Date of Award
5-2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Legacy Department
English
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Erin Goss
Committee Member
Dr. Sean Morey
Committee Member
Dr. Travers Scott
Abstract
When Stephen King published his debut novel Carrie in a post Roe v. Wade America in 1974, a narrative about a young girl with telekinesis captured the fear of what was to come from women with power. In response to the burgeoning women’s movement of the 1970s, King’s novel culminates as a heightened expression of the cultural damage a sexually liberated woman with choice could cause. Brian De Palma’s 1976 film adaptation of the novel follows suit, extending a fear of women with choice by employing the cinematic male gaze to reclaim the right to objectify women. By emphasizing cosmetic application and an invasive display of private spaces occupied by women, De Palma’s film argues that women are to incite male pleasure through material performances of femininity, not to take ownership of their bodies and in turn their identities.
Recommended Citation
Collins, Molly Brianna, "CARRIE’S CHOICE: CONTEMPORARY FEMINISM AND SOCIOPOLITICAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF WOMANHOOD IN FILM ADAPTATIONS OF STEPHEN KING’S CARRIE" (2015). All Theses. 2091.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/2091