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.

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.