The Female Avenger in Film and Television

Examines the affective responses to rape in rape-revenge films, and how this response can be harnessed to work through complex questions about rape Extends the interdisciplinary reach of cognitive film studies by creating a dialogue with feminist film theory and feminist philosophy in an exploration of women's anger and the female avenger Focuses particularly on rape revenge films directed by women Covers film and televsion - case studies include the MillenniumTrilogy, Ms 45, Revenge, Twilight Portrait, Promising Young Woman and I May Destroy You Maps on to debates within the #MeToo movement Expanding on the fertile mapping of emotional engagement with fiction in cognitive film theory by narrowing in on anger, an under-explored emotion in film theory The Female Avenger, Women's Anger and Rape-Revenge Film and Television examines the contentious nature of the female rape survivor turned avenger in rape-revenge stories. The focus is on a trend of contemporary rape-revenge film made by women directors. Vaage asks what it might mean for women in particular to watch female avengers, and suggests that the reason some women filmmakers explore the rape-revenge convention is because it is all about an emotion that is difficult for women, and used to label women as difficult, namely anger. The central premise in this book is that understanding the emotions stirred up by this type of story is crucial in order to understand its recurring, controversial presence in popular culture, and also its potential value. Vaage offers a cultural and political analysis of contemporary rape-revenge film made by women grounded in the psychological and philosophical study of the emotions