or class. In this sense, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl stereotype constitutes a perfect example of the quirky aesthetics; its ambivalent relationship with postfeminist ideologies, incorporating a neoliberal sexual freedom to a traditional performance of femininity becomes a sign of identity rather than a political stance, while the stereotype’s childish look and naive attitude respond to the exaltation of ingenuity that happens in quirky. On the other hand, the fact that typical Manic Pixie Dream Girls such as Summer ([500] Days of Summer) or Ruby Sparks are more defined in terms of their cultural preferences and outfits than by their fears or ambitions also aligns with the postmodern prevalence of the form that characterizes quirky productions., Han pasado ya siete años desde que en 2010 James MacDowell detectara una nueva sensibilidad estética y narrativa dentro del cine independiente estadounidense, caracterizada por el equilibrio tonal entre el distanciamiento irónico y la sinceridad emocional. Desde entonces, la palabra quirky (peculiar en inglés) se ha asociado a las producciones de directores como Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson, o Michel Gondry, convirtiéndose en un adjetivo comodín aplicado a cualquier película protagonizada por personajes excéntricos, dotada de un lenguaje visual perfeccionista, y con una cierta ingenuidad infantil en el tono y en el trato de las situaciones. Estas producciones apelan a la sentimentalidad de un espectador millennial que ya no es tan cínico ni tan comprometido políticamente como sus antecesores; de hecho, las transgresiones narrativas y formales que caracterizan lo quirky nunca llegan al terreno de lo político para plantearse cuestiones de género, raza, o clase, sino que se quedan en la superficie. En este sentido, el estereotipo de la Manic Pixie Dream Girl es perfecto exponente de esta estética de lo peculiar; su ambivalente relación con las ideologías postfeministas (sexualidad neoliberal vs feminidad tradicional) es más una seña de identidad que fruto de un compromiso político, mientras que su aspecto aniñado y su actitud naïve responden a esa ingenuidad buscada de la sensibilidad quirky. Asimismo, la falta de profundidad de Manic Pixie Dream Girls paradigmáticas como Summer (500 días juntos) o Ruby Sparks, definidas más por sus gustos musicales o su manera de vestir que por sus ambiciones o miedos responde al predominio postmoderno de la forma que caracteriza la estética quirky.

In her article "Anarcho-Feminist Melodrama and the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (1929-2016)" Claire Solomon analyzes the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope as an apparatus of capture (Deleuze and Guattari, A Thousand). More precisely, her article models how such tropes imply modes of reading anachronistically and metafictionally that decontextualize gestures of resistance and conflate female writers, performers, and characters across time and place. Solomon offers a situated formalist reading of Argentine playwright Salvadora Medina Onrubia's 1929 drama, Las descentradas, revealing an avant-garde counterpoint of melodrama and metafiction as an ambiguous alternative to capture.

In her article "Anarcho-Feminist Melodrama and the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (1929-2016)" Claire Solomon analyzes the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope as an apparatus of capture (Deleuze and Guattari, A Thousand). More precisely, her article models how such tropes imply modes of reading anachronistically and metafictionally that decontextualize gestures of resistance and conflate female writers, performers, and characters across time and place. Solomon offers a situated formalist reading of Argentine playwright Salvadora Medina Onrubia's 1929 drama, Las descentradas, revealing an avant-garde counterpoint of melodrama and metafiction as an ambiguous alternative to capture.

In this study, the function of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope in John Green’s young adult novels Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns is researched using feminist criticism and postfeminist theory. My claim is that The Manic Pixie Dream Girls in Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns perpetuate stereotypical gender roles and thereby help maintain a glorified image of the muse. I support this claim by researching how Alaska and Margo fit into the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope and, as such, how they perpetuate stereotypical gender roles. Furthermore, this study shows how the MPDG is connected to the traditional archetype of the muse.

In this study, the function of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope in John Green’s young adult novels Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns is researched using feminist criticism and postfeminist theory. My claim is that The Manic Pixie Dream Girls in Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns perpetuate stereotypical gender roles and thereby help maintain a glorified image of the muse. I support this claim by researching how Alaska and Margo fit into the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope and, as such, how they perpetuate stereotypical gender roles. Furthermore, this study shows how the MPDG is connected to the traditional archetype of the muse.

In her article "Anarcho-Feminist Melodrama and the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (1929-2016)" Claire Solomon analyzes the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope as an apparatus of capture (Deleuze and Guattari, A Thousand). More precisely, her article models how such tropes imply modes of reading anachronistically and metafictionally that decontextualize gestures of resistance and conflate female writers, performers, and characters across time and place. Solomon offers a situated formalist reading of Argentine playwright Salvadora Medina Onrubia's 1929 drama, Las descentradas, revealing an avant-garde counterpoint of melodrama and metafiction as an ambiguous alternative to capture.

In this study, the function of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope in John Green’s young adult novels Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns is researched using feminist criticism and postfeminist theory. My claim is that The Manic Pixie Dream Girls in Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns perpetuate stereotypical gender roles and thereby help maintain a glorified image of the muse. I support this claim by researching how Alaska and Margo fit into the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope and, as such, how they perpetuate stereotypical gender roles. Furthermore, this study shows how the MPDG is connected to the traditional archetype of the muse.

In her article "Anarcho-Feminist Melodrama and the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (1929-2016)" Claire Solomon analyzes the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope as an apparatus of capture (Deleuze and Guattari, A Thousand). More precisely, her article models how such tropes imply modes of reading anachronistically and metafictionally that decontextualize gestures of resistance and conflate female writers, performers, and characters across time and place. Solomon offers a situated formalist reading of Argentine playwright Salvadora Medina Onrubia's 1929 drama, Las descentradas, revealing an avant-garde counterpoint of melodrama and metafiction as an ambiguous alternative to capture.

