Murdering Mr Darcy: Rejecting Alternative Forms of Masculinity in the TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale
This essay analyses the ritualistic slaughter and consumption of a pig named 'Mr Darcy' (season 4, episode 1) in The Handmaid’s Tale, interpreting it as a symbolic act of vampirism that absorbs and eradicates subversive masculinity in service of patriarchal ideology. Drawing upon Jane Austen’s Fitzwilliam Darcy as a prototype of empathetic, self-reflective masculinity, the paper demonstrates how Gilead’s male Guardians reassert dominance by violently eliminating this alternative model. The analysis further contextualises the scene through comparisons to real-world ritualised aggression—such as hazing in elite schools—to show how institutions purge emotional nuance to uphold conformity. Ultimately, the essay argues that Darcy’s death signifies not just the removal of an individual but the eradication of a possibility: a nonviolent, emotionally intelligent masculinity that threatens entrenched hierarchies.
Satire, Sexual Violence, and the Ethics of Representation
This essay critically examines the controversy surrounding Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album cover—a provocative image featuring the singer in a submissive pose with hair being pulled by a faceless man. It interrogates whether this imagery functions as satire or reaffirms patriarchal violence, drawing on perceptual theories of satire, which require clear critical intent, recognisable form, and humour. While some defenders argue Carpenter is reclaiming sexual agency in the tradition of Madonna, critics—including Glasgow Women’s Aid and women’s rights advocates—denounce it as regressive, echoing rape culture tropes. Ultimately, the essay contends that the cover fails to convey a discernible satirical stance; it provokes discomfort without framing it as critique, thereby risking reinforcement of the very misogyny it seeks to challenge. It argues satire on sexual violence bears serious ethical demands—'punching up', affirming feminist counter‑narratives, and resisting fatally ambiguous messaging—and concludes Carpenter’s imagery falls short of these standards.
The Politics of the Gaze: Women, Vision, and Power in the work of Virginia Woolf and Margaret Atwood
This project examines how Virginia Woolf and her literary descendant Margaret Atwood navigate the complexities of the female gaze and the politics of visibility. Focusing on Woolf’s novel The Years and Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, I analyse how the act of 'looking' becomes a site of both revelation and understanding, allowing female characters to interrogate patriarchal oppression. By comparing Woolf's treatment of the female gaze with that of her literary successor, I explore how these authors challenge and redefine the dynamics of 'looking' and 'seeing' in the context of women's experiences of gender oppression.
“Darcy’s death signifies not just the removal of an individual but the eradication of a possibility; a nonviolent, emotionally intelligent masculinity that threatens entrenched patriarchal hierarchies.”
Academic CV
Mayne, R. (2024). Virginia Woolf: Dance, Rhythm, Movement. Doctoral Thesis, Queen’s University Belfast
Mayne, R. (2023). “Mrs. Papworth: The Working-Class Woman in Virginia Woolf’s Novel Jacob’s Room.” Virginia Woolf Miscellany, 100, 56–57
Mayne, R. (2022). “‘Jacob Flanders Could Not Dance’: The Significance of Nondance in Virginia Woolf’s Novel Jacob’s Room.” Virginia Woolf Bulletin, 71, 63–67
Mayne, R. (2021). “Virginia Woolf and Zadie Smith’s Idea of the Ambient Essay.” Movable Type, 25 June