Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-167) and index.
Contents:
Introduction : "no one mourns the wicked" -- Film noir's "femmes fatales" : moving beyond gender fantasies -- "Well, aren't we ambitious? : desire, domesticity, and the "femme fatale," or "You've made up your mind I'm guilty": The long reach of misreadings of woman as wicked in Amerian film noir -- Psychological disorders and "wiretapping the unconscious" : film noir listens to women -- Looking back: Victorinoir: modern women and the fatal(e) progeny of Victorian representations -- Looking forward: deconstructing the "femme Fatale".
Summary:
"In the context of nineteenth-century Victorinoir and close readings of original-cycle film noir, Julie Grossman argues that the presence of the 'femme fatale' figure, as she is understood in film criticism and popular culture, is drastically over-emphasized and has helped to sustain cultural obsessions with 'bad' women"--Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.