The Addams Feminists: A trans-adaptational comparison of the characters and narrative of The Addams Family (1964-1966) and The Addams Family (1991) in their respective time frames from a feminist perspective.

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The Addams Feminists

A trans-adaptational comparison of the characters and narrative of

The Addams Family (1964-1966)

and

The Addams Family (1991)

in their respective time frames from a feminist perspective.

Thesis for the Master Media Studies: Film Studies at the University of Amsterdam

Figure 1: The Addams Family (The World of Chas Addams)

Name Judith Ritsema Student Number 11924098

Word Count 21,967

Supervisor Dr. Catherine Lord Second Reader Dr. Tarja Laine

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2.1 Introduction: The Distinction between Story, Narration, and Plot and Their Effects in Terms of Feminism in the Addams Family Adaptations 34 2.2 Gender Role Models and Power Dynamics in The Addams Family (1964-1966) 35 2.3 Gender Division of Plot-Driving Characters and Narration in The Addams Family

(1964-1966) 37

2.4 The Representation of Marriage, Sexuality, and Desire in the Addams Family

Adaptations 38

2.5 Powerful Positions for Female Characters in a Male-Centred Story in The Addams

Family (1991) 40

2.6 Hetero-Normativity and Repression of Homoerotic Subtexts in The Addams Family

(1991) 43

2.7 Conclusion: Female Plot-Driving Characters Placed in a Male-Narrated Story 44

Chapter 3: The Development in Narrative and Characters in The Addams Family

Adaptations during Different Waves of Feminism 46

3.1 Introduction: Establishing Changes between the Two Addams Family Adaptations and Placing Them in Their Respective Waves of Feminism 46 3.2 Character Development, Complexity, and Continuity in the Different Addams Family

Adaptations 47

3.3 Allegiance with and Commitment to the Addams Family Characters 50

3.4 Agency and Disregard for Gender Roles and Power Dynamics in the Character of

Wednesday Addams 51

3.5 Morticia Sexuality: Now and “Later” 55 3.6 Conclusion: Feminist Characters Tailor-Made for Their Time 58

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Conclusion: Strong Feminist Characters in a Carnivalesque Setting Protesting Gender Roles, Celebrating Female Sexuality, and Advocating Representation of Women On

Screen 60

C.1 Analysing the Addams Family Series (1964-1966) and Film (1991) and Establishing Its Feminist Platform through the Carnivalesque 60 C.2 The Reversal of and Protesting Against Gender Roles and the Binary Division

between Masculinity and Femininity 61 C.3 Desire, Women’s Sexuality, and Homoerotic Subtexts in the Addams Family

Adaptations 63

C.4 Commitment to the Addams Family Characters and Their Feminist Message 65

Bibliography 67

Appendix 1 71

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Introduction

Constructing a Field: The Addams Family in Different

Times from a Feminist Perspective

I.1 (Contemporary) Feminism and the Addams Family

Feminism has recently taken on a new form, birthing its fourth wave. This new wave has found its platform online, with the internet and social media working as its main means of

communication (Cochrane). As the second wave fought for sexual liberation as well as better economic standards and job opportunities for women, the third wave used the improved status gained during this wave to fight for equality among men and women from different races and classes, taking an intersectional approach, as well as continuing the work they considered unfinished from the second wave (Brunell and Burkett).

The fourth wave does not necessarily fight for new feminist principles compared to the third wave, as it is largely based on it, but it is considered a new wave due to their new approach of campaigning, which happens mostly online (Chamberlain 11-12). The question as to how it is possible that certain prejudices still exist in contemporary society seems to be the driving force behind this fourth wave (Chamberlain 115). The movement is associated with campaigns such as ‘Campaign4Consent’, ‘No More Page 3’, ‘Counting Dead Women Project’ and ‘#EverydaySexism’, which raise awareness for and fight against sexual harassment and violence against women. Fourth-wave feminists aim to give a voice to minorities and raise awareness about a broad spectrum of feminist issues on an intersectional level (Cochrane).

Due to the rise of social media, new kinds of celebrities have started to emerge, such as YouTubers. Carrie Hope Fletcher is one of these YouTubers, as well as a passionate feminist. In 2017 she toured the UK and Ireland as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family: The Musical Comedy Tour, recording much of the rehearsal and preparation process and the tour itself for this role and sharing it on her YouTube channel

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triggered a thought process connecting this feminist actress and the character she was

portraying to online articles and fan posts on social media calling Wednesday their “spirit animal”, Morticia and Gomez’s marriage “Couples Goals” and “The Best Marriage Ever”, The Addams Family (1991) “awesome(ly) [sic] feminist”, and Morticia Addams a “Feminist Queen Who Has It All” (Delayrium; Lohr; Kasulke; Waldron; Garis). This drove me to investigate whether research had been done into the Addams Family adaptations from a feminist perspective.

Upon initial research, it seemed most of the research done on the Addams family adaptations from a feminist perspective was often only a couple of pages long, lacking significant depth. For example, in O’Dell’s June Cleaver Was a Feminist!, one page is dedicated to an analysis of Morticia from a feminist perspective, yet this analysis remained superficial, as it mostly consists of observations rather than a well-structured argument. Hardly any TV or film theory has been considered or referenced (55).

In most cases, the Addams family adaptations were mentioned or used as part of a case study on a different film or TV series or in an encyclopaedia entry, meaning that, to my knowledge, no in-depth research has been done on the Addams family adaptations as a case study in themselves.1 The article that has come closest to considering The Addams Family (1964-1966) from a feminist perspective is “The Monster Within” by Morowitz, which studies The Addams Family (1964-1966) and The Munsters (1964-1966) in order to see what these TV series tell us about the way the traditional American nuclear family was perceived in the mid-1960s. This article, however, does not consider key feminist film theories, such as

Mulvey’s male gaze theory, or Rowe’s work on the unruly woman, as Morowitz has placed her focus on the social constructions within the series’ narrative and characters. This has left

1_{See for example: O’Dell (55), “Media Representations of Feminism” (748), Chopra-Gant (73-77), and}

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the media studies field with a gap concerning this profoundly popular fictional family, as no

one seems to have taken up the Addams family adaptations as an individual case study from a feminist perspective.

As I am a feminist myself, representation of women in media, gender roles, and women’s sexuality are important topics to me. This made me wonder how this fictional family which has been around for over eighty years ‘performs’ in terms of these topics. Feminism in film is a topic that has attracted my interest ever since I started studying film, and I was keen to see if an analysis of a ‘classic’ such as the Addams family could be used as an example that advocates a feminist perspective regarding these topics. Combining this with the fact that feminism has recently started its fourth wave, it seems significant to research how The Addams Family (1964-1966) and The Addams Family (1991) perform in terms of

representation of women, gender roles and women’s sexuality compared to their respective waves of feminism, being the second wave for the series and the third wave for the film, and whether the ideals conveyed in both adaptations have changed due to the time difference of almost 30 years between the two different texts.

