Overview

In the first extended study into the politics of whiteness inherent within postfeminist cinema, Kendra Marston interrogates representations of melancholic white femininity in contemporary Hollywood cinema, arguing that the 'melancholic white woman' serves as a vehicle through which to explore the excesses of late capitalism and a crisis of faith in the American dream. This figure may be idealised or scapegoated within these films, yet strategic performances of gendered melancholia may produce benefits for white female directors and stars disadvantaged within a patriarchal industry. Examining film genres including the tourist romance, the fantasy film and the psychological thriller, the book also contains case studies of films like The Virgin Suicides, Blue Jasmine, Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kendra Marston (Independent Scholar)
Publisher:   Edinburgh University Press
Imprint:   Edinburgh University Press
Weight:   0.363kg
ISBN:  

9781474430302

ISBN 10:   1474430309
Pages:   232
Publication Date:   04 June 2020
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable  
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Table of Contents

List of Figures Introduction Chapter One: The World is Her Oyster: Negotiating Contemporary White Womanhood in Hollywood’s Tourist Spaces Chapter Two: ""Hoist the Colours!"" Framing Feminism through Charismatic White Leadership in the Fantasy Blockbuster Chapter Three: Neoliberalism, Female Agency, and Conspicuous Consumption as Tragic Flaw in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine Chapter Four: Paranoid Attachments to Suburban Dreams: Pathological Femininity in Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train Chapter Five: Aristocratic Whiteness, Body Trauma, and the Market Logic of Melancholia in Black Swan Chapter Six: Sofia Coppola’s Melancholic Aesthetic: Vanishing Femininity in an Object-Oriented World Conclusion Bibliography Filmography

Reviews

Marston's interrogation of white female melancholy in postfeminist cinema is groundbreaking work that should be required reading for those in the film industry as well as for those in academia. -- G. A. Foster, University of Nebraska--Lincoln, CHOICE

Author Information

Kendra Marston completed her PhD in the School of Communication and Arts at the University of Queensland, Australia. Her research interests include critical race and whiteness studies, postfeminist media studies, Hollywood cinema, stardom and celebrity and costume and cinema. She has published in Cinema Journal, Quarterly Review of Film and Video, Film, Fashion & Consumption.

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