Synopses & Reviews
With hair slicked back and shirt collar framing her young patrician face, Katherine Hepburn's image in the 1935 film
Sylvia Scarlett was seen by many as a lesbian representation. Yet, Amy Villarejo argues, there is no final ground upon which to explain why that image of Hepburn signifies lesbian or why such a cross-dressing Hollywood fantasy edges into collective consciousness as a lesbian narrative. Investigating what allows viewers to perceive an image or narrative as andquot;lesbian,andquot; Villarejo presents a theoretical exploration of lesbian visibility. Focusing on images of lesbians in film, she analyzes what these representations contain and their limits. She combines Marxist theories of value with poststructuralist insights to argue that lesbian visibility operates simultaneously as an achievement and a ruse, a possibility for building a new visual politics and away of rendering static and contained what lesbian might mean.
Integrating cinema studies, queer and feminist theory, and cultural studies, Villarejo illuminates the contexts within which the lesbian is rendered visible. Toward that end, she analyzes key portrayals of lesbians in public culture, particularly in documentary film. She considers a range of filmsandmdash;from documentaries about Cuba and lesbian pulp fiction to Exile Shanghai and The Brandon Teena Storyandmdash;and, in doing so, brings to light a nuanced economy of value and desire.
Review
andldquo;Once you read Amy Villarejoandrsquo;s ingenious recontextualizations of the lesbian presence in documentary film, lesbian visibility will never look the same again. Studded with brilliant theoretical insights about fetishism, archives, diaspora, and more, Lesbian Ruleandrsquo;s surprising juxtapositions make even the most obscure cultural object andlsquo;shimmer with history.andrsquo; Best of all is the dreamy proseandmdash;witty, elegant, and full of delight.andrdquo;andmdash;Ann Cvetkovich, author of An Archive of Feelings: Trauma, Sexuality, and Lesbian Public Cultures
Review
andldquo;Lesbian Rule is a challenging yet rewarding book. Its insights are original, provocative, and far-reaching.andquot;andmdash;Steven Cohan, author of Masked Men: Masculinity and the Movies in the Fifties
Synopsis
A theory-driven study of the invisibility of lesbians in post-WW2 American culture.
About the Author
Amy Villarejo is Associate Professor in the Department of Theater, Film, and Dance at Cornell University. She is coauthor of Queen Christina and coeditor of Keyframes: Popular Film and Cultural Studies.