In this thesis, two different adaptations2 will be analysed, being the The Addams Family (1964-1966) series and the The Addams Family (1991) film. The reason these two adaptations were selected is that they are different media from two different times. The series is the first moving image adaptation made based on the more than 150 single-panel comics drawn by Charles Addams, which were in part published in the New Yorker between

2_{I am using the word adaptation to describe the “adapted texts” as Linda Hutcheon prefers to call}

them, in this case the films and series based on the Addams Family comics as drawn by Charles Addams. Among the criteria to qualify as an adaptation, according to Hutcheon, are acknowledging that the text is derived from another work, and it must borrow from the other text in order to pay homage to or prevent the old text from being forgotten (35).

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1938 and 1988, and therefore ideal to use in a comparison, as much of the characters’

personalities of the Addams family has been determined during the development and making of this series. The film was selected because it is the first film that came after the 1964 series with a new cast.3_{I decided not to include the animated adaptations and the Canadian The}

New Addams Family (1998) in order to keep the scope manageable in terms of size of the corpus as well as fields to be studied, since animation studies requires a separate skillset and background knowledge to analyse. The musical adaptations of the Addams family are not included in the corpus for same reasons. By using both the original series as well as the first film adaptation with a new cast, a clear comparison can be made between the different media, the difference between the characters, and the different time frames in which the adaptations were made in context of their respective waves of feminism. This way, insights can still be gained on the characters in the context of their respective time frames and the difference between the adaptations while keeping the scope of the research manageable.

I.2 Theoretical Framework: Studies on Character, Feminist Film and TV,

and Narration and the Addams Family Adaptations

It seems hardly any research has been done in the field of character studies from a feminist

perspective, leaving a gap in the academic field regarding studies related to narration, literature, film, television, and theatre, amongst others. Most feminist character studies which

have been conducted are case studies on popular contemporary characters such as Bella Swan (Twilight) and Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games), or on well-known classical female protagonists from the works of key authors in literature such as Shakespeare or Jane Austen. However, I have not been able to find feminist character studies on the development

3_{The Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977) film was made for television and included}

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and evolution of a fictional female character across multiple media adaptations. Moreover,

hardly any research has been done concerning the Addams family and its different

adaptations across multiple media. To my knowledge, none of the studies about the Addams family have considered a feminist perspective in their research, apart from the

aforementioned passages in other researches which were not specifically focused on the Addams family adaptations.

I chose two Addams family adaptations because this particular fictional family has spawned many different adaptations over the span of the past eight decades. It is one of the most well-known fictional families and has influenced multiple generations for many years. This means that the insights from this research are likely to appeal to many people. This research aims to give insight into what it is that draws different media to this fictional family, and to what extent these popular adaptations make use of feminist storytelling techniques or fall victim to the objectification and misrepresentation of women. It would be interesting to see if a set of characters that has managed to stay popular and which has been adapted into different media through the years could be considered feminist, as well as the potential influence that these characters might have on their predominantly young audiences.

This thesis will focus on multiple aspects of feminist film and television theory in relation to the two Addams family adaptations. First and foremost, the use of the male gaze as explained by Laura Mulvey will be considered. Other feminist film studies include Mary Ann Doane’s work on the rational male versus the hysterical female, male versus female-driven narration, different power dynamics between men and women in films, and

representation of women on screen. Other studies relevant to this thesis are Jason Mittell’s work on narrative complexity and transmedia storytelling, Murray Smith’s work on alignment and allegiance with characters, and the writings from Mieke Bal and Uri Margolin on narrative and characters.

Feminist film studies is a relatively young field which emerged in the 1970s (Smelik 1). Mulvey’s theory based in psychoanalysis on the male gaze has been highly influential. This theory explains the techniques used in films to objectify women, these techniques often

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consisting of extra-diegetic mechanisms such as point-of-view shots from the male lead’s

perspective. Mulvey explains the voyeuristic tendencies stemming from patriarchal values which have engrained themselves into film. By close-reading both the series and the film, the use and implications of the male gaze will be thoroughly analysed and considered in relation to the objectification of onscreen female characters, as well as the reframing of the male gaze as a powerful feminist tool, rather than a product of patriarchal values which have been instilled in mainstream films. This will shed light on the maker versus the bearer of the meaning in the two adaptations, and the way the gaze has been used in order to shift power dynamics between the different on-screen characters.

Mary Ann Doane researched female characters in the 1940s woman’s films in The Desire To Desire: the Woman’s Films of the 1940s. Unlike Mulvey, Doane placed the accent of her studies on intra-diegetic elements such as the dynamics between male and female characters, finding that women’s stories were often told through a framework constructed of male reason, making the female lead come across as hysterical, emotional, and irrational. Recently, Gozde Onaran has been working on a dissertation using Doane’s theory, arguing against her original findings. Onaran argues that there are instances where women are portrayed as irrational and hysterical, but are still able to have agency in these films, whereas Doane argues that women in these films do not. The dynamics between male sanity and female insanity and the gendered framing of rationality and emotion will be explored in the different adaptations, as the characters in the two texts are usually considered anything but ‘normal’ and ‘sane’. By linking this phenomenon of the rational male vs. the hysterical female

to representation of gender roles, I intend to highlight the implications of which characters are considered ‘normal’ in the Addams family adaptations produced by the framing of the

characters’ narratives within other characters’ frames of reason.

In addition, Doane’s theory will be linked to the gaze as explained by Mulvey in relation to a woman’s desire. Looking at the character of Morticia in the film adaptation especially and her position in relation to the gaze, the implied role of her character will be analysed as well as the influence this position has on her agency.

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Amy M. Davis has written a book on representation of women in Disney films, and

devoted one chapter to “Film as a Cultural Mirror”, analysing the influence of representation of gender roles and marriage on screen on young members of the audience. She explains that children from a very young age on are aware of and recognise gender roles (30). This underlines the importance of the proper representation of onscreen division of gender roles in the adaptations.

Jean-Anne Feltey and Kathryn M. Sutherland have published a research on

representation of women in feminist films, taking an intersectional approach. They outlined three different types of power dynamics between men and women, being ‘power-over’, ‘power-with’ and ‘power-to’, and looked at the demographic of the female characters placed in these different power positions. They have found that there is serious underrepresentation of non-white female characters in positions of power, as well as masculinisation and/or sexualisation of female characters who are in powerful positions. Using the findings of this study, the sexuality and masculinity of the female characters of the two adaptations will be analysed, as well as the power dynamics between male and female characters. Not only will this help differentiate between seemingly and truly feminist characters of both genders, it will also help shed light on the representation of different women as onscreen characters.

