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A review by arianappstrg
The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis by Barbara Creed
slow-paced
5.0
5: Vampires, aliens, monstrous wombs, toothed vaginas, and Freud all in one book? Sign me up. Also, fair warning, Plate 15: Woman's hidden genital mouth. A surreal displacement in Maggrite's The Rape scarred me for life and it might scar you too.
First of all, I was curious to see what other people thought of Creed's work so went ahead and read a few reviews before writing mine. I came across a few problem areas that I hadn't really noticed while I was reading. I can see them now that they have been pointed out to me. However, I'm giving this book a 5/5 rating because my initial reaction was positive and enthusiastic. I picked it up for supplementary research but ended up reading it for the jaw-dropping ideas. Plus, I do so love it when academics attempt to do a one-eighty on Freud, especially on his 'the all-mighty penis must be protected at all costs' theories. It cracks me up. The guy might have been a genius in the field but he certainly had some rather boyish ideas about women.
One of the problem areas that caught my attention was the sole focus on the representation of women from the male perspective. I think that most, if not all of the films Creed mentions have been directed by men. At first, I thought that that was the point of the book, to recontextualize Freud's ideas and explain the origins of stereotypes associated with the woman-as-monster trope in film. So I didn't really pay much attention to it. I also thought that there weren't that many female directors in the 90s who could have offered alternative (and, more accurate) representations of women. I was wrong.
I did a quick search on google and discovered there were loads of female directors, especially from the 60s onwards that directed horror. I'm not quite sure how many of them featured the woman-as-monster and whether or not their depictions were more accurate or based on the male perspective but they exist. So that's a bit confusing. It would have been great if Creed could have included a section where she is doing a comparative reading, as in, women in horror through men's eyes versus women in horror through women's eyes. I think that would have made the book a bit more balanced. There are also certain passages where she does come across as obsessively determined to shred every single thing that Freud ever said but, honestly, I found that more funny than annoying.
One of my favorite chapters was Woman As Vampire: The Hunger. I am obsessed with all things vampires so this chapter was the one that captivated me the most. Creed had some interesting things to say about the female vampire as a sensual lesbian that I hadn't encountered before, at least not in the academic world, and she really got me hooked. She also referenced Kristeva's essay on Abjection which is a work I have read but have not been able to fully grasp yet. However, Creed's using it in the context of the female vampire somewhat enlightened me. Another captivating chapter was Medusa's Head: The Vagina Dentata and Freudian Theory. That one made me cackle. In retrospect, it's quite unsettling to picture women as castrating/castrated monsters and even more unsettling to think that men in myth and ancient and modern societies (Freud I am looking at you) truly believed that stuff. But if you take a step back and read objectively, it is morbidly hilarious.
To conclude, if you love female-as-monster horror films and want to read in-depth analyses on them then this is the book for you. I guarantee you will never look at a horror film the same way. Also, I feel like I should add a warning; people often react strongly to Freud's theories (and they have every right to, some of them are bonkers) so if you feel that it would affect you negatively to read about them (and trust me, Freud's name is featured on almost every page) then I suggest you skip this book. But if you think you would benefit from reading Creed's reconceptualization then, by all means, give it a shot. It's a fascinating ride!
First of all, I was curious to see what other people thought of Creed's work so went ahead and read a few reviews before writing mine. I came across a few problem areas that I hadn't really noticed while I was reading. I can see them now that they have been pointed out to me. However, I'm giving this book a 5/5 rating because my initial reaction was positive and enthusiastic. I picked it up for supplementary research but ended up reading it for the jaw-dropping ideas. Plus, I do so love it when academics attempt to do a one-eighty on Freud, especially on his 'the all-mighty penis must be protected at all costs' theories. It cracks me up. The guy might have been a genius in the field but he certainly had some rather boyish ideas about women.
One of the problem areas that caught my attention was the sole focus on the representation of women from the male perspective. I think that most, if not all of the films Creed mentions have been directed by men. At first, I thought that that was the point of the book, to recontextualize Freud's ideas and explain the origins of stereotypes associated with the woman-as-monster trope in film. So I didn't really pay much attention to it. I also thought that there weren't that many female directors in the 90s who could have offered alternative (and, more accurate) representations of women. I was wrong.
I did a quick search on google and discovered there were loads of female directors, especially from the 60s onwards that directed horror. I'm not quite sure how many of them featured the woman-as-monster and whether or not their depictions were more accurate or based on the male perspective but they exist. So that's a bit confusing. It would have been great if Creed could have included a section where she is doing a comparative reading, as in, women in horror through men's eyes versus women in horror through women's eyes. I think that would have made the book a bit more balanced. There are also certain passages where she does come across as obsessively determined to shred every single thing that Freud ever said but, honestly, I found that more funny than annoying.
One of my favorite chapters was Woman As Vampire: The Hunger. I am obsessed with all things vampires so this chapter was the one that captivated me the most. Creed had some interesting things to say about the female vampire as a sensual lesbian that I hadn't encountered before, at least not in the academic world, and she really got me hooked. She also referenced Kristeva's essay on Abjection which is a work I have read but have not been able to fully grasp yet. However, Creed's using it in the context of the female vampire somewhat enlightened me. Another captivating chapter was Medusa's Head: The Vagina Dentata and Freudian Theory. That one made me cackle. In retrospect, it's quite unsettling to picture women as castrating/castrated monsters and even more unsettling to think that men in myth and ancient and modern societies (Freud I am looking at you) truly believed that stuff. But if you take a step back and read objectively, it is morbidly hilarious.
To conclude, if you love female-as-monster horror films and want to read in-depth analyses on them then this is the book for you. I guarantee you will never look at a horror film the same way. Also, I feel like I should add a warning; people often react strongly to Freud's theories (and they have every right to, some of them are bonkers) so if you feel that it would affect you negatively to read about them (and trust me, Freud's name is featured on almost every page) then I suggest you skip this book. But if you think you would benefit from reading Creed's reconceptualization then, by all means, give it a shot. It's a fascinating ride!