The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis

Barbara Creed's book "The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis" reinterprets key horror films through the lens of abjection and patriarchy. This updated edition includes a new section examining contemporary feminist horror films in relation to nonhuman theory, proposing a new concept of radical abjection to reclaim the monstrous-feminine as a figure who embraces abjection and re-defines her otherness as nonhuman.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 266 pages
Publication date: 02 November 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This is a timely update of a seminal text that re-interprets key films of the horror genre, including "Carrie," "The Exorcist," "The Brood," and "Psycho." In the first edition, Creed draws on Julia Kristeva's theory of abjection to challenge the popular view that women in horror are almost always victims. He argues that patriarchal ideology constructs women as monstrous in relation to her sexuality and reproductive body to justify her subjugation. Although a projection of male fears and paranoid fantasies, the monstrous-feminine is nonetheless a terrifying figure. Creed's argument contests Freudian and Lacanian theories of sexual difference to offer a provocative rereading of classical and contemporary horror.

This updated edition includes a new section examining contemporary feminist horror films in relation to nonhuman theory. Creed proposes a new concept of "radical abjection" to reinterpret the monstrous-feminine as a figure who embraces abjection by reclaiming her body and re-defining her otherness as nonhuman. He questions patriarchy, anthropocentrism, misogyny, and the meaning of the human. Films discussed include "Ginger Snaps," "Teeth," "Atlantics," "The Girl with All the Gifts," "Border," and "Titane."

Barbara Creed's classic remains as relevant as ever, and this edition will be of interest to academics and students of feminist theory, nonhuman theory, critical animal studies, race, and queer theory.

Weight: 426g
Dimension: 151 x 234 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367209452
Edition number: 2 ed