Award Date

5-1-2015

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication

First Committee Member

Erika Engstrom

Second Committee Member

David Henry

Third Committee Member

Jennifer Guthrie

Fourth Committee Member

David Dickens

Number of Pages

168

Abstract

The concept of love has intrigued many social critics, and has led them to accuse media of perpetuating unrealistic notions of romance that are unattainable for a healthy and satisfying relationship. Unrealistic expectations of love and romance are a primary cause of relationship dissatisfaction among real couples. It is imperative to critically analyze media sources in order to gain knowledge of how to counter unhealthy notions of romance. Korean dramas (K-dramas) typically present a scenario in which strong mutual love and desire between two people come into conflict with existing sociocultural values. The kkonminam (Flower Boy) genre in particular, caters to young women, and focuses mainly on the romantic lives of young adults, making it a prime genre to analyze Korean portrayals of modern romance. The current study uses Galician’s myths of hegemonic portrayals of love and romance to see if common themes of Westernized “status quo” love can be detected in Korean dramas. The current study examines how love and romance is portrayed in Korean dramas, particularly in the Flower Boy genre, and does so by examining two K-dramas, Boys Over Flowers and Flower Boy, Ramen Shop. This study adds to previous literature on hegemonic ideals of love and romance. Ultimately, this study examines ideas of romance in the media to learn what portrayals present themselves in K-dramas, a form of mass media targeted at a younger audience whose views and expectations on romantic love are still forming, and may be influenced by media depictions.

Keywords

Flower Boy; Gender; Hegemony; Korean drama; Love; Love and Romance; Love in literature; Romance fiction; Korean

Disciplines

Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Gender and Sexuality | Korean Studies | Mass Communication

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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