ABSTRACT

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s series Fleabag (BBC/Amazon Prime, 2016-‘19) has been praised for its revitalization of direct address. Whereas this device is often used to foster intimacy between character and audience, I argue that Fleabag problematizes this. I examine the nature of Fleabag’s address through the lens of habits of constant connectivity in online attention economies in conjunction with gendered norms of self-representation on social media, and their impact on the nature and modes of human attention. Through a textual and cinematic analysis with attention to editing, camera, mode of address, and acting, I claim that Fleabag’s attention-seeking performance enforces an intimacy that is gradually revealed to serve as a distraction, and that this is reinforced by the show’s entire aesthetic. By foregrounding these issues, and through its aesthetic of distraction, Fleabag investigates the relational implications of multi-tasking lives and probes the boundaries of contemporary attention.

摘要

Phoebe Waller-Bridge 的系列Fleabag（BBC/Amazon Prime，2016-'19）因其振兴直接地址而受到称赞。虽然这种设备经常被用来促进角色和观众之间的亲密关系，但我认为Fleabag对此提出了问题。我检查了Fleabag 的本质通过在线注意力经济中持续连接的习惯以及社交媒体上自我表现的性别规范及其对人类注意力的性质和模式的影响来解决问题。通过对剪辑、摄影机、演讲方式和表演的关注的文本和电影分析，我声称 Fleabag 的寻求注意力的表演加强了一种逐渐显露以分散注意力的亲密关系，并且这被节目的整个审美的。通过将这些问题放在首位，并通过其分散注意力的美学，Fleabag调查了多任务生活的关系含义，并探讨了当代注意力的界限。