ABSTRACT:
Current scholarly debates on period drama acknowledge that the term has always carried a variety of problematic gendered associations. Although the genre is widely popular (not only) in the Western cultural framework, on the silver screen and small(er) screens alike, it has long been delegitimised as inherently feminine. This is why many period dramas, even the most popular ones and especially those offered by internet-distributed television, have struggled to achieve critical acclaim which would allow them to assume the status of quality (or rather prestige, high-end) TV, except for HBO’s male-centric productions such as Deadwood (Milch, 2004 – 2006) and Boardwalk Empire (Winter, 2010 – 2014). The aim of this study is to explore how the period drama Outlander (Moore, 2014 – ongoing) incorporates a variety of narrative and discourse elements typical for high-end television, offering a complex transhistorical portrayal of characters born in different centuries and driven by diverse needs and motivations. This objective is fulfilled by contributing to the wider academic dispute on the formal and content-related differences between period dramas, costume dramas, and historical dramas, as well as on the presumed appeal of contemporary period dramas to female audiences expecting to experience complex displays of femininity and masculinity. The study also utilises narrative and discourse analysis to discuss Outlander’s apparent ability to function as a genre hybrid merging fantasy, romance, and period drama with transhistorical storytelling, and also as a visually appealing and detailed portrayal of intimacy, emotional vulnerability, and female agency, particularly through the characters of Claire and Jamie Fraser.
KEY WORDS:
costume drama, female agency, female gaze, femininity, genre blending, intimacy, masculinity, objectification, Outlander, period drama, romance
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34135/communicationtoday.2025.Vol.16.No.2.4