Description
Book Synopsis This book traces the construct of female monsters as an embodiment of sociocultural fears of female sexuality and reproductive power. It examines the female maturation cycle and the archetypes of female monsters associated with each stage of development in literature, art, film, and television with a particular focus on Latin American work.Trade ReviewUnbecoming Female Monsters is a thoughtful, well-researched, and poignant examination of female monstrosity . . . It [is] a valuable resource for anyone interested in the intersection of fairy tales and feminism.
Cristina Santos takes an uncompromising and, at times, deeply poignant view of the sacrifices women are forced to make on a daily basis in order to conform to the constricting and largely male-dominated narratives which shape the society in which they live. With tremendous care and fascinating insight she dissects the cultural language and imagery of the female monster to reveal and recover the means by which this process can be broken down, the chains shaken off and women can un-become the monsters they have been made. -- Rob Fisher, Inter-Disciplinary.Net
Cristina Santos's Unbecoming Female Monsters offers an incisive examination of female embodiment and the “monstrous woman.” Organized in chapters that address various stages of the female life cycle, Santos reads the commodification of female sexuality and reproduction in relation to three key tropes: witch, vampire, and virgin. Drawing on fairy tales, mythology, literature, film, and television, Santos considers how women’s designation as monster has deleterious effects on females’ ability to form productive relationships with self and other. Arguing that a “positive reappropriation” of female-ness can dismantle such constructions, Santos makes a compelling case for “unbecoming the monster.” -- Natalie Wilson, California State University, San Marcos
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Permissions Introduction Chapter One: Turning Back the Clock: “Modern” Virginities Chapter Two: Breaking In vs. Breaking Out: Negotiating the Transition from Girlhood to Womanhood Chapter Three: Maligned Mother(hood)s Chapter Four: Fairy Tale Witches and Much More Chapter Five: Life Isn’t a Fairy Tale and I’m No Princess: The Case of Countess Elizabeth Bathory Epilogue Works Cited Filmography About the Author
