Publication: Chinese Danmei Webnovels: Translation Lockdowns, Masculinity, and Community-Building
Date
2023-07-05
Authors
Ellard, Amanda
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Abstract
Danmei ("indulging beauty") is a Chinese term for male/male gay romance fiction, influenced by Japanese BL (Boys Love, Japanese term for the male/male gay fiction genre) stories and aesthetics imported to China through way of Taiwan. This thesis examines some of the anxieties of fan translators who translate serialized danmei webnovels (novels that are published online) into English, the way in which danmei as a genre becomes a 'safe space' for exploring gender and sexuality, and the communitybuilding practices within online danmei fandom spaces. This work argues that the danmei fiction genre and its online fandom communities are valued by danmei writers and readers as ways to form strong bonds and as relatively 'safe spaces' where women explore alternatives to the social realities they face in day-to-day real life.
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Keywords
danmei, fandom, cultural exchange, masculinity, gay fiction, gender and sexuality