Outlander's Sassenachs: Essays on Gender, Race, Orientation and the Other in the Novels and Television Series

Outlander, an epic time travel adventure with plenty of history and romance, has hit cable television. And unlike many other shows, this one seems designed particularly for the women. There's a spectacle of scantily dressed men (or rather one kilted man in particular), a female narrator, and fantastic period costumes. More interestingly, both show and books address many issues most series shy away from-breast feeding, abortion, birth control. Role reversals are common as powerful Claire rescues her virginal husband Jamie from sexual abuse. The villainous Black Jack Randall even displays his genitals onscreen in a spectacle for the heroine Jenny to laugh at. On a wider level, the story considers what it means to be a capable woman in the eighteenth century versus the twentieth as Claire explores different models of strength in the two times. Likewise, Jamie comes to understand the nuances of male honor, power, and alternative sexuality through the contrasting models of Black Jack and Lord John. While most characters are white early on, the books introduce the Cherokee and the slavery question with sympathy as Jamie and Claire struggle to improve the world. As the heroes encounter all the complications of a marriage, along with life in their wider community, they make discoveries about gender that resonate with all their fans here in the modern world.