Rape, revenge, reclamation: An analysis of female agency in American rape-revenge films

<p>In this thesis, I will analyze five films that have a rape-revenge narrative: Ms. 45 (1981), M.F.A. (2017), I Spit on Your Grave (1978), I Spit on Your Grave (2010), and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). I will argue that the violent actions taken by the female protagonist during her revenge against her rapist(s) serve to allow her to reclaim her agency that was stolen from her during the rape(s). I will show that the rape-revenge narrative is more diverse than it might seem, as the five films I analyze deal with rape, and responses to rape, in very different ways. I will analyze female protagonists who act as social avengers and reclaim their agency by taking on society as a whole, female protagonists that confront the phenomenon of gang rape, and female protagonists who challenge the institutionalized system of male power.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Women's and Gender Studies

Year dc:date.available

2018

Author dc:creator

• Connell, Marissa

Contributors dc:contributor

• Deron Overpeck, Ph.D,
• Abby Coykendall, Ph.D.
• Melissa Jones, Ph.D.

• agency
• female agency
• rape
• rape-revenge
• rape-revenge films
• Film and Media Studies
• Women's Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/923

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2294