{"product_id":"cold-war-femme-9780822349471","title":"Cold War Femme","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInterpretations of Hollywood films of the 1950s and 1960s demonstrate how Cold War homophobia focused on the femme as the lesbian who posed the greatest threat to the nation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The Alfred Kinsey of film studies, Robert J. Corber has followed up his authoritative work on Cold War representations of male homosexuality with a companion volume on constructions of lesbianism in films of the period. Shedding new light on canonical films and iconic stars—\u003ci\u003eAll about Eve\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMarnie\u003c\/i\u003e, Bette Davis and Doris Day—\u003ci\u003eCold War Femme\u003c\/i\u003e tracks how a shift in discourses of homosexuality from gender inversion to object choice gave a new frisson to Hollywood femininity. Corber’s historical perspective shows how female power was mapped on to filmic fears and fantasies.”—\u003cb\u003ePatricia White\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eUninvited: Classical Hollywood Cinema and Lesbian Representability\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The only problem with Robert J. Corber’s \u003ci\u003eCold War Femme\u003c\/i\u003e is that it gives \u003ci\u003eso much pleasure\u003c\/i\u003e on the way to providing a completely persuasive and significant history of the threat femininity posed to the sexually and politically paranoid denizens of the Cold War West. The chapter on Doris Day, an instant classic, will surprise, delight, and educate all of its students, whether in classrooms or in fandom. But let that not distract anyone from the serious contribution Corber makes here to the history of twentieth-century sexuality.”—\u003cb\u003eLauren Berlant\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Female Complaint: The Unfinished Business of Sentimentality in American Culture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[P]rovocative, detailed, buttressed by ample documentation, at times brilliantly insightful. . . .” -- David Greven * Cineaste *\u003cbr\u003e“Not only solidly argued, the book is also nearly as much fun to read as the referenced films are to watch. \u003ci\u003eCold War Femme\u003c\/i\u003e offers valuable insights for any reader interested in filmic representations of female sexuality. With this book, Corber redresses his admitted previous neglect of lesbian history as non-distinct from gay men's history, and he triumphs in his goal of bringing analysis of Hollywood's femme lesbian into the broader picture of American women's history.” -- Kate Hogan * Media International Australia *\u003cbr\u003e“The strength of Corber’s scholarship rests in his attention to detail and the skillful way he creates effective, historically grounded contexts for understanding the texts and events he examines…. \u003ci\u003eCold War Femme\u003c\/i\u003e, then, is a historical analysis, a gender study, a work of film scholarship and, crucially, much more than merely the sum of its parts.” -- David Sidore * Film Criticism *\u003cbr\u003e“The theoretical framework developed in \u003ci\u003eCold War Femme\u003c\/i\u003e is of key pedagogical and intellectual value, as it proves the presence and consequence of cold war femme gender and sexuality in cinema and brings range to femme identity—an under-theorized gender identity. . . . Corber’s discussions of the cold war femme ultimately charm the reader into considering and reconsidering his subject and perspective, inspiring one to want to do their own close reading of his questions, reengage his text, and also look for other presences of the cold war femme.” -- Robyn A. Epstein and Mel Michelle Lewis * Feminist Formations *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“Cold War Femme\u003c\/i\u003e’s thesis is absolutely fascinating. . . . [A] truly significant addition to films studies, American Studies, queer studies and studies on the left, providing deep insights into the Cold War and its affects — and effects.” -- Paula Rabinowitz * Against the Current *\u003cbr\u003e“Brilliant in conception, convincing in execution, charming and witty in the writing. . . . Moving seemingly without effort between his texts, Corber brings the films to life and makes the reader see them anew. He is particularly masterful in weaving together his analysis of the four versions of \u003ci\u003eThe Children's Hour\u003c\/i\u003e, picking up one strand only to lay it down and pick up another, then another. The book as a whole is like an elegant tapestry. Essential.” -- W. A. Vincent * Choice *\u003cbr\u003e“Insisting on the material significance of the categories through which women’s lives and desires are understood and regulated, \u003ci\u003eCold War Femme \u003c\/i\u003ebrilliantly and elegantly complicates our sense of cinema in the Cold War era, and underlines how vital historical analysis is for queer scholarship.” -- Yvonne Tasker * Screen *\u003cbr\u003e“What makes \u003ci\u003eCold War Femme\u003c\/i\u003e a particularly distinctive contribution to sexuality studies is its disentanglement of the Cold War lesbian from gay histories and her re-insertion into American women’s history. . . . Among lesbian-focused histories and scholarship, it repositions the femme as a queer figure who isn’t overshadowed by the heroic masculinity of the butch. And, amidst queer studies more generally, it develops a historical exploration of less visible queer figures who aren’t gender crossers or transgressors. Cold War Femme should be compulsory reading for all those interested in these themes.” -- Dion Kagan * Screening the Past *\u003cbr\u003e“Corber has a winningly tart writing style and a dynamically convincing template for scrutinising some of the most significant films of the time with their observations about women’s social, sexual and political stakes. This is an ideal complement to his 1998 volume on homosexual representation in the same era (\u003ci\u003eHomosexuality in Cold War America\u003c\/i\u003e). It might also mark a new level of critique of heteronormative representation. The issue of spectatorship and its complex consequences for female subject positioning is a rich seam which he mines with clarity.” -- Elaine Lennon * Offscreen *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments ix\u003cbr\u003e Introduction. Reclaiming the \"Lost Sex\": The Lesbian in Cold War Culture 1\u003cbr\u003e Part I. Screening the Femme\u003cbr\u003e 1. Representing the Femme: \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eAll about Eve\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e 27\u003cbr\u003e 2. Lesbian Unitelligibility: \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Children's Hour\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e 48\u003cbr\u003e 3. Recuperating Femme Femininity: \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eMarnie\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e 72\u003cbr\u003e Part II. Female Stardom and Cold War Culture\u003cbr\u003e 4. Joan Crawford's Padded Shoulders 97\u003cbr\u003e 5. Remaking Bette Davis 127\u003cbr\u003e 6. Doris Day's Queer Normativity 154\u003cbr\u003e Conclusion. Killing Off the Femme: \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Haunting\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e 185\u003cbr\u003e Notes 191\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography 215\u003cbr\u003e Index 223","brand":"Duke University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49406064787799,"sku":"9780822349471","price":22.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/cold-war-femme-9780822349471","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}