I den här uppsatsen, som undersöker representation i populärkulturen, undersöks huvudkaraktären Jess i den amerikanska sitcom serien New Girl. Mer specifikt undersöks hur tropen, eller karaktärstypen, Manic Pixie Dream Girl konstrueras av seriens huvudkaraktär, samt hur Jess normbrytande beteende kommer till uttryck i serien. I undersökningen används social normteori samt en rad genusteoretiska begrepp som analysverktyg. Genom att analysera Jess beteende i seriens första säsong utifrån en rad analysfrågor har vi kommit fram till att Jess beteende i serien ofta avviker från de sociala normer som finns i samhället. Andra karaktärer påtalar ofta att hon bryter mot normer, dock anpassar hon inte sitt beteende nämnvärt efter dessa så kallade sanktioner.

I den här uppsatsen, som undersöker representation i populärkulturen, undersöks huvudkaraktären Jess i den amerikanska sitcom serien New Girl. Mer specifikt undersöks hur tropen, eller karaktärstypen, Manic Pixie Dream Girl konstrueras av seriens huvudkaraktär, samt hur Jess normbrytande beteende kommer till uttryck i serien. I undersökningen används social normteori samt en rad genusteoretiska begrepp som analysverktyg. Genom att analysera Jess beteende i seriens första säsong utifrån en rad analysfrågor har vi kommit fram till att Jess beteende i serien ofta avviker från de sociala normer som finns i samhället. Andra karaktärer påtalar ofta att hon bryter mot normer, dock anpassar hon inte sitt beteende nämnvärt efter dessa så kallade sanktioner.

Denna uppsats hanterar hur kvinnliga karaktärer porträtteras i romantisk komedi genom att närmare studera begreppet ”Manic Pixie Dream Girl”. Detta begrepp leder till missförstånd om kvinnans roll i filmens värld och skapar diskussioner om jämställdhet och västerländsk berättarkultur. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka två kvinnor i två olika romantiska komedier uppfyller de kriterier som nämns av Manic Pixie Dream Girl-begreppets myntare, Nathan Rabin, har lagt fram och om det således är motiverat att argumentera att karaktärerna upprätthåller sexistiska synsätt. Den teoretiska grund som uppsatsen bygger på kommer främst från feministisk teori, men även från Laura Mulveys teori om skopofili och den manliga blicken. För att analysera det utvalda materialet används en skräddarsydd karaktärsanalytisk metod. Resultatet visar att, trots att de kvinnliga karaktärerna må uppfylla några eller flera av de kriterier som Rabin ställer fram så innebär inte det direkt att karaktärerna är endimensionella och, i förlängning, overkliga porträtt av kvinnor i allmänhet., This essay deals with how female characters are portrayed in romantic comedies by studying the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl"-phenomenon closer. This concept leads to misunderstandings about women's roles in the world of cinema and creates discussions about equality and Western storytelling. The purpose of this essay is to study two women in two different romantic comedies and study if they meet the criteria Nathan Rabin, the man who coined the term “Manic Pixie Dream Girl”, has announced to be qualities of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl and whether it is justified to argue that the female characters maintain sexist ideals. The theoretical basis on which the essay is based primarily comes from feminist theory, but also from Laura Mulvey’s theory of scopophilia and “the male gaze”. To analyze the selected material I have chosen to use a customized method of character analysis. The results show that, despite the fact that the female characters may meet some or more of the criteria Rabin have announced, the material does not directly imply that the characters are one-dimensional and, in extension, improbable and unreal portraits of women in general.

Denna uppsats hanterar hur kvinnliga karaktärer porträtteras i romantisk komedi genom att närmare studera begreppet ”Manic Pixie Dream Girl”. Detta begrepp leder till missförstånd om kvinnans roll i filmens värld och skapar diskussioner om jämställdhet och västerländsk berättarkultur. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka två kvinnor i två olika romantiska komedier uppfyller de kriterier som nämns av Manic Pixie Dream Girl-begreppets myntare, Nathan Rabin, har lagt fram och om det således är motiverat att argumentera att karaktärerna upprätthåller sexistiska synsätt. Den teoretiska grund som uppsatsen bygger på kommer främst från feministisk teori, men även från Laura Mulveys teori om skopofili och den manliga blicken. För att analysera det utvalda materialet används en skräddarsydd karaktärsanalytisk metod. Resultatet visar att, trots att de kvinnliga karaktärerna må uppfylla några eller flera av de kriterier som Rabin ställer fram så innebär inte det direkt att karaktärerna är endimensionella och, i förlängning, overkliga porträtt av kvinnor i allmänhet., This essay deals with how female characters are portrayed in romantic comedies by studying the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl"-phenomenon closer. This concept leads to misunderstandings about women's roles in the world of cinema and creates discussions about equality and Western storytelling. The purpose of this essay is to study two women in two different romantic comedies and study if they meet the criteria Nathan Rabin, the man who coined the term “Manic Pixie Dream Girl”, has announced to be qualities of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl and whether it is justified to argue that the female characters maintain sexist ideals. The theoretical basis on which the essay is based primarily comes from feminist theory, but also from Laura Mulvey’s theory of scopophilia and “the male gaze”. To analyze the selected material I have chosen to use a customized method of character analysis. The results show that, despite the fact that the female characters may meet some or more of the criteria Rabin have announced, the material does not directly imply that the characters are one-dimensional and, in extension, improbable and unreal portraits of women in general.