Cultural Studies here I come!

I have been straying away from the blog prompts lately, instead concentrating on aspects of my research that have been a little more interesting to me. Today I am going to pick back up with the syllabus prompts. I want to pick apart the theoretical framework of Cultural Studies in today’s blog and attempt to apply it to my ongoing research.

On the handout from Katie and Sean the main idea section had a point that stated, “A cultural studies scholar would first study an object and then connect that information to a larger progressive political project.” I think this will be something that is very helpful in my cultural artifact project for a couple of reason:

1. My research has absolutely taken a turn towards women’s studies issues, just as I anticipated at the beginning of the semester. This becomes very relevant to the women’s liberation movement. Right there I have an artifact and a correlating political issue.

2. 2. The timeline of Film Noir is the 1940s and 1950s. On the global stage the world was dealing with WWII and the aftermath.

3. 3. I am looking at the feelings the femme fatale has towards the home. The conflict of female roles in the public and private spheres is expressed when we The Cult of Domesticity.

There is such a strong conversation going on between the femme fatale and the audience in regards to “norms” and society. Every Film Noir I watch seems to bring up dark and dicey questions for the time period through the use of this “evil” character and their actions. I have been viewing these movies more and more on the use of language by the femme fatales, their dress, the lighting, and so forth. I see the cinema as a stage to voice problems of society and American culture. These women sacrifice themselves in order to vocalize the disconnect between public and private spheres in regards to women. (Yikes, did I just say the femme fatale was actually a righteous character?)

Cultural Studies seems like the right place to help ground my cultural artifact criticism. Along with this, Feminist Criticism will definitely come into play. Now I feel confident and ready to make some big bad claims and back it up using these sweet frameworks.

And to answer your question Becca, being a research rocks! I don't think I want this project to end.

Where is this leading me?

The article that I mentioned last week was not actually an article, but a book. I had a Document Article from the university that highlighted part of the 6^th chapter from the book for one of my WS class and the citation the professor gave was incorrect. So, my sincere apology must be given for the misinformation. The book is:

Women and Men:

Cultural Constructs of Gender

3^rd Edition

Author: Nancy Bonvillian.

So, now that I am looking more into the domestic aspect of the femme fatale I have come up with a plan. I want to look at two aspects of the genre. First, I want to look at the idea I discussed in my last blog, the femme fatale’s dislike of domestic life, as well as the idea of domestic life being unattainable for the femme fatale.

When I first began this project I was completely overwhelmed and disorganized. I do not want this to happen again, so I am tackling this new research feet by looking at my trusty 100 Film Noirs book. I have been reading cover to cover the film history, background and plot of each entry. I am compiling a list of no more than 10 films I will watch and possibly discuss for my final conference presentation (I plan on doing a lot of movie watching and note taking over Thanksgiving).

So while I am still compiling my list, I have come up with a nice Jacquess Tourneur film to discuss. Cat People is not technically Film Noir to some, but it has a great quality in the female character. The premise of the film is that a woman named Irena believes herself to be a decendent from a satanic tribe of people able to change into large, dangerous cats. She marries a man named Oliver after a brief courting. The problem: Irena believes if she becomes intimate with her husband she will change into a cat and kill him. This is a tricky spot these two characters are in because Irena wants nothing more than to be a good wife, while Oliver has a desire and need to be intimate and close to her.

The distance between the two characters is obvious. There is this unbelievable desire from Irena to be a wonderful wife and a good home caretaker. Oliver on the other hand wants nothing more than to provide a wonderful and fulfilling life for his new bride.

What is really interesting here in terms of my research is this ultimate desire that Irena has towards domestic life. Unlike Phyllis who hates being married and confined to the home, Irena wants to be there in the home and be the best wife possible for her husband.

I feel there is this unbelievable paradox surrounding the home and the domestic sphere in 1940’s films. Whether they are classically called Film Noir or not, there is a huge dialogue going on about the place of the woman. What really meant someone was a “good” wife or an “ideal” homemaker? I know that the 1940’s were an absolutely fascinating time in history in terms to gender studies and the conversation the place of women in society.

One more aspect and then I will sign off for tonight, the idea of post WWII. I mentioned in my initial work on this project that Noir came out of this hard period of time during and after WWII. I think this plays a huge role in the reworking of the family dynamic and the place of women. There is the idea of the nuclear family and where women stand in terms of public and home life. Men are returning and reclaiming jobs, while women are questioning where they belong. This may sound like a rant, but I feel like I am on a good path looking at the conversation about women and place. I feel that the historical context of the time lends itself vehemently to the larger discussion of gender roles/identity in these films.

I have a file folder far too full of research that I need to start cutting down and organizing in preparation for my conference presentation. Do scholars ever become overwhelmed with the mass of papers, books, articles, downloads and every other type of research material? I think I am starting to realize why so many professors and scholars have an office filled to the brim with books and papers a foot thick on their desks!

Arriverderci!