The Demonic Femme Fatale. Demonized Women in Mythology and Film Noir

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2023 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Other, grade: 2,0, University of Frankfurt (Main) (IEAS), language: English, abstract: This analysis argues that femmes fatales, just like many mythological women, are crucially misunderstood. Although these characters are often demonized in popular narratives, many of them represent victimized women who are demonized for challenging the oppressive environments that they suffer from. Their instrumentalized assets of gender and sexuality are their societal capital which either determines their worth in a man¿s world or is the characteristic which they are demonized for.

With the aforementioned examination of the undefinable femme fatale in mind, it will be argued that established cultural conceptions of Eve, Delilah, Salomé, Medusa, and the Sirens produce a demonized image of women which consolidates Film Noir¿s trope of the femme fatale. For this analysis, it will be assessed how preconceived convictions that manifest themselves in established interpretations of mythology manipulate the perceptions of the female protagonists in Charles Vidor¿s Gilda (1946) and Billy Wilder¿s Sunset Boulevard (1950).