Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
609001 
Journal Article 
Female monsters: Horror, the ‘Femme Fatale’ and World War II 
Jancovich, M 
2008 
Yes 
European Journal of American Culture
ISSN: 1466-0407 
27 
2 
133-149 
The article is an examination of critical reception of the figure of the female monster as it emerged from the horror film during World War II, and it seeks to analyse discourses through which this figure was understood during the period of their initial release. In the process, the article demonstrates that the figure currently referred to as the femme fatale was not understood as a coherent or unified phenomenon in the period, and that it did not develop as part of a reaction against the working women of wartime. On the contrary, the essay demonstrates the ways in which the female monster developed around the start of the war and the way in which she was both identified with the figure of ‘slacker’ and often overtly opposed to the figure of the independent woman of wartime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of European Journal of American Culture is the property of Intellect Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts) 
MONSTERS in motion pictures; WOMEN in motion pictures; HORROR films; WORLD War, 1939-1945; WOMEN & war; film noir; gender; genre; horror; reception studies; the femme fatale; World War II; FEMME Fatale (Film)