Vampirettes, Wretches, and Amazons: Western Representations of East European Women (East European Monographs)

This collection traces some of the major patterns of representation of East European women in Western art and culture, drawing careful connections between these philosophical, artistic, and cultural constructions and actual historical, sociopolitical realities. The articles analyze a wide array of forms of representation―narrative, theater, opera, journalism, film, and media―over a period of two centuries, in order to demonstrate that certain stereotypical and simplistic views of East European women have long been perpetuated in the Western world. Furthermore, these essays assert that the treatment of women in a given society is directly linked to the ways in which they are seen and represented in the imagination and artistic constructions of that culture. "Vampirettes, Wretches and Amazons: Western Representations of East European Women, is the first collection of its kind and a necessary contribution to East European Studies and to Women's Studies in general. The collection explores various stereotypical perceptions and representations of East European women in Western narrative, theater, film, media and popular culture, as well as forms of resistance to cliche ridden representations." "This book addresses a wide variety of educated audiences with an interest in issues of diversity, the representation of women and gender, and, of course, East European Studies." "The ten essays gathered here open up new venues toward a complex understanding of the great diversity of women from Eastern Europe, and toward modes of representation which, rather than re-enforcing gender and ethnic stereotypes, display a polyphony of female voices."--Jacket

this Collection Traces Some Of The Major Patterns Of Representation For East European Women In Western Art And Culture, While More Broadly Analyzing The Connection Between The Treatment Of Women In A Given Society And Their Artistic And Cultural Representation In That Culture.