What can a cultural history of the heartthrob teach us about women; desire; and social change? From dreams of Prince Charming or dashing military heroes; to the lure of dark strangers and vampire lovers; from rock stars and rebels to soulmates; dependable family types or simply good companions; female fantasies about men tell us as much about the history of women as about masculine icons.When girls were supposed to be shrinking violets; passionate females risked being seen as "unbridled;" or dangerously out of control. Change came slowly; and young women remained trapped in double-binds. You may have needed a husband in order to survive; but you had to avoid looking like a gold-digger. Sexual desire could be dangerous: a rash guide to making choices. Show attraction too openly and you might be judged "fast" and undesirable.Education and wage-earning brought independence and a widening of cultural horizons. Young women in the early twentieth century showed a sustained appetite for novel-reading; cinema-going; and the dancehall. They sighed over Rudolph Valentino's screen performances; as tango-dancer; Arab tribesman; or desert lover. Contemporary critics were sniffy about "shop-girl" taste in literature and in men; but as consumers; girls had new clout.In Heartthrobs; social and cultural historian Carole Dyhouse draws upon literature; cinema; and popular romance to show how the changing position of women has shaped their dreams about men; from Lord Byron in the early nineteenth century to boy-bands in the early twenty-first. Reflecting on the history of women as consumers and on the nature of fantasy; escapism; and "fandom;" she takes us deep into the world of gender and the imagination. A great deal of feminist literature has shown women as objects of the "male gaze": this book looks at men through the eyes of women.
#4183800 in Books 2014-09-10Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.80 x 1.30 x 8.60l; .0 #File Name: 0198706820400 pages
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