Takes a long view on the figure of the femme fatale, exploring her style, language, and stories from silent cinema to contemporary television. Julie Grossman explores the notions of female ambition, frustration, and intelligence that undergird the power and fascination of the femme fatale across time and media.
Exploring the concept of adaptations as "hideous progeny," the book draws parallels to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, emphasizing how these reinterpretations can challenge our perceptions of familiar literary and cinematic works. It argues that what initially appears monstrous may reveal deeper insights into the cultures and contexts from which they emerge, inviting readers to reconsider their understanding of both the original texts and their adaptations.
In the context of nineteenth-century Victorinoir and close readings of original-cycle film noir, Julie Grossman argues that the presence of the "femme fatale" figure, as she is understood in film criticism and popular culture, is drastically over-emphasized and has helped to sustain cultural obsessions with "bad" women.