1st Edition

Fatal Women Lesbian Sexuality and the Mark of Aggression

By Lynda Hart Copyright 1994

    Starting from the historical link between criminality and sexual deviancy, Lynda Hart builds a complex and original theory in which the shadow of the lesbian animates representations of violent women in literature, plays, films and performance. Chapters detail this theory in diverse areas, including: * Frank Wedekind's Lulu Plays * Thelma and Louise and Basic Instinct * the performance art of Karen Finley in the context of censorship debates * The Split Britches' performance Lesbians Who Kill Fatal Women is a major contribution to lesbian theory and cultural studies. It is a challenging, stimulating and rewarding study.

    Preface 1. Introduction: The Paradox of Prohibition 2. The Victorian Villainess and the Patriarchal Unconscious 3. Enter the Invert: Frank Wedekind’s Lulu Plays 4. Chloe Liked Olivia: Death, Desire, and Detection in the Female Buddy Film 5. Reconsidering Homophobia: Karen Finley’s Indiscretions 6. Race and Reproduction: Single White Female 7. Why Woman Did It: Basic Instinct and Its Vicissitudes 8. Surpassing the Word: Aileen Wuornos 9. Afterword: Zero Degree Deviancy—Lesbians Who Kill

    Biography

    Lynda Hart

    `... writes with her usual authority. The work is clean thorough and incisine.' - Ms S J Dickenson, Hull Univ