Shaken & stirred - The feminism of James Bond

Description

Although she has been lauded by some as a liberated woman and true feminist archetype, theBond Girl has virtually escaped critical study . . . until now. Shaken & Stirred: The Feminismof James Bond, the unofficial and independent first chapter in the Bond Girl's evolutionary journey,argues that the character initially served as a different archetype: one that reinforced a traditional,feminine ideal that served as a powerful reactionary symbol against the gender equality movement thatgained prominence in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s.Shaken & Stirred: The Feminism of James Bond provides a glimpse into “secondwave" feminism, the Women’s Liberation Movement, and cultural representations of women during thelatter half of the American twentieth century through a Bondian lens. It traces the evolutionary journey ofthe cinematic Bond Girl and assesses her cultural impact, revealing who she is and what she representsduring the first eleven films in the James Bond franchise, a seventeen-year period described as theGolden Era of the Bond Girl, and beyond.The Feminism of James Bond is the first installment in Robert A. Caplen’s Shaken &Stirred — series, which analyzes the historical and social implications of the feminist and Women’sLiberation movements in popular culture.