Kathleen Rowe Karlyn’s work on Unruly Women explains that comedy and laughter are used as a tool to turn discomfort into political commentary (20). Rowe disagrees with Mulvey, who claims women are merely “bearer[s] of meaning” (Rowe 21; Mulvey 7). She argues, instead, that female characters can call attention to topics and causes important to

them by using their onscreen visibility (21). As they assert themselves to “lay claim to their own desire” (Rowe 21), unruly women achieve what the women studied by Doane fail to be able to do. Considering Rowe’s work on the unruly women in context with the adaptations’ genre, and specifically comedy, the possibility to use laughter as a corrective tool for feminist purposes can be recognised in the Addams family adaptations. The carnivalesque elements of the Addams family adaptations will be considered in relation to this text as well as to genre, and their function will be closely examined in relation to its possibly feminist function.

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The analysis of the extent to which the female characters from the two adaptations can be

considered unruly will aid in determining in which ways their characters serve as commentary against patriarchal values.

The field of character studies has sadly been mostly neglected by scholars. The few existing theories on fictional characters are usually part of narrative studies, and hardly any research has been done into how to study fictional characters. The theories I shall use in this thesis are the works of Jason Mittell, Mieke Bal, Uri Margolin, and Murray Smith.

Jason Mittell’s work on narrative complexity will play a big part in explaining the differences and continuities between the two different adaptations. His book Complex TV will help determine the balance between the different transmedia adaptations and their

importance in the Addams family canon as a whole, as well as the narrative techniques used to maintain continuity in characters across different actors and adaptations, such as “major kernels” and “minor satellites”4_{. Moreover, he explains the development characters go}

through over the course of a TV series, and the aspects required to keep the viewer engaged to these characters. His theoretical framework will help explain the complex relationship between the series and the film, and aid the explanation as to how the characters have changed and evolved over time.

Murray Smith’s theory on ‘alignment’ and ‘allegiance’ is well known among film scholars, and complements Mittell’s work well, supporting it with in-depth explanations as to why viewers root for certain characters. Uri Margolin and Mieke Bal are literature scholars, and, therefore, their theories on character have to be translated to film and television studies

before they can be used in this research. However, their theories on the continuity and differences between characters from different adaptations and the way they are linked and constructed will definitely help build a solid theoretical foundation for this thesis.

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Theories on narration and storytelling span across multiple disciplines, among which

literature studies, TV studies, and film studies. Mittell’s work on the complexity of narratives will help analyse the different narratives of the two adaptations. Moreover, Mittel’s theory on narrative complexity will help explain the intricate structure of continuity between the TV series and the film in addition to explain the multiple storytelling techniques used across the adaptations. Moreover, his theory on transmedia storytelling will be translated to this case study in order to understand how the two stories interact and relate.

As mentioned before, hardly any research has been done into the Addams family adaptations, and they have been left out of feminist film and television studies altogether. Therefore, I intend to combine different feminist film studies in order to analyse the

sexualisation, objectification, and representation of the female onscreen characters and gender roles in the two adaptations. Through a close analysis of the male gaze and the framing of rationality in a male perspective, I set out to find ways in which these traditionally patriarchal constructs can be reframed and reused as powerful feminist tools by adapting them to fit these new aims. Linking Rowe’s theory on unruly women to Doane’s and Mulvey’s work as well as to the adaptations’ genre, a deeper understanding of the function of comedy, laughter and unruliness of female characters as tools of the feminist agenda will come forth.

As the two different adaptations are considered in relation to their contemporary waves of feminism, the differences in characters as well as narratives can be explained. Mittel’s work on narrative complexity will help with understanding the differences and continuities between the two adaptations’ narratives and characters, explaining how even

though the adaptations are made in different political contexts – thus serving different purposes – their continuity is maintained.

I.3 Analysing Character, Narrative, and the Influence of Contemporary

Waves of Feminism in the Addams Family Adaptations

The aim of this thesis is to determine to what extent the characters of the Addams family and their narratives in the 1964 series The Addams Family and the 1991 film The Addams Family

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can be perceived as feminist in terms of representation of women, gender roles and women’s

sexuality, and how the characters and narrative change over time across different cross-media adaptations. By attempting to answer this question, I intend to gain insights in multiple areas.

Firstly, identifying the different feminist elements in the narrative, onscreen characters, and the way these are framed and used for a feminist purpose, taking into consideration factors such as sexuality, objectification of female characters and

representation of women and gender roles on screen. In addition to this, I intend to closely analyse the changes in characters between the different adaptations and the influence the times in which they have been produced have had on the different interpretations of these characters. Again, Mittel’s work on narrative complexity will help explain and analyse the differences and continuities between the characters and narrative of the two adaptations. Lastly, this thesis will be an attempt in serving as an example for a method to thoroughly analyse characters from a feminist perspective. By drawing from different fields such as film and television theory, I aim to contribute to the field of character studies and in this way provide a method for a feminist analysis of fictional film and television characters.

As the field of character studies in film and television studies is relatively small, I will both be drawing from character studies in the field of literature as well as from fields in film and television studies other than character studies. By combining fields and concepts such as narrative theory, character theory and TV seriality, I hope to construct a solid theoretical framework which will help analyse the characters of the different The Addams Family

adaptations. By first performing a close reading of the series and the film, I want to establish patterns and recurring themes in the two adaptations as well as point out interesting

developments and differences between the two. By then tying these to the theoretical

foundation built from these different fields, a thorough analysis can be made and conclusions with a solid foundation can be drawn.

The first chapter will focus on the characters in the different adaptations, using Mittell’s, Bal’s, and Margolin’s theories on fictional characters and tying them to Mulvey’s

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male gaze, Doane’s work on the gendered framing of rationality, and Rowe’s unruly women,

amongst others. Moreover, a close-reading of both the series and the film will be conducted in order to explain the different ways in which the characters are portrayed, along with

possible implications that elements such as camerawork, costumes, and sound design make concerning the characters’ personalities and relationships.

The second chapter will place its focus on the narrative of both the series and the film, distinguishing story, narration and plot. By looking into representation, male versus female-driven storytelling, and writings on narratives by scholars such as Porter Abbott and combining these with several theories on feminist film and television, I will attempt to analyse to what extent the narratives of these different adaptations support proper representation of women on screen, women’s sexuality and criticising gender roles. Genre, too, will be

considered in this chapter in order to analyse the implications the genre has on the narrative and the way this influences the meaning of the narrative.

