Goncharov: A Self-Aware Queer Mirror on Tumblr
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37536/reden.2025.6.2742Keywords:
Cognitive Linguistics, Text World Theory, Frame Analysis, Tumblr, LGBTQ+ Media RepresentationAbstract
Packed with homoeroticism and symbolism, Goncharov is a mafia movie from 1973 about the rivalry between a Russian mob and the Italian mafia in Naples. However, Goncharov is unlike any other production by Scorsese, since it is a fabrication by Tumblr. In a community effort which began on November 18th, 2022, thousands of Tumblr users convincingly conceived the plot and the characters of Goncharov, adapting the conventions and stereotypes from its supposed genre. Nevertheless, Goncharov is also quintessentially Tumblr, which the presence of fandom and the queer readings of the movie give away. From the tenets of cognitive linguistics and the tools of Text World Theory, this paper attempts to unravel the cultural knowledge and assumptions underlying Goncharov, focusing particularly on its reflection of LGBTQ+ representation in films. A corpus of 150 Tumblr posts has been manually analyzed to identify the mental frames and cognitive blocks which the content of the said posts activates. The results reveal the coalescence of the past and the present of LGBTQ+ characters in TV shows and movies, perhaps influenced by the noticeable presence of the LGBTQ+ community on Tumblr.
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