Publication Date
2012
Document Type
Thesis
Committee Members
Ava Chamberlain (Committee Co-chair), Andrea Harris (Committee Co-chair), Marie Thompson (Committee Member), Kelli Zaytoun (Committee Member)
Degree Name
Master of Humanities (MHum)
Abstract
An expanded notion of empowerment along with three specific theories-Beauvoir's concept of the Other, Speciesism, Cyborg Feminism-is used to analyze the female protagonists and antagonists in the following 1970's and 1980's science fiction and horror films: Fatal Attraction, Aliens, and The Stepford Wives. The female protagonists are allowed more access to power as human beings pitted against nonhuman antagonists, but these characters are ultimately not empowering for women because they reinforce rather than undermine the patriarchal structure. Implications for further research encourage a critique of female empowerment based on both gender and species.
Page Count
107
Department or Program
Humanities
Year Degree Awarded
2012
Copyright
Copyright 2012, all rights reserved. This open access ETD is published by Wright State University and OhioLINK.
