A Filmmaker's Guide to: Judith Butler's Philosophies

In this chapter of ‘the filmmaker’s guide’ we’re actually going to be learning about literature and film together. I understand that many of you are sitting in university during difficult times and finding it increasingly hard to study and I understand that many of you who are not at university or not planning on it are possibly stuck of what to do, need a break or even need to catch up on learning film before you get to the next level. This guide will be brief but will also contain: new vocabulary, concepts and theories, films to watch and we will be exploring something taboo until now in the ‘filmmaker’s guide’ - academia (abyss opens). Each article will explore a different concept of film, philosophy, literature or bibliography/filmography etc. in order to give you something new to learn each time we see each other. You can use some of the words amongst family and friends to sound clever or you can get back to me (email in bio) and tell me how you’re doing. So, strap in and prepare for the filmmaker’s guide to film studies because it is going to be one wild ride.

Judith Butler's Philosophies

What are they?

First of all, who is Judith Butler?

They are a gender theorist famous for writing the groundbreaking book "Gender Trouble" which is, although weirdly written, a very good book to read if you're looking to know more about the wider scope of gender.

What are their philosophies then?

Judith Butler's philosophies include the following:

• gender performance is a natural construct of showing how we have been taught to categorise masculine and feminine traits and practices
• gender is performative and therefore, is malleable and flexible
• gender performance is imposed and reinforced by heterosexuality and therefore, is biased via its imposition on to the masses
• gender has very little to do with the physical body and primary-sex characteristics

Are there some examples of their philosophies explored in literature?

Yes, there are. Some of the novels that explore Judith Butler's philosophies include some from their own time and some from before their time.

The books that can apply Butler's gender theories from before their own time include but are not limited to the following:

• Orlando by Virginia Woolf
• Sons and Lovers by D.H Lawrence
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
• Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

The books that can apply Butler's gender theories from their own time of philosophy include but are not limited to:

• The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff
• For Today I Am a Boy by Kim Fu
• On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
• Breakfast on Pluto by Patrick McCabe
• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

What about in film?

Their theories are seen everywhere in modern and post-modern cinema. Some exploring the effects of hyper-gender trait practice such as toxic masculinity and hyper-femininity, some exploring the realms of the gender-queer and non-binary and some exploring the experience of transsexuals and the intersex - but all exploring aspects of gender performance and identification.

Some films that explore these performative theories of gender that were written by Judith Butler in their book "Gender Trouble" include but are not limited to:

Fight Club

The exploration of hyper-masculinity and toxic masculinity in "Fight Club" is through the performance of the fight itself being in front of other men, as if it is a kind of gender-validation of some kind.

The Danish Girl

The exploration of the experience of a transgender woman in a society that has no concept of transgenderism as of the time the film takes place is again, applicable to the theory of gender performance and malleability in Judith Butler's works. The hyper-femininity embodied by Lili Elbe shows that she is committed to being viewed as a woman by others even if they refuse to accept her as one. It is a kind of self-styled revolution by her.

The Handmaiden

The exploration of hyper-femininity in "The Handmaiden" is actually interwoven into the plot by it, in the circumstance and company of the hyper-masculine, is used in order to push along the conflict between the two personalities. But as the hyper-feminine identity is seen as concealing truths of a nature that would destroy the reputation of the upper class character since the concept of the homosexual relationship is not understood by the vast majority of the characters within the narrative's time frame, it is also used to project an image of cliché femininity which requires and styles upon the chance for the male gaze.

Other films include but are not limited to:

• Brideshead Revisited
• Breakfast on Pluto
• Perks of Being a Wallflower
• Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Mulan
• Peacock
• Tootsie
• Boys Don't Cry

Further Reading:

Butler, J (2011). Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of Sex. UK: Routledge.

Butler, J (2006). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. UK: Routledge.

Butler, J (2004). Undoing Gender. UK: Routledge.