Oral Presentations - Session 2C: UC 331
Fatal Woman, Revisited: Understanding Female Stereotypes In Film Noir
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Kathleen Kane
Faculty Mentor’s Department
English
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Film noir stereotypes female characters through the femme fatale: fatal woman or wife. However, critics are currently re-examining the femme fatale. For example, in Film Noir’s Progressive Portrayal of Women, Blaser and Blaser write “even when [film noir] depicts women as dangerous and worthy of destruction, [it] also shows that women are confined by the roles traditionally open to them.” With that sentiment in mind, can one say that the femme fatale generates fear of feminism? Can one read her as a martyr and a heroine? I will examine facets of the femme fatale in modern and classic iterations, while contextualizing women’s historical roles in society.
Category
Humanities
Fatal Woman, Revisited: Understanding Female Stereotypes In Film Noir
UC 331
Film noir stereotypes female characters through the femme fatale: fatal woman or wife. However, critics are currently re-examining the femme fatale. For example, in Film Noir’s Progressive Portrayal of Women, Blaser and Blaser write “even when [film noir] depicts women as dangerous and worthy of destruction, [it] also shows that women are confined by the roles traditionally open to them.” With that sentiment in mind, can one say that the femme fatale generates fear of feminism? Can one read her as a martyr and a heroine? I will examine facets of the femme fatale in modern and classic iterations, while contextualizing women’s historical roles in society.