Passionate Detachments: An Introduction to Feminist Film Theory

Sue Thornham is Professor of Media and Film Studies at the University of Sussex, UK. Passionate Detachments traces the key developments and debates in feminist film theory over the past twenty-five years. Beginning with the work on stereotypes of women from the early 1970s and moving to the most recent debates within cultural criticism, it charts the relationship of feminist film theory to the contexts from which it arises?and to which it offers a profound challenge. From arguments about “the male gaze” to work on fantasy, horror, and the body, each chapter presents a clear and detailed critical account of a key area of debate.