Heroines of Film and Television : Portrayals in Popular Culture

As portrayals of heroic women gain ground in film, television, and other media, their depictions are breaking free of females as versions of male heroes or simple stereotypes of acutely weak or overly strong women. Although heroines continue to represent the traditional roles of mothers, goddesses, warriors, whores, witches, and priestesses, these women are no longer just damsels in distress or violent warriors. In Heroines of Film and Television: Portrayals in Popular Culture, award-winning authors from a variety of disciplines examine the changing roles of heroic women across time. In this volume, editors Norma Jones, Maja Bajac-Carter, and Bob Batchelor have assembled a collection of essays that broaden our understanding of how heroines are portrayed across media, offering readers new ways to understand, perceive, and think about women. Contributors bring fresh readings to popular films and television shows such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Kill Bill, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Weeds, Mad Men, and Star Trek. The representations and interpretations of these heroines are important reflections of popular culture that simultaneously empower and constrain real life women. These essays help readers gain a more complete understanding of female heroes, especially as related to race, gender, power, and culture. A companion volume to Heroines of Comic Books and Literature, this collection will appeal to academics and broader audiences that are interested in women in popular culture. Award-winning Authors From A Variety From A Variety Of Disciplines Examine The Changing Roles Of Heroic Women Across Time. In This Volume, Editors Norma Jones, Maja Bajac-carter, And Bob Batchelor Have Assembled A Collection Of Essays That Broaden Our Understanding Of How Heroines Are Portrayed Across Media, Offering Readers New Ways To Understand, Perceive, And Think About Women. Contributors Bring Fresh Readings To Popular Films And Television Shows Such As 'the Girl With The Drago Tattoo', 'kill Bill', 'buffy The Vampire Slayer', 'weeds', 'mad Men', And 'star Trek'. The Erotic Heroine And The Politics Of Gender At Work: A Feminist Reading Of Mad Men's Joan Harris / Suzy D'enbeau And Patrice M. Buzzanell -- Burn One Down: Nancy Botwin As (post)feminist (anti)heroine / Katie Snyder -- Choosing Her Faete: Subversive Sexuality And Lost Girl's Re/evolutionary Female Hero / Jennifer K. Stuller -- Torture, Rape, Action Heroines, And The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo / Jeffrey A. Brown -- The Maternal Hero In Tarantino's Kill Bill / Maura Grady -- We've Seen This Deadly Web Before: Repackaging The Femme Fatale And Representing The Superhero(ine) As Neo-noir Black Widow In Sin City / Ryan Castillo And Katie Gibson -- Romance, Comedy, Conspiracy: The Paranoid Heroine In Contemporary Romantic Comedy / Pedro Ponce -- Conflicted Hybridity: Negotiating The Warrior Princess Archetype In Willow / Cassandra Bausman -- The Woman Who Fell From The Sky: Cowboys And Aliens' Hybrid Heroine / Cynthia J. Miller -- Her Story, Too: Final Fantasy X, Revolutionary Girl Utena, And The Feminist Hero's Journey / Catherine Bailey Kyle -- Bollywood Marriages: Portrayals Of Matrimony In Hindi Popular Cinema / Rekha Sharma And Carol A. Savery -- The Enduring Woman: Race, Revenge, And Self-determination In Chloe, Love Is Calling You / Robin R. Means Coleman -- The Dark, Twisted Magical Girls: Shojo Heroines In Puella Magi Madoka Magica / Lien Fan Shen -- Women On The Quarterdeck: The Female Captain As Adventure Hero, 1994-2009 / A. Bowdoin Van Riper -- The Girl Who Lived: Reading Harry Potter As A Sacrificial And Loving Heroine / Norma Jones -- It's About Power And It's About Women: Gender And The Political Economy Of Superheroes In Wonder Woman And Buffy The Vampire Slayer / Carolyn Cocca. Edited By Norma Jones, Maja Bajac-carter, And Bob Batchelor. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Part I. Heroines on television : The erotic heroine and the politics of gender at work: a feminist reading of Mad Men's Joan Harris / Suzy D'Enbeau and Patrice M. Buzzanell -- Burn one down: Nancy Botwin as (post)feminist (anti)heroine / Katie Snyder -- Choosing her "fae"te: subversive sexuality and Lost Girl's re/evolutionary female hero / Jennifer K. Stuller -- Part II. Heroines on film : Torture, rape, action heroines, and The girl with the dragon tattoo / Jeffrey A. Brown -- The maternal hero in Tarantino's Kill Bill / Maura Grady -- We've seen this deadly web before: repackaging the femme fatale and representing the superhero(ine) as neo-noir "black widow" in Sin City / Ryan Castillo and Katie Gibson -- Romance, comedy, conspiracy: the paranoid heroine in contemporary romantic comedy / Pedro Ponce -- Conflicted hybridity: negotiating the warrior princess archetype in Willow / Cassandra Bausman -- The woman who fell from the sky: Cowboys and aliens' hybrid heroine / Cynthia J. Miller -- Part III. Diversity concerns : Her story, too: Final fantasy X, Revolutionary girl Utena, and the feminist hero's journey / Catherine Bailey Kyle -- Bollywood marriages: portrayals of matrimony in Hindi popular cinema / Rekha Sharma and Carol A. Savery -- The enduring woman: race, revenge, and self-determination in Chloe, love is calling you / Robin R. Means Coleman -- The dark, twisted magical girls: Shōjo heroines in Puella Magi Madoka Magica / Lien Fan Shen -- Part IV. Heroines across media : Women on the quarterdeck: the female captain as adventure hero, 1994-2009 / A. Bowdoin Van Riper -- The girl who lived: reading Harry Potter as a sacrificial and loving heroine / Norma Jones -- "It's about power and it's about women": gender and the political economy of superheroes in Wonder Woman and Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Carolyn Cocca. As portrayals of heroic women gain ground in film, television, and other media, their depictions are breaking free of females as versions of male heroes or simple stereotypes of acutely weak or overly strong women. Although heroines continue to represent the traditional roles of mothers, goddesses, warriors, whores, witches, and priestesses, these women are no longer just damsels in distress or violent warriors. In this book, award-winning authors from a variety of disciplines examine the changing roles of heroic women across time. In this volume, editors Norma Jones, Maja Bajac-Carter, and Bob Batchelor have assembled a collection of essays that broaden our understanding of how heroines are portrayed across media, offering readers new ways to understand, perceive, and think about women. Contributors bring fresh readings to popular films and television shows such as 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', 'Kill Bill', 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', 'Weeds', 'Mad Men', and 'Star Trek'. The representations and interpretations of these heroines are important reflections of popular culture that simultaneously empower and constrain real life women. These essays help readers gain a more complete understanding of female heroes, especially as related to race, gender, power, and culture. A companion volume to Heroines of Comic Books and Literature, this collection will appeal to academics and broader audiences that are interested in women in popular culture Despite the increasing variety of heroic women portrayed in film, television, and other popular culture channels, much of the understanding of heroines has been limited to females as versions of male heroes or simple stereotypes of overly weak/strong (and even violent) women. This book analyzes the new vision of female heroes in popular culture. It features award-winning authors from a variety of disciplines, broadening our understanding of how heroines are portrayed, as well as how these important popular culture representations both simultaneously empower and/or constrain real life women