Chapter 13. Genre, performance and Sex and the City

Brian Paltridge | University of Sydney

Angela Thomas | University of Tasmania, Australia

Jianxin Liu | University of Sydney

This chapter explores the television series Sex and the City from a cultural studies perspective, and, in particular, through the notions of genre (Miller 1984) and performance (Butler 1990). It considers the ways in which the lead characters, Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte, construct particular identities as they engage in the genre of casual conversation. The chapter argues that what, to some people, may seem natural in their interactions is a result of what Butler (1990: 33) calls “a set of repeated acts” and a “repeated stylisation of the body”. Sex and the City, we argue, provides an example of its lead characters doing gendered (and other identities) as they participate in the genre of casual  conversation.

Published online: 20 July 2011
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.211.16pal

Cited by

Cited by 2 other publications

Bednarek, Monika

2015. “Wicked” women in contemporary pop culture: “bad” language and gender in Weeds, Nurse Jackie, and Saving Grace. Text & Talk 35:4

Paltridge, Brian

2017. In The Discourse of Peer Review, ► pp. 67 ff.

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 13 may 2022. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.