Ink-stained amazons and cinematic warriors: superwomen in modern mythology PDF
Preview Ink-stained amazons and cinematic warriors: superwomen in modern mythology
INK-STAINED AMAZONS AND CINEMATIC WARRIORS “Femaleheroesaboundinliterature,filmandallwalksoflife,although most people don’t know that they do. Not surprising given how much theychallengethegenderrolesinwhichwomenandgirlshavehistori- callybeenconfined.Thiswonderfulbookshowsfemaleheroesbreaking out of gender boxes left and right and illuminates new possibilities for theindomitableheroinallofus.” —Kathleen Noble, Ph.D., author of The Sound of the Silver Horn: Reclaimingtheheroismincontemporarywomen’slives “Onceuponatime—onlyafewyearsago,actually—womencouldturn on their TV sets and glory in the adventures of Buffy, Xena, Sydney Bristow, Dana Scully, and many more strong, ass-kicking women. To- daythereisnotoneshowonthesmallscreenthatstarsafemaleaction hero.Whathappened?Comicsarenotmuchbetter.Asidefromtheocca- sionalexception(forwhichwearegrateful)likeBirdsofPrey,andwomen writerslikeIvoryMadison(TheHuntress)andGailSimone’snewlyfemi- nistinterpretationofWonderWoman,mostcomicbookactionheroines continuetobemale-writtenanddrawncreationswhosebreastsarebigger thantheirpersonalities. NowalongcomesJenniferStuller,withherveryentertainingbook, Ink-stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors, to explore the whys and whereforesofpopculturesuperwomen,andperhapsjoltusallintode- mandingmoreandstrongerwomencharacters.Thankyou,Jennifer.We needthoserolemodels!” —TrinaRobbins,authorofTheGreatAmericanSuperheroines INK-STAINED AMAZONS AND CINEMATIC WARRIORS Superwomen in Modern Mythology Jennifer K. Stuller Publishedin2010byI.B.Tauris&CoLtd 6SalemRoad,LondonW24BU 175FifthAvenue,NewYorkNY10010 www.ibtauris.com DistributedintheUnitedStatesandCanadaExclusivelybyPalgraveMacmillan 175FifthAvenue,NewYorkNY10010 Copyright©2010JenniferK.Stuller TherightofJenniferK.Stullertobeidentifiedastheauthorofthisworkhasbeen assertedbytheauthorinaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatent Act1988. Allrightsreserved.Exceptforbriefquotationsinareview,thisbook,oranypart thereof,maynotbereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,or transmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying, recordingorotherwise,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher. ISBN:9781845119652 AfullCIPrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary AfullCIPrecordisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:available TypesetinAGaramondbyMacmillanPublishingSolutions PrintedandboundinIndiabyThomsonPressIndiaLtd For Ryan You are the Superman to my Superwoman This page intentionally left blank Contents ForewordbyRozKaveney ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 SECTION I Standing on the Shoulders of Amazons 1 TheBirthofModernMythologyandtheMother ofFemaleSuperheroes 13 2 ModernMyth,MeetFeminism 29 3 WomenofSteel:TheBuffandtheBacklash 53 4 SuperGrrrlPowerinthe1990sandtheTurn oftheTwenty-FirstCentury 65 SECTION II Journey of the Female Hero 5 LoveWillBringYoutoYourGift:OnRedemption, Collaboration,andCompassion 87 6 Who’sYourDaddy?:OnFathersand TheirSuperdaughters 105 7 AlwaystheMother,NevertheMessiah:OnMothers, Daughters,andWomenMentoringWomen 117 SECTION III The Mythmakers 8 WomenMakingMyth 137 viii Conclusion:“WhereDoWeGofromHere?” 157 From(A)eonto(Z)oë:ASelectGlossaryofSuperwomen inModernMythology 163 S R O Endnotes 175 RI R A Bibliography,Filmography,andInternetSources 209 W C AuthorRecommendations 231 TI A M Index 235 E N CI D N A S N O Z A M A D E N AI T S K- N I Foreword Alotofpeopledisapproveoffemalesuperheroes. Iamnotjusttalkingaboutothercharactersinthefictionalworldsinwhich they exist—policemen who regard them as lawless vigilantes or headmas- terswhothinktheyneglecttheirstudiesorparentswhowouldratherthey stopped. I am thinking about critics who worry that they are just an escapist way to avoid acknowledging female oppression in the real world, or a way for middle-aged men to fetishize young fit female bodies—and that’s just people on the side of progress and justice. Back in the 1950s, FredericWerthamdisapprovedmoststronglyoftheonlyfemalesuperhero he knew about. He saw Wonder Woman’s strength and independence as unhealthy and her friendship with women aviators as coded propaganda forlesbianism—andassumedthatthiswasabadthing. One of the reasons why people want heroes is that they feel—often with good reason—that they are powerless in their daily lives; being able todreamofpeopleforwhomthatconditionisabsentordifferentisafirst steptotakingstepstoimproveyourownreality.WonderWoman’screator WilliamMoultonMarstonsawher,quitespecifically,asawayofencourag- ingyoungwomentothinkabouttheirownautonomyandambitions,and the rise of second wave feminism has been paralleled at every turn by the creationofinspirationalwomencharactersinfilm,television,andcomics. Jennifer Stuller’s study documents their irresistible rise, but also defends thempassionatelyassubjectsforcriticalattention. Sheisaseloquentabouttheclassicleatherjump-suitedheroinesofthe pop1960sassheisaboutmorerecentfigures—thereisalineofdescenthere fromHonorBlackman’sCathyGaleandDianaRigg’sEmmaPeelthrough to more recent characters like Jennifer Garner’s Sydney Bristow in Alias. Sheisexcellentonaselectionoffemalesuperheroesfromcomics—Wonder Womeninhervariousincarnations,inparticular. Likealotofpeople,Iwasdrawntothisareaofthestudyofpopularcul- turebyJossWhedon’sBuffyandbyhisotherstrongfemalecharacterslike Faith, Willow, and Cordelia; Faith’s reference to herself and Buffy as “hot x chickswithsuperpowers”couldalmosthavebeenasubtitletoInk-stained Amazons.(IfirstencounteredpartsofthisbookinapresentationthatStuller didattheSlayageBuffyStudiesconferenceinBarnesville,Georgia,andwas instantlystruckbytheusefulnessofherdiscussion.)Heresheprovidesthe S OR studyofBuffy,Xena,Ripley,andtheothermost-studiedfemalesuperheroes RI withahistoricalandculturalcontext;thisisaninvaluableoverviewtothe R A waymodernwomenhavebeenprovidedwiththisparticularlyempowering W setofdreams. C TI A —RozKaveney M E N CI D N A S N O Z A M A D E N AI T S K- N I
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