The third and final chapter will compare the two adaptations in terms of a feminist message as well as determine the extent of continuity versus change in the different

characters. Mittel’s narrative complexity will feature in this chapter concerning the transmedia storytelling, the use of serial versus episodic narratives, and the use of conditional seriality in order to explain continuity errors between the two adaptations. These concepts will be translated to analyse the TV series as linked to the film, rather than just the TV series and the film separately, considering the TV series and the film together as continuous narrative in itself rather than two separate narratives. This chapter will also serve to place the series and

the film in the context of their respective time frames and the corresponding waves of feminism, viewing how these adaptations function as products of their time.

I.4 Preliminary Conclusion

I do not expect the adaptations to be entirely void of anti-feminist elements. I do, however, expect a complex construction of different intra and extra-diegetic elements, relying on

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character, narrative, genre, and storytelling techniques, to work together in order to subvert

expectations and create a feminist message in a subtle way.

As I am familiar with the characters of Morticia and Wednesday Addams, a presence of strong female characters is to be expected in both adaptations. I suspect they will qualify as unruly women by the standards of Rowe, which will help with both the representation of women on screen as well as with creating a environment and platform in which it is possible to criticise the status quo. As Gomez is not the stereotypical man-of-the-house character, I expect his character to contribute to the criticising of the norms in society in a subtle yet effective way.

Though I expect the adaptations to have strong characters which contribute to the representations of women on screen and object to traditional gender roles and celebrating women’s sexuality, the narrative seems more conservative at first glance. The question of which male and female characters will take up key roles in the progression of the story, and the perspective from which the story is told, will help determine whether the narrative aids or weakens the feminist tone of the adaptations.

As the two adaptations are made almost thirty years apart, differences in characters as well as in their approach to integrating a feminist message into their medium can be expected. It is likely that the series is more careful and toned-down compared to the film in terms of, for example, female sexuality. It would be interesting to see if the characters have remained consistent and whether, as time progressed, the adaptations have changed in order to fit their contemporary feminist waves. Overall, a feminist undertone is expected in

both adaptations, though likely the film will be less subtle about this standpoint than the series, as society in the 1990s was more open to such a message than it was in the 1960s.

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Chapter 1 Unruliness, Sexuality, Masculinity, Femininity, and

Gender Roles in the Characters of the Addams Family

1.1 Introduction: How Characters Are an Important Factor That

Contribute to the Feminist Message of the Addams Family Adaptations

To quote one of the creators of the hit TV-series Lost: “It’s all about character, character, character…” (Lindelof qtd. in Mittell, 118). This is why, before looking at the narrative of both the series and the film, I will first take a closer look at the different characters that make up the Addams family, focusing on Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, and Pugsley. The reason for this is because the narrative lived by these characters is mostly conveyed by these

characters and is influenced by the personalities of these characters. In addition,

representation of different types of people as onscreen characters is an important part of feminist film and television, and is a factor that, together with elements such as narration and genre, influence the message and tone of the adaptations, thus making the analysis of characters in themselves crucial to a well-rounded research.

I will use Jason Mittell’s Complex TV, Mieke Bal’s Narratology and Uri Margolin’s book chapter “Character” from The Cambridge Companion to Narrative as the foundation for my analysis, translating them from literature studies to film and television studies where necessary in order to build a sufficient theoretical framework on fictional characters in order to analyse the characters of The Addams Family (1964-1966) and of The Addams Family (1991) and to what extent they function as advocates in favour of abolishing gender roles,

celebrating female sexuality and proper representation of women on screen.

After establishing a clear vision of the characters, the concept of unruly women by Rowe will be considered in relation to the two adaptations. By analysing the series and the film through the framework of this article while keeping the influence of genre on the narrative in mind, the characters will be analysed in the context of their genre. This analysis will help

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clarify the platform the series and film have created for themselves through the clever use of

genre and unruly characters in a carnivalesque setting. The gendered framing of rationality as established by Doane will be considered too, in relation to Morticia and Gomez, as it influences the agency that certain characters have. Lastly, the adaptations will be analysed based on the male gaze as coined by Mulvey to see how the two different adaptations deal with objectification of female characters and the topic of female sexuality.

In addition to these theories, the personalities of the characters themselves, as well as their intra-diegetic interests and the relationships between the different characters, will be considered. By establishing whether these feminist film and television theories apply and in which way they are used, making apparent the implications made through the use or alteration of these techniques, and combining them with the analysis of the characters themselves, I intend to see whether the film and the series broadcast a feminist message concerning gender roles and female sexuality, as well as how well these texts perform in terms of representation of women on screen.

Before analysing the characters, it is important to define what exactly a fictional character is. However, it is a term that appears to be difficult to define; Margolin calls it “any entity, individual or collective – normally human or human-like – introduced in a work of narrative fiction” (66). Jens Eder defines it as “identifiable fictional beings with an inner life that exist as communicatively constructed artefacts” (qtd. in Mittell 118). Bal states that “[it] is not real human being, but it resembles one” (113). Between these three definitions, there is some overlap, providing us with common ground between the different scholars. They agree

that a fictional character is not a real human being; it is, however, often human or human-like. Additionally, a fictional character is constructed and communicated through a work of

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fiction, which is also the place where it has come into existence.5_{I do not intend to argue in}

favour of a new, original definition of fictional characters over these established definitions, but, for this thesis, I will work with a definition which is a combination of these different definitions to create a well-rounded image of what a fictional character is. Therefore, the Addams family characters will be analysed in this chapter as fictional, human-like beings who have an inner life, exist within a fictional world, and whose existence is communicated

through said work of fiction within a framework of feminist film and television studies in order to establish the message the adaptations send out concerning gender roles, female

sexuality, and the manner in which they represent women on screen.

1.2 The Reversal of Doane’s Gendered Construction of Emotion and

Rationality in The Addams Family (1964-1966)

Gomez is portrayed as an extraverted, temperamental being who wears his emotions on his sleeve. This is a character trait prominent in every episode of the series, as Gomez’ dialogue is often delivered with great fluctuation in tone and expressive gestures. He often openly shows his attraction to Morticia. In nearly every episode there are either one or multiple instances where his character gets aroused, which prompts him to kiss her arm and work his

way up to her neck and face. Gomez also supposedly has Morticia’s initials carved into his legs, another extreme gesture indicating the extent of his passion. On the flipside, Gomez is

unbelievably jealous when Morticia’s ex-fiancé Rupert Styx and her childhood friend Lionel Barker, amongst others, come over to the house.

5_{This is a statement supported from a realism point of view. There is much debate about the}

existence or non-existence of fictional characters in the field of philosophy. For further reading: Friend, S. “Fictional Characters”.

