Table of Contents

Contents Introduction: Hollywood Heroines: women, feminism and film 1 At the Margins of 'film noir': genre, range and female representation 2 Reviewing the Female Gothic Heroine: agency, identification and feminist film criticism 3 Narrative Journeys of the Female Gothic Heroine 4 Men in the Woman's Film: the gothic male, representation and female discourse 5 Professional Investigators and 'Femmes Fatales' in Neo-Noir 6 Reworking the Woman's Film: the neo-gothic heroine in contemporary cinema Conclusions: The Currency of Hollywood Heroines Appendix: The Female Gothic Cycle of the 1940s Bibliography Index

Promotional Information

The endangered and dangerous female figures of "Rebecca", of "Jagged Edge" and "What Lies Beneath" have a deserved and endures fascination. This work re-examines these gothic heroines of Hollywood and their meanings, in two of Hollywood's key generic cycles, film noir and the female gothic film. It also traces their revival in neo-gothic films.

About the Author

Helen Hanson is Lecturer in Film in the School of English, University of Exeter.

Reviews

""Hanson gives us close readings that illuminate how the gothic heroine's identity and agency are directly linked to those of the predecessor who haunts her."" -- Max Fincher, Times Literary Supplement, 20 February 2009