College
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences (BCAS)
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-03 18:44:21
Major
English
Honors Course
3300_482_001
Number of Credits
3
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Date of Expected Graduation
Fall 2019
Abstract
During World War II women joined the workforce in droves due to propaganda such as Rosie the Riveter. When Soldiers began returning from the war they wanted stability and normalcy. They wanted to return to the America they left where women ran the household and men went to work. Women, however, experienced a new sense of freedom from working and wanted to continue their liberation. It was during this time that femme fatales, the sultry women of film noir became popular. They represented the liberated women of the 1940s. The film industry saw an opportunity to use these women found in detective fiction novels such as The Big Sleep to their advantage. The film industry took The Big Sleep which is filled with patriarchal values and turned it into a film. The film worked as propaganda to tell women of the 1940s that their newfound liberation would not be tolerated.
Research Sponsor
Mary Biddinger
First Reader
David Giffels
Second Reader
William Thelin
Honors Faculty Advisor
Philathia Bolton
Recommended Citation
Bishop, Leann, "Show Her It's a Man's World: How the Femme Fatale Became a Vehicle for Propaganda" (2019). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1001.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1001
Signature page for Honors Project Submission
Included in
American Literature Commons, Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, Military History Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, United States History Commons, Women's Studies Commons