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The extremes to which his character is willing to go because of his love for Morticia is

most clear in “Green-Eyed Gomez”, the episode where the childhood friend of Morticia, Lionel Barker, comes to the house to stay over for a few days. Due to circumstance, Gomez’ character is led to believe that Morticia is having an affair with Lionel, and that she has fallen out of love with Gomez. After a couple of convoluted schemes gone wrong, Gomez comes to believe that Morticia would be happier with Lionel. This prompts him to not only be willing to leave Morticia, but to ask Uncle Fester to kill him so Morticia can truly be free to marry another man. Though this description might sound like the premise of a grim, depressing episode, it is actually set in the same comedic, light tone all episodes are made.

Taking a closer look at the separate elements of the episode itself, it reminds one of the theatre or the circus. There are rather literal references to this type of entertainment, such as Gomez holding a target sign as Uncle Fester is supposed to shoot him, or Gomez’ clothes. Without his jacket, the suspenders and the eyeliner he is wearing give him a sad-clown aesthetic. This reference grows stronger when he gets shot in the face with a water gun as he is holding a target which slowly grows droopy as it gets wet (see figure 1). Other salient references are Lurch’ and Uncle Fester’s makeup and Morticia’s dress, which could easily be worn on a theatre stage. The carnivorous plant and the set design, including a taxidermy bear, two-headed turtle, the bed of nails and a swordfish with a leg sticking out its mouth mounted on the wall, are strongly reminiscent of a freak show or a carnival. This is a look and feel not exclusive to this episode, but recurring throughout the entire series as the costumes and set design hardly change over the span of the two seasons.

More subtle references to the comedy genre are included in the sound design, such as signature sounds for the opening and closing of Thing’s box, the arrival of the mail, or the carnivorous plant’s movements. The series has a laughing track in the background, making lines such as Gomez’ request to Uncle Fester – “shoot me” – funny rather than grave. The transitions, rather than a subtle fade or a simple cut between scenes, often include spiral and other shape animations. The series is also not afraid to reuse footage or to loop it in order to lengthen the shot or to create a comedic effect. These factors, combined with the

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soundtrack, which is upbeat and energetic, make that the The Addams Family series does

not look necessarily sophisticated or sleek, but rather radiates a happy energy and the feeling that the series does not take itself too seriously, placing its focus on entertainment value rather than technological or cinematic innovation and sophistication.

Throughout the episode as well as the entire series, the actors’ facial expressions are rather grand, almost theatrical. The attention is drawn to the characters’ emotions through the use of medium close-ups, allowing the viewer to clearly read the characters’ facial expressions. The actors’ expressive faces emphasise their emotions and help convey them even more strongly to the viewers (see figures 2, 3 and 4 for Gomez theatrically going from laughter to a worried expression).

While Gomez on the one hand is a very extraverted, expressive character who displays extreme emotions, Morticia comes across as very calm and rational. Whenever Gomez gets angry or upset, her character is generally calm and composed, mediating between her husband and the problem at hand. This reminds one of the scenarios as

described by Doane from the women’s films in the 1940s. As excessive emotion and passion are seen as “madness” (62), there is a doctor in the film who needs to cure the female

character from this madness, and interpret what she is feeling, and solve the problem accordingly (54).

Morticia and Gomez seem to be in a gender-bent construction of that doctor-patient relationship. Where Gomez loses focus because he gets aroused, or is about to do

something impulsive due to extreme anger or fear, Morticia takes up the same role as the

doctor in the 1940s women’s film does, reasons with him calmly and cures him of his extreme emotions. This way, Gomez’ emotions are framed within Morticia’s rational framework, granting her agency. Furthermore, this reversal of roles challenges the

stereotypical gender roles of the rational male versus the hysterical female, as Gomez is now portrayed as overly emotional and Morticia as the voice of reason. By placing Morticia in this position which is usually reserved for a male character, the series grants a female character

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agency and influence over a male character while challenging gender roles at the same time

without man-hating, which is a criticism feminism often gets (Feltey and Sutherland 620).

1.3 Playing with Gender Roles and Masculine and Feminine Traits in The

Addams Family (1964-1966)

Morticia and Gomez’ marriage may seem traditional is some aspects, yet is unique when looked at from up close. Gomez is the ‘breadwinner’ of the household, and Morticia is a stay-at-home mother. The reason why breadwinner is in quotation marks is because Gomez is hardly ever shown working, and has a record of being terrible with money.6_{Gomez is a}

defence lawyer, yet the one time in the series he is shown practising his profession, his methods are so idiotic the judge questions his credentials. On top of this, he himself admits that he has “run every business he owned into the ground” (“The Addams Family in Court”) and brags on occasion about how he has sold stock which afterwards has skyrocketed in worth. Morticia is portrayed as the stay-at-home mother and is on multiple occasions called “the perfect hostess” by Gomez. Yet she takes up only a small portion of the household chores since their butler Lurch does most of these. She is, however, shown as the caring mother, often addressing the children directly and kissing the children good night, more so

than Gomez. This is not to say that Gomez character is not shown as a caring father, on the contrary, but that aspect of his character is less prominent as a consistent element of his

personality than the mother-aspect of Morticia’s character.

When examining Morticia’s character further,she is often portrayed as not only calm, but caring. She hand-feeds her carnivorous plants, worries about whether they get enough moonlight, knits a significant amount of clothing for family members, and is often shown

6_{The family is never in real financial trouble as they can rely on their massive family fortune which}

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worrying about others. And because her knitting and caring for plants, combined with small

actions such as fetching things when people need them, are repeated often, her caring side is emphasised throughout the course of the series. Whenever Gomez gets distracted, Morticia redirects his focus to the matter at hand, which often is helping out a friend or family member in need. Though it may not be the image of the traditional caring maternal figure, Morticia is portrayed as a loving, caring mother nonetheless.

The series has kept certain male and female stereotypes in place, while

simultaneously breaking those expectations as well. While Morticia’s character, in addition to being a caring mother, has some stereotypical female hobbies, she often beats her husband at fencing and skeet shooting (though with crossbow and apples), and has skinned a hippo in the past. All of this is shown as if normal and effortless, and, more importantly, Gomez’ response is always enthusiastic and never bitter or embarrassed. He always responds proudly to his wife’s achievements rather than surprised at her abilities. The interplay in their personalities between embracing masculine and feminine traits while simultaneously also fully embracing traits traditionally ascribed to the other gender makes for well-rounded characters that play upon both traditional and unconventional portrayals of how husband and wife should behave.

By placing these multi-faceted characters in traditional gender roles, and then dismantling said gender roles, the The Addams Family series manages to strike a balance between the conventional and the ridiculous. Portraying Gomez as the breadwinner who is terrible with money and Morticia as the stay-at-home mother who does hardly any work

around the house, the series comments on the absurdity of these stereotypical gender roles without explicitly saying it out loud.

