Femme fatale

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For other uses, see Femme fatale (disambiguation)

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A femme fatale (plural: femmes fatales) is a stock character in European drama and a stereotype, usually of a villainous woman, who misleads and ensnares a hapless hero or other male to further her own ends.

The phrase is French for "deadly woman," or "fatal woman." The femme fatale tries to achieve her hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as beauty, charm, and sexual skill. Typically, she is exceptionally well-endowed with these qualities. In some situations, she uses lying or coercion rather than charm.

Although typically villainous, femmes fatales have also been antiheroines in some stories, and some even repent and become heroines by the end of the tale (see, for example, Bell, Book and Candle). Today, the archetype is generally seen as a character who crosses the line between good and bad and acting unscrupulously, despite social norms and any allegiance she may have to the hero.^{[original research?]}

In social life, the femme fatale tortures her lover in an asymmetrical relationship, denying confirmation of her affection. She usually drives him to the point of obsession and exhaustion so that he is incapable of rational decisions.

Contents 1 History 2 References 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] History

The femme fatale has existed, in one form or another, in the folklore and myths of nearly all cultures for centuries.^{[citation needed]} Some of the earliest examples include the Sumerian goddess Ishtar and the Biblical Delilah. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the femme fatale became ubiquitous in Western culture and can be found in the works of Oscar Wilde, Edvard Munch, and Gustav Klimt.^{[original research?]} Following the introduction of film noir in the 1940s, the femme fatale flourished in pop culture. Examples include espionage thrillers, and in a number of adventure comic strips, such as The Spirit by Will Eisner, or Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff.

The femme fatale is sometimes portrayed as a sort of sexual vampire; her dark appetites were thought to be able to leech away the virility and independence of her lovers, leaving them shells of their former selves. On this account, in earlier American slang femmes fatales were often called "vamps", short for "vampire".^{[citation needed]} A classic portrayal of a femme fatale can be seen in Justine's character in Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet.

In opera, the femme fatale is usually played by a dramatic mezzo-soprano. More often in musical theater, the femme fatale is played by an alto. The femme fetale is sometimes the foil or the enemy of the ingenue or the damsel in distress.

Some argue that the figure has a male counterpart. Some examples could be Don Juan, Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, many of the heroes in Lord Byron's books (termed the "Byronic hero"), as well as such diverse characters as Billy Budd, Count Dracula, Tadzio in Death in Venice, Georges Querelle in Jean Genet's Querelle of Brest, James Bond, and Tom Ripley in Patricia Highsmith's "Ripley" novels.

Although often depicted in ancient texts as a symbol of corruption, in more recent times the femme fatale is often portrayed in fiction as a symbol of free will for women and unrestrained passion.

There has been greater attention to sexist and male-biased points of view in older fiction in recent decades. Many women state that the so-called villainous women in literature are merely seeking an improved enjoyment, quality of life, personal satisfaction, or metaphysical self-actualization, which has raised questions about the view of women as subservient and unworthy of free will in the eyes of men. A big point of debate is the subject of Lilith, the mythological first wife of Adam before Eve. In most texts depicting Lilith, many point out that her only real crime against Adam and God was voicing her own opinion. She is sentenced to hell, and God creates a more subservient new woman for Adam in the form of Eve.[1]

In modern times the Femme Fatale has enjoyed a better image.^{[citation needed]} Even Femme Fatales in older texts have been at times looked upon in a different, more sympathetic, light.^{[citation needed]}

In modern media, the Femme Fatale archetype can actually be seen quite often. Popular examples of this character type are the movies Nikita and Moulin Rouge!, and a number of assorted media from video games to comic books. Elektra, a character from the Marvel Comics universe is arguably a femme fatale and is a well known character in comic circles, as is Catwoman from the various Batman stories or EVA from Metal Gear Solid 3 a Spy very well trained in fighting with all her skills. The female Ninja (the Kunoichi) depicted in media is legendary for being trained in femme-fatale techniques as well as martial arts, so that she is able to use her sexuality as fluidly as her deadly skills. Another show that depicts the femme fatale image is the television show Desperate Housewives, where the main female characters use questionable means to get what they want.

[edit] References

Bram Dijkstra has written two books that discuss the Femme fatale-stereotype at great length:

• Idols of Perversity: Fantasies of Feminine Evil in Fin-De-Siecle Culture, ISBN 0-19-505652-3
• Evil Sisters: The Threat of Female Sexuality in Twentieth-Century Culture, ISBN 0-8050-5549-5

Elizabeth K. Mix has written a book discussing the origin of the Femme fatale in 19th century French popular culture:

• Evil By Design: The Creation and Marketing of the Femme Fatale, ISBN 978-0252073236

[edit] See also

• Archetypal literary criticism
• Feminist film theory
• Male gaze
• Warrior princess
• Succubus

[edit] External links

• The Femme Fatale Throughout History (History Television)
• The Femme Fatale in Film Noir
• High Heels on Wet Pavement: film noir and the femme fatale
• Marling, William: Hard-Boiled Fiction (Case Western Reserve University. Updated 2 August 2001.)