The character of the femme fatale exists as a highly stereotypical figure in American popular culture. Although the character’s antecedents are often located in the biblical figure of Eve, the femme fatale did not become a cultural icon until the publication of Hard-Boiled detective novels in the 1940s. The Hard-Boiled detective novel positions the femme fatale as manipulative seductress who deliberately commits murder and functions as a villain. As the character grew in popularity, the sign of the femme fatale became ubiquitously applied to any seductive woman in film, television, or other media, regardless of the whether or not the woman functions as a villain or a sex object. This dissertation asserts a specific definition of the femme fatale and locates the character in multiple popular texts while addressing the critics and scholars who reduce the femme fatale to a mere symbol of patriarchy without recognizing her power as an actantial villain.
","abstract_html":"<p>The character of the <em>femme fatale</em> exists as a highly stereotypical figure in American popular culture. Although the character’s antecedents are often located in the biblical figure of Eve, the <em>femme fatale</em> did not become a cultural icon until the publication of Hard-Boiled detective novels in the 1940s. The Hard-Boiled detective novel positions the <em>femme fatale</em> as manipulative seductress who deliberately commits murder and functions as a villain. As the character grew in popularity, the sign of the<em> femme fatale</em> became ubiquitously applied to any seductive woman in film, television, or other media, regardless of the whether or not the woman functions as a villain or a sex object. This dissertation asserts a specific definition of the<em> femme fatale</em> and locates the character in multiple popular texts while addressing the critics and scholars who reduce the <em>femme fatale</em> to a mere symbol of patriarchy without recognizing her power as an actantial villain.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Jennings, Leslie Anne"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Adam Rovner"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:01:25Z","subjects":["Literature","Femme fatale","Arts and Humanities","Creative Writing","English Language and Literature","Fiction","Other English Language and Literature"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. This work may only be accessed by members of the University of Denver community. The work is provided by permission of the author for individual research purposes only and may not be further copied or distributed. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.du.edu/restrictedetd/52","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Adam Rovner"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Jennings, Leslie Anne"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Literature","Femme fatale","Arts and Humanities","Creative Writing","English Language and Literature","Fiction","Other English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright is held by the author. This work may only be accessed by members of the University of Denver community. The work is provided by permission of the author for individual research purposes only and may not be further copied or distributed. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["She Had to be Bad: The Femme Fatale in Hard-Boiled Detective Fiction and Film Noir"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Adam Rovner"],"dc:creator":["Jennings, Leslie Anne"],"dc:description.abstract":["The character of the femme fatale exists as a highly stereotypical figure in American popular culture. Although the character’s antecedents are often located in the biblical figure of Eve, the femme fatale did not become a cultural icon until the publication of Hard-Boiled detective novels in the 1940s. The Hard-Boiled detective novel positions the femme fatale as manipulative seductress who deliberately commits murder and functions as a villain. As the character grew in popularity, the sign of the femme fatale became ubiquitously applied to any seductive woman in film, television, or other media, regardless of the whether or not the woman functions as a villain or a sex object. This dissertation asserts a specific definition of the femme fatale and locates the character in multiple popular texts while addressing the critics and scholars who reduce the femme fatale to a mere symbol of patriarchy without recognizing her power as an actantial villain.
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.du.edu/restrictedetd/52"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright is held by the author. This work may only be accessed by members of the University of Denver community. The work is provided by permission of the author for individual research purposes only and may not be further copied or distributed. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"dc:subject":["Literature","Femme fatale","Arts and Humanities","Creative Writing","English Language and Literature","Fiction","Other English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["She Had to be Bad: The Femme Fatale in Hard-Boiled Detective Fiction and Film Noir"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:01:25Z"}