Moreover, they are well-balanced characters – as they both depict feminine and masculine traits and interests – living in an unconventional but balanced relationship. For the time frame in which the series was first aired, their marriage was possibly the most equal marriage on TV (Astin). All decisions are discussed and both Morticia and Gomez openly voice their opinions on the matters at hand. Though it must be said that occasionally Gomez

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holds power over Morticia, Morticia on the other hand also holds power over Gomez. Neither

Gomez nor Morticia have absolute authority over their spouse. Their relationship is an example of good onscreen representation of a feminist relationship being a relationship where man and woman are equals, as well as it being a great contribution to the diversity in representation of women and the relationships they live in.

1.4 The Lack of Gender Roles in Wednesday and Pugsley in The Addams

Family (1964-1966)

Wednesday and Pugsley, Morticia and Gomez’ children, have far less screen time than their parents, yet the intra-diegetic storytelling surrounding these two characters is important to consider in this context. In the pilot episode, Wednesday is shown with her doll, which has been decapitated by her brother upon her own request. This is because she wanted her doll to look like Marie Antoinette. Over the course of the series, her character is shown to have an interest in strong female figures, such as Mary Queen of Scots and Marie Antoinette. Though her fascination might in part stem from her interest in decapitation, it shows that she has far more knowledge of strong female historical figures than the average six-year-old. This is indicative of an upbringing which places importance on education and significance in

female historical figures which are sometimes pushed to the background in regular education.

Wednesday’s character, too, is a mixture of more feminine and more masculine traits. One the one hand, she is shown to have a doll, wear a dress, and have long braids in her hair. On the other hand, she takes a great interests in breeding her own pedigree of pet spiders, has a skull for a piggy bank, and punches a boy in the face who insulted her family, all things often considered to be more masculine than feminine interests and behaviour. It must be said that Pugsley is mostly shown as interested in traditionally more masculine hobbies, such playing with model trains (which belong to Gomez), as well as talking to foreigners over the radio and building a computer together with his father.

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When comparing the siblings, Wednesday is portrayed as more bookish and

interested in learning and mastering the fine arts such as painting and playing the piano, whereas Pugsley is more technically inclined and interested in physical activities such as digging tunnels and joining the boy scouts. Both enjoy proper education which is partially taught by their grandmother, and no distinction is made between who is taught how to dance and who is taught about the French Revolution. Both of them are taught the same knowledge and skills, and it is left up to the children to develop themselves in the areas that take their preference. This way, the series argues in favour of a parenting style that allows children to choose their own way without forcing them into certain gender roles. This equality between Wednesday and Pugsley is not only positive in terms of representation of a healthy balance between differently-gendered siblings, but also a good example of onscreen representation of what female characters can do when they are allowed to develop themselves free of constraints. This onscreen relationship and upbringing could possibly have a great influence on younger audiences, as children from a very young age onwards are aware of gender roles (A. Davis 30).

1.5 Creating a Platform for Feminism Using Unruly Women and the

Carnivalesque in the Addams Family Adaptations

Rowe’s work on the unruly woman explains that, in settings where the normal rules do not

apply, such as during carnival, women are able to comment on the existing gender roles in place without being scrutinised for them as afterwards everything would be restored to normal (N. Davis qtd. in Rowe 21). The Addams family household, much like a carnival, is far from a normal setting. As described before, their household as well as the series itself

contain elements reminiscent of the circus, the theatre, and a carnival. By combining elements from these places which seem to operate on rules outside of what society deems ‘normal’ and placing them in a comedic setting, the The Addams Family series has created a platform where the characters can comment on existing gender roles and stereotypes

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Family film, as it maintains the same feel as the series, being set in the Addams family

mansion, the characters wearing clothes that stand out in a crowd and their behaviour and interests still exceptional and theatrical. The use of comedy and disorder in the carnivalesque narrative is a very suitable manner with which to criticise the status quo (Bakhtin 166-167).

Taking Morticia as a character and measuring her against the characteristics of an unruly women, she most certainly qualifies as one. Rowe describes unruly women not knowing their “proper place”, talking in an inappropriate manner or too much and expressing dominant behaviour (28). Morticia is beneath Gomez in neither the film nor the series – which would be her “proper place” according to patriarchal rules (28) – but instead is in an equal relationship with Gomez. In the series, Morticia is occasionally shown telling family members what to do, and in the pilot episode she ‘dares’ interrupt Mr Hilliard on multiple occasions during the same conversation. In the film adaptation, Morticia’s dominance is conveyed in a more subtle manner, for example in the graveyard scene where she tells Gordon through subtext that the Addams family will punish those who dare take advantage of them (The Addams Family 1991).

Granmama Addams is another clear example of an unruly woman. Even though she is a side character in the series, her presence is prominent in the episodes she features in. Unlike what is expected of elderly women, which is to be quiet and invisible, she has a strong presence and a loud opinion, and on one occasion even proudly proclaims she voted in 1906 and did not let a lack of women’s suffrage stop her (“Gomez the Politician”). Granmama’s onscreen presence contributes to both the protesting of the current state of affairs as well as

representation of women on screen, as older female characters often reside more in the background and are not unruly like she is.

Rowe explains that the most rebellious behaviour a woman can portray is to “lay claim to her own desire” (21). This is something that has been observed by Doane as an unacceptable concept as well. She explains that it is unacceptable and wrong for a woman to display passion and to have the desire to be the object of the male gaze (Doane 62; 42). Rowe describes “looseness” in relation to sexuality as a character trait of an unruly woman.

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Yet, in the film adaptation, Morticia is highly aware of her own sexuality, the effect of which

will be discussed in the paragraph below.

1.6 The Portrayal of Sexuality in The Addams Family (1991)

Morticia and Gomez’ passionate love is prominently present in the film. The cuckoo clock shown at the very beginning of the film has, instead of a bird ‘cuckooing’ the hour, Gomez kissing Morticia’s cleavage. The married couple also kisses abundantly in the middle of an auction house.

At the start of the film, Morticia and Gomez are shown in the bedroom together. Gomez’ character is staring at his wife while she is asleep. This reminds one of the male gaze as explained by Laura Mulvey; Morticia is looked at by her husband for visual pleasure. However, even though Morticia is objectified by her husband on a regular basis, she appears to enjoy this impulsive, sexual side of her husband. When she wakes up, she talks to Gomez about the sexual encounter they had the night before, describing him as “unhinged” and “a desperate, howling demon.” That line is followed immediately by Morticia telling Gomez: “do it again.” This is evidence that Morticia has a desire to be objectified. Moreover, Morticia appears to enjoy Gomez’ sexual impulses. This means that instead of being powerless against the male gaze, Morticia’s character embraces it and enjoys it.

In addition to this, sexuality in female characters is often used in order to please the male characters as well as the male audience. In this case, however, Morticia thoroughly

enjoys her sexuality and openly shows this as well. She is not conventionally beautiful nor is she there merely for Gomez’ pleasure; she consciously chooses to be in this voyeuristic position and enjoys it. This construction of mutual gazing as well as the female character consciously placing herself in the position to be looked at are a strong mechanic which breaks with the traditional sexist portrayals of female characters.

