Killing the vamp

The cinematic vamp presents a fascinating archetypal character, functioning outside the bounds of normative societal and gender constructions. This filmic icon motivated the plot yet was often killed by the narrative end. Therefore, this book attempts to resolve the implications of the primary research question: Why did the vamp die? To answer this query, the text follows two theoretical paths. First, this book uses Michel Foucault’s theories to ask: Is the vamp’s death punishment for her location as a gendered “other”? Secondly, the text uses psychoanalytic approaches, and specifically the Freudian death drive, to ask: Does the vamp’s death represent and embody the bondage between sex and death? These theoretical possibilities are applied in the analysis of the 1927 Clarence Brown film Flesh and the Devil. In addition, this text expands the typology of the vamp, freeing her from her archetypal roots and proving her existence throughout cinematic history. This book is directed towards researchers in Communications, Media Studies, and Film and Gender Theory. This text is also addressed to those interested in aspects of psychoanalysis and social construction and representation.