Saints and Shrews: Women and Aging in American Popular Film

(Hardback)

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Stoddard looks at films as a reflection and reinforcement of American popular culture's fears, myths, and assumptions about aging women. After a general discussion of attitudes toward aging and their implications for women, Stoddard surveys the role of the woman over 50 in films from the 1930s to the 1980s. ... One of the primary strengths of the book lies in Stoddard's conscientious attempt to locate each film within its socio-politico-economic context. The bibliography includes a a number of classics of feminist writing and will prove useful to the curious reader who may not be entirely satisfied with the extent of the analysis. A timely introduction to an issue that deserves to be addressed at much greater length. Both public and academic libraries.-Choice
"Stoddard looks at films as a reflection and reinforcement of American popular culture's fears, myths, and assumptions about aging women. After a general discussion of attitudes toward aging and their implications for women, Stoddard surveys the role of the woman over 50 in films from the 1930s to the 1980s. ... One of the primary strengths of the book lies in Stoddard's conscientious attempt to locate each film within its socio-politico-economic context. The bibliography includes a a number of classics of feminist writing and will prove useful to the curious reader who may not be entirely satisfied with the extent of the analysis. A timely introduction to an issue that deserves to be addressed at much greater length. Both public and academic libraries."-Choice

Author Bio

oddard /f Karen /i M.