Usually, men place meaning onto the female character, as the neutralise their fear of castration by objectifying her. Instead, Morticia chooses to actively assume the position of object of the gaze, thus taking control and giving her own meaning to the gaze, motivated by

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her own desires instead of the male’s desires. Though Mulvey argues that women cannot

use their onscreen position for their own agendas, I, like Rowe, disagree (Rowe 21). Morticia chooses to take up this highly visible position motivated by her own desires. Not only does that allow her to place meaning onto the gaze and her own person, but it also allows her to use this visibility to serve as an example of a strong woman who enjoys her sexuality and is not afraid to show it. This is a telling example of contributing to breaking “[the] patriarchy with the tools it provides” (Mulvey 7). As Mulvey argues, by tempering with pleasure language and expectations, a way out of the oppression can be found. But instead of breaking apart the original meaning of the gaze itself, Morticia has taken the gaze and bent it to fit her own goals and desires, making this patriarchal tool a feminist weapon instead.

Considering Morticia’s appearance in this context, it seems to be full of contradictions. Charles Addams’ original description describes her as a “ruined beauty” (Addams). Morticia is portrayed with her eyebrows relatively high-arched and thin, and her eye make-up grim. Her eyelashes are full to keep her relatively attractive. Her eye shadow is shaped into long wings on her eyelids which reach onto her temples, accentuating the sharp angles in her face. The cheekbones on her face are very sharp, making her cheeks appear hollow, giving it a ghost-like appearance. Combined with her bright red lips and nails, her face is an

interesting juxtaposition of both conventionally attractive and unattractive features, ultimately giving the viewer the illusion that she was once pretty, yet those days seem to have passed (see figure 5).

Though her face is not conventionally attractive, her wardrobe keeps to more

traditional standards. Even though the style of her dress is not an item that has ever been in fashion, the silhouette created by it is. Morticia’s character wears a form-fitting gown, which hugs her curves and accentuates her small waist (see figure 6). Therefore, much like her facial make-up plays with conventionally attractive and unattractive traits, her entire

appearance does, too. Where her face is more a portrayal of her “ruined beauty”, her body still conforms to conventional beauty standards.

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1.7 Masculine and Feminine Interests and a Feminist Upbringing in The

Addams Family (1991)

In the film, both Morticia and Gomez’s characters are shown to have multiple intra-diegetic hobbies. Morticia is shown gardening and playing the violin, neither of which are considered to be particularly masculine. Gomez’ character, on the other hand, is shown practicing a wide array of hobbies, among which golfing, chess, sword fighting and playing with his model trains. These are all activities traditionally described to be more masculine. On the other hand, Gomez also practices gymnastics and dancing, though both are used in order to displaying masculinity as they are about strength and endurance. It seems that their hobbies and their personalities are meant to form a contrast between masculine and feminine traits. By on the one hand having Gomez portray himself as masculine and Morticia as feminine through their hobbies and appearance, and on the other hand reversing their traditional roles in terms of personality, the film plays upon the traditionally prescribed gender roles. This way, it draws attention to these gender stereotypes without explicitly criticizing them; it shows the audience that they are not as strict as they are traditionally believed to be.

Wednesday and Pugsley have less screen time than their parents in the film, yet they do have strong personalities which resonate through the entire story, even when they are off screen. For example, preceding the school play, Wednesday’s teacher discusses

Wednesday’s role model with Morticia. She picked her aunt Calpernia for the assignment, a woman who was burned as a witch in 1706, who danced naked in the town, and enslaved a minister. Though the morals of the heroin can be considered dubious to say the least, it seems Wednesday seems to have a tendency to admire women with strong character who are not afraid to act on their impulses and occupy positions of power. This could point

towards an upbringing by her parents that encourages her to look for female role models who are not afraid to express themselves freely and fight for the things they want in life, and are not afraid to stand up to the status quo. The fact that the heroine’s moral compass seems to be broken is not of import, as the Addams family are not a family who understand the outside

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world’s view of what is morally right or wrong. This, in turn, means that in the context of the

Addams’ household, the encouragement and acceptance of Wednesday’s choices of role models is evidence of an upbringing which encourages role models of all genders, as well as an upbringing motivating Wednesday to be strong, confident, and to fight for what she wants.

Staying with the character of Wednesday, she has a strong personality which is evident from her composure to her actions. In the film, she is approximately ten years old. She is introduced in the opening sequence holding a crossbow, aimed at the apple in Pugsley’s mouth, who is strapped to a chair. She is quite clearly the person in control in this scenario. She calmly tells him that he should stay calm as she “know[s] what [she’s] doing,” then takes aim at her brother with her crossbow, firing her arrow without a moment’s

hesitation. This ten-second excerpt from the film is very telling for Wednesday’s character. She is extremely confident of her own abilities, even with her brother’s life on the line. Her overall body language shows she is very controlled, both in terms of her movements as well as her emotions. “Calm” and “composed” are the words to use to describe her personality. For her age, she seems to be too calm, even.

On the other hand, there is Pugsley, an enthusiastic, energetic boy who is easily excited but also disorganized and easily panicked. Though both Wednesday and Pugsley are unique characters, they seem to resemble their parents in several ways. Wednesday is calm and composed like Morticia, and Pugsley is enthusiastic and wears his emotions on his sleeve like his father. This way, Wednesday and Pugsley break the traditional role division described by Doane as well, the same way their parents do, advocating the abolishment of

gender roles by addressing them in the carnivalesque setting of the film by reversing them. Concerning their hobbies, there is not a lot of information to draw upon from the film. Rowe describes one of the character traits of an unruly women to be androgyny. Granted, Wednesday’s appearance looks highly feminine as she has long braids and wears a dress. Her hobbies, however, give her more of an androgynous personality. Wednesday is shown to have an interest in death, crossbows, sword fighting, and mutilation, and Pugsley is shown to enjoy causing car-crashes and sword fighting as well. These are all hobbies traditionally

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considered more masculine, yet both Wednesday and Pugsley practise them. It is interesting

to note, though, that even though Wednesday’s character seem to enjoy more masculine hobbies in favour of traditionally more feminine hobbies, it is not the case that Pugsley enjoys more ‘feminine’ hobbies over the more ‘masculine’ pastimes. However, Wednesday clearly takes pleasure in pastimes which are usually reserved for male characters, making her tamper with the division of gendered stereotypes, especially as her appearance and personality have a stark contrast in terms of gender expectations.

