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FROM RIVETER TO RIVETING: THE REBIRTH OF THE FEMME FATALE IN POST-WAR AMERICA

Whiteleather, Hagan Faye
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1431360238

Abstract Details

2015, BA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English.
Film noir was the product of an increasingly intersecting global culture. This distinct style is a direct consequence of the migration of citizens from various countries to America during/post-WWII. The shadowy and almost fatalistic themes that are weaved throughout noir plotlines are contributions of the French, wherein the impact of German Expressionism gives noir the tone and perspective of its unique filming style. Modern day film noir was born out of the cultural cacophony following the Second World War. The interspersed mix of European and American film styles gave way to a new genre, one so unique unto itself that it is easily identifiable. The femme fatale is an equally recognizable trope for female characters in film noir. The most current and recognizable resurgence of the character followed the conclusion of WWII within the genre of film noir. Film noir relied heavily on the character of the femme fatale, and I argue that the trope reemerged as a result of the shifting social sands of women in the workplace during wartime. Previously excluded from the work place, women volunteered to fill the void left by the men gone to war. Despite their contribution to the American war effort and the growing post-war economy, women were displaced from the workplace. Attitudes of skepticism, mistrust, and danger were translated from the wider social issue of an influx of females in the workplace to become the catalyst to the modern interpretation of the femme fatale in post-WWII film noir.
Kim Winebrenner, PhD (Committee Chair)
147 p.
Film Studies; Gender Studies; History; Literature

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Whiteleather, H. F. (2015). FROM RIVETER TO RIVETING: THE REBIRTH OF THE FEMME FATALE IN POST-WAR AMERICA [Undergraduate thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1431360238

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Whiteleather, Hagan. FROM RIVETER TO RIVETING: THE REBIRTH OF THE FEMME FATALE IN POST-WAR AMERICA. 2015. Kent State University, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1431360238.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Whiteleather, Hagan. "FROM RIVETER TO RIVETING: THE REBIRTH OF THE FEMME FATALE IN POST-WAR AMERICA." Undergraduate thesis, Kent State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1431360238

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Kent State University Honors College and OhioLINK.