Do You Fit the Alloy Mold? The Homogenization of Structure and Audience in the Television Adaptations of 'Gossip Girl,' 'Pretty Little Liars,' and 'The Vampire Diaries'

• Main Author: Murray, Caitlin
• Format: Others
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2013
• Subjects: Young Adult Literature; Popular Culture; Television; Gossip Girl; Pretty Little Liars; The Vampire Diaries; Arts and Humanities; English Language and Literature
• Online Access: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/3064; http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4063&context=etd

This thesis explores the ways in which the television adaptations of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries become more homogenized during the adaptation process, thus contributing to an implied exclusivity from which Alloy, Inc.—the media and marketing company that owns these products—might benefit. This paper points out the ways in which the three products become structurally similar to one another during the adaptation process through the implementation of soap opera conventions. An exploration of consumption and class in each of the three works reveals an emphasis on class-based exclusivity in the adaptation process. Finally, a focus on portrayals of race within the source texts and their respective adaptations reveals the ways in which African American characters are presented as invisible, outsiders, or antagonists, thus creating products that become more exclusive on a race basis.