One last thing to note about Wednesday’s character is that she is portrayed as smart. For example, she is shown reciting historical facts to Uncle Fester, but it is the way she recites these facts that is important. She does not tell him enthusiastically what she was taught recently, but instead challenges him to ask about a certain historical topic, proving her knowledge in return. This is an indication that Wednesday is a smart girl, but not only that; Wednesday is smart and she is well aware of it. This kind of certainty of herself is present throughout the entire film. It is a sense of indestructible self-confidence that she radiates in every scene, because of this kind of behaviour combined with her eerily calm personality.

By placing Wednesday in juxtaposition with Pugsley, the contrast between the two characters is amplified. This makes Wednesday not only seem more calm and composed, but also more confident. Wednesday’s confidence on screen could function as a role model for young female viewers, but not only that. Given the fact that she is quite the unusual ten-year-old, she also brings added diversity in terms of representation. By having Wednesday appear on screen, young girls in the audience have a new role model to look at alongside the

many clichéd, innocent, sweet girls often portrayed in films.

1.8 Conclusion: Balancing Femininity and Masculinity While Reversing

Traditional Techniques

The Addams Family (1964-1966) and The Addams Family (1991) have managed to build a platform for a feminist message by adapting carnivalesque traits into their aesthetic. By placing themselves in the comedy genre, they have chosen to comment on the status quo

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using humour and laughter, both powerful tools that can be used without coming across as

grave or glaringly obvious.

Morticia, Wednesday, and even Granmama qualify as unruly women by Rowe’s standards, though all for different reasons. Where Granmama is old but overtly present, Wednesday has an androgynous personality combined with a feminine appearance. Morticia is the most unruly of the three, portraying dominant behaviour, talking excessively and in an inappropriate tone, and fully enjoying her sexuality. This gives the adaptations not only a broad spectrum in terms of representation of women based on age and personality, but also in terms of different aspects of the patriarchal rules the characters object to by behaving opposite to what those rules prescribe.

It seems that the creators of both the show and the film intentionally juxtaposed feminine and masculine traits and hobbies in the characters of the show. This has led to reversal in traditional roles and patriarchal constructions, while still maintaining feminine and masculine traits in female and male characters respectively. By playing with the balance between femininity and masculinity between the different characters as well as within the different characters, both the series and the film comment on traditional roles and

stereotypes in place without directly addressing or criticising them.

The reversal of gender roles regarding rationality and the display of emotions as described by Doane also contributes to the criticism of these stereotypes. In addition, and possibly even more importantly, by placing Gomez’ character in the rational framework of Morticia, the series has granted her with agency where most female characters are left

powerless.

The film provides Morticia with agency elsewhere, as it has managed to not only undercut the original meaning of the male gaze, but allowed Morticia to place her own meaning onto the gaze as well as herself, turning it into a tool working for the feminist agenda rather than the patriarchy.

It must be said that, in terms of intra-diegetic interests of the Addams family

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gender expectations of Wednesday’s character very cleverly. Throughout both adaptations,

an interplay between masculine and feminine interests and character traits can be found, allowing the characters to address traditional gender roles in a clever yet subtle way as well as providing proper onscreen representation of both male and female characters, as the family members all have complex, intricate personalities which are reminiscent of real human beings.

In short, both adaptations manage to protest the patriarchal rules which are in place in a subtle yet effective way, thanks to the well-rounded characters of the Addams family which all consist of a well-balanced set of masculine and feminine character traits that are placed in a carnivalesque setting, while repurposing traditionally patriarchal constructs and tools into feminist weapons to advocate women’s sexuality, representation of women on screen, and the eradication of gender roles.

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Chapter 2 The Feminist Elements of Story, Narration, and Plot and

Analysed in the Addams Family Adaptations

2.1 Introduction: The Distinction between Story, Narration, and Plot and

Their Effects in Terms of Feminism in the Addams Family Adaptations

Where the first chapter mainly focused on the characters of the Addams family, this chapter will focus its attention on the narrative7_{in which the characters are placed, the way these}

stories are told and the role and influence the different characters have in these narratives. Three different concepts will be taken into account, being story, narration, and plot. The story is that what is being told: the overall message of the text (Bal 5). This includes everything that the film and series are actually about; the events that happen both on and off screen. The plot is the actions which have been selected and placed in sequence in order to tell the story (Porter Abbott 43). The narration is in the way in which the story is told (Porter Abbott 39), and in film and television, that includes both intra-diegetic as well as extra-diegetic elements such as camerawork, genre, characters, and soundtrack.

The stories of both the series and the film will be closely examined. The principles and beliefs integrated into the story and the message that is sent to the viewer will be

analysed through the same framework of feminist film and television theories as the previous chapter in order to see to what extent the adaptations argue in favour of women’s sexuality and proper representation of women on screen as well as protest existing gender roles.

In addition to this, the plot of the two adaptations will be analysed. By scrutinising

which parts of the story are shown and which are left out, priorities in terms of implied

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importance will become clear regarding whether male or female characters and storylines

are perceived as more important by the filmmakers. Moreover, analysing the plot will indicate which characters are most important in furthering the plot, revealing the extent to which characters have agency in the narrative.

The narration of the story will be closely looked at as well. By establishing through which storytelling elements the story is told, the intention is to establish whether the series and the film have chosen to integrate techniques and concepts such as the rejection of marriage by Gomez to assert dominance, female characters taking a passive role in the narrative, and the curing of Morticia’s ‘hysteria’ (Neale 9; Mulvey 11-12; Doane 68). In addition to the feminist theories used in chapter one, this chapter will also consider Steve Neale’s work on masculinity concerning the male gaze in relation to the male characters in the adaptations, with the focus placed on Gomez and Uncle Fester, and the way it deals with the homoerotic implications the gaze can have. Lastly, this chapter will also look at

representation of women on screen in the two adaptations, taking the power dynamics as described by Feltey and Sutherland into consideration.

Analysing the story, narration, and plot of both adaptations though a theoretical framework consisting of the works by Sutherland and Feltey, Doane, Rowe, Neale, and Mulvey will create insight into how these elements contribute to a feminist attitude of the adaptations towards the roles the female characters play in the narrative, the extent to which they have agency, and the adaptations’ standpoint regarding gender roles, women’s

sexuality, and representation of women on screen.

2.2 Gender Role Models and Power Dynamics in The Addams Family

(1964-1966)

The premise of the pilot episode of The Addams Family (1964-1966), “The Addams Family Goes to School) revolves around Mr Hilliard, a truant officer coming to the Addams family’s house in order to tell Morticia and Gomez their children need to go to school as per the law. Initially, at the core of this episode’s premise is the conflict between Morticia and Gomez

The Addams Feminists: A trans-adaptational comparison of the characters and narrative of The Addams Family (1964-1966) and The Addams Family (1991) in their respective time frames from a feminist perspective.