I'm in ur fandom, queerin ur narrative

[sabinelagrande]

So, I decided I needed a break from doing linguistic theory.

And I used it to write meta about gender norms. ::headdesk::

But anyway, mercurtin started this discussion about the verse I've been working on (see Fever High and Get Down and Crawl) and ladycat777's Marriedverse, so blame her. She makes some really excellent points about why these stories simply don't

Comments

[mecurtin]

Nancy, even from what little we see of her, is in no way the stereotypical military wife; I can't even conceive of her participating in phone trees or baking cookies for the boys

But I think she could very much be the modern officer's wife -- what ces calls General and Mrs. Big Washington Player. She's in Homeland Security, remember, which might mean "Bush administration appointee", a kind of Jenny Sanford or once and future lobbyist type, half of a Power Couple. That would also fit with Patrick liking her and maybe hoping she would direct John to make something "successful" out of his military career, moving up the military-industrial complex.

[ladycat777]

I agree with this. Nancy isn't a serviceman's stereotypical wife, but she's absolutely an officer's stereotypical wife. I wouldn't necessarily call it 'modern' since you can find instances of an ambitious wife managing the political aspects of her husband's career going back multiple centuries. The easiest is to look at English history, especially during the time of the Empire, which is chock full of them, but I bet it wouldn't be hard to find a great deal more in many countries.

[emrinalexander]

I'm kind of confuzzled, and I suck at meta, so take this for what's worth *G*, BUT

[mecurtin]

people get together who make the ODDEST appearing couples - it does happen.

Absolutely -- this is part of why I feel conflicted, torn between what RL leads me to expect and the Rules of TeeVeeLand lead me to explect.

But I guess part of what I'm saying is that John in John/Mer breaks gender conventions almost as much as John/Rodney does -- more, in some ways, because military masculinity is supposed to be so homosocial.

[emrinalexander]

I love your series and Mer isn't a stereotypical anything in the stories. Though, no, I can't see her organizing phone trees, taking their kids to the "right" birthday parties, having the other officer wives over for a coffee morning to discuss the fund drive for returning service veterans...in fact, my mind is boggling at the very idea of this...and the ensuing disaster that would be the end result, but anyway *G*.

But that might be hilarious to try and write - I can see her thinking it's something John wants, and trying to give it to him, only it isn't something he wants and...like O. Henry with flung lemonade and tea cups!

[sabinelagrande]

I think we're approaching the same thing from two different directions- I read her as being the perfect wife for a rich, upwardly mobile man, and I think Patrick's ambition for John is that he have that sort of lifestyle, even if he has to take the totally declasse route through the military. The whole military issue is secondary, to me, because, she's just as appropriate- and Meredith is just as inappropriate- if John's an officer or an investment banker.