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- ISSN: 2589-4617
- E-ISSN: 2667-2081
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Our Flag Means Hope?
Piraten en queerrepresentatie in Our Flag Means Death (2022-heden)
- Amsterdam University Press
- Source: De Achttiende Eeuw, Volume 55, Issue 2023, Sep 2023, p. 166 - 172
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- 01 Sep 2023
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Abstract
Abstract
This contribution analyzes how the eighteenth century is used as a narrative strategy in the popular HBO-series Our Flag Means Death (2022-). Set during the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730), the series depicts the fortunes of the bumbling, rather unsuccessful ‘gentleman pirate’ Stede Bonnet. Although the show’s creators, David Jenkins and Taika Waititi, drew inspiration from eighteenth-century history, historical accuracy is not one of the series’ priorities. Indeed, a reliable representation of life in the eighteenth century is not what brought millions of viewers to grow to love the series. Far more important is the show’s authentic discussion of issues related to gender and sexuality (in particular homosexuality and queer identity). In this contribution, I will address how the creators use the eighteenth century to tell a story about queer love more freely. Not only the eighteenth century’s (relative) obscurity, but also the premodern character of this period allow Jenkins and Waititi to tell a story that blends history, fiction, and social justice.
© Vanessa Van Puyvelde