Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. List of Illustrations ix
4. Acknowledgments xi
5. 1. Pre/Texts: An Introduction 1
6. 2. Mythic Discourse 32
7. 3. The Lives of Performers: The Actress as Signifier 63
8. 4. Kiss Me Deadly: Heterosexual Romance 89
9. 5. Shall We Dance? Woman and the Musical 132
10. 6. Sisters: The Divided Self 172
11. 7. Girl Groups: Female Friendship 216
12. 8. Women in Love: The Theme of Lesbianism 250
13. 9. Murder, She Wrote: Women Who Kill 269
14. 10. The Dialogic Text: An Epilogue 301
15. Appendix. List of Additional Films and Topics for Teaching 330
16. Index 335