- Library Home /
- Search Collections /
- Open Collections /
- Browse Collections /
- UBC Theses and Dissertations /
- The femme fatale : A recurrent manifestation of patriarchal...
Open Collections
UBC Theses and Dissertations
UBC Theses and Dissertations
The femme fatale : A recurrent manifestation of patriarchal fears Anderson, Lesley Cecile Marie
Abstract
This thesis examines how and why the representation of the femme fatale is constructed and recycled by a dominant patriarchal ideology throughout history by outlining the catalysts that have produced and continue to produce such a figure. The image of the femme fatale is utilised as an ideological contrivance, occurring in the cultural discourses of various historical epochs in an attempt to quell any social change considered to be threatening to the patriarchal infrastructure. Massive improvements in women's social, political and/or economic position produce stress points in the historical continuum which destabilise previously clearly demarcated sex roles and other boundaries thereby provoking a response from the dominant ideological network through its institutions (legal, governmental, religious) and cultural productions (myth, religion, art, drama, literature, film). It becomes obvious that there is little change in recorded civilised history as to how patriarchal discourses oppressively delineate women. Its ideologically encoded message is clear-a good nurturing mother benefits man, allowing him to be prosperous and progressive, while a selfish and barren female, concerned only for and of herself, is destructive and abhorrent. While the former is a patriarchal necessity, the latter must be reinscribed within the safe workings of the status quo or destroyed. The image of the femme fatale is a recurring patriarchal ideological construction which, in all future simulacra, will possess the archetypal mythological characteristics of the emasculating licentiousness of the Siren, the Furies' malicious retributive sense of justice, the avaricious rapacity of the Harpies and Pandora's narcissistic and destructive curiosity. Because the femme fatale is a symptom and symbol of male fears of female equality, resurfacing at those periods when the smooth workings of the patriarchal social infrastructure are experiencing excess tension, she can be interpreted as a necessary evil not only to the patriarchal network but also as a emblem of inveterate feminist endeavours. Chapter one outlines the ideological implications of the femme fatale's representation; chapter two provides historical contextualisation; chapter three investigates her filmic incarnations in the first half of the twentieth century, concentrating on the femme fatale of film noir; and the final chapter examines issues associated with the contemporary cinematic femme fatale.
Item Metadata
Title |
The femme fatale : A recurrent manifestation of patriarchal fears
|
Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
|
Date Issued |
1995
|
Description |
This thesis examines how and why the representation of the femme
fatale is constructed and recycled by a dominant patriarchal ideology
throughout history by outlining the catalysts that have produced and continue to
produce such a figure. The image of the femme fatale is utilised as an
ideological contrivance, occurring in the cultural discourses of various historical
epochs in an attempt to quell any social change considered to be threatening to
the patriarchal infrastructure. Massive improvements in women's social, political
and/or economic position produce stress points in the historical continuum
which destabilise previously clearly demarcated sex roles and other boundaries
thereby provoking a response from the dominant ideological network through its
institutions (legal, governmental, religious) and cultural productions (myth,
religion, art, drama, literature, film).
It becomes obvious that there is little change in recorded civilised history
as to how patriarchal discourses oppressively delineate women. Its
ideologically encoded message is clear-a good nurturing mother benefits man,
allowing him to be prosperous and progressive, while a selfish and barren
female, concerned only for and of herself, is destructive and abhorrent. While
the former is a patriarchal necessity, the latter must be reinscribed within the
safe workings of the status quo or destroyed. The image of the femme fatale is a
recurring patriarchal ideological construction which, in all future simulacra, will
possess the archetypal mythological characteristics of the emasculating
licentiousness of the Siren, the Furies' malicious retributive sense of justice, the
avaricious rapacity of the Harpies and Pandora's narcissistic and destructive
curiosity.
Because the femme fatale is a symptom and symbol of male fears of
female equality, resurfacing at those periods when the smooth workings of the
patriarchal social infrastructure are experiencing excess tension, she can be
interpreted as a necessary evil not only to the patriarchal network but also as a
emblem of inveterate feminist endeavours.
Chapter one outlines the ideological implications of the femme fatale's
representation; chapter two provides historical contextualisation; chapter three
investigates her filmic incarnations in the first half of the twentieth century,
concentrating on the femme fatale of film noir; and the final chapter examines
issues associated with the contemporary cinematic femme fatale.
|
Extent |
5873677 bytes
|
Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
|
Language |
eng
|
Date Available |
2009-01-18
|
Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
|
Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
|
DOI |
10.14288/1.0086754
|
URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
|
Graduation Date |
1995-11
|
Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
|
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
|
Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.