The thesis proposes that there have been a series of responses in visual practice to Laura Mulvey's article 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' (1975) from 1975 to 2000. As Mulvey's article was and still is an exemplary text its contribution to film and visual theory is well documented, however, this has overshadowed any contribution the article has made to visual practices. As Mulvey, at the time of writing the article, was an avant-garde film maker the thesis examines how the article emerged from a context of visual practice. The first chapter establishes the location of 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema', broadly summarising its arguments and the commentaries that proceeded from it, noting that many of these commentaries failed to acknowledge its emergence from visual practices. The next chapter explores the context of Mulvey's film-making practice, its content and location amongst other film makers and groups contemporary with it. Chapter 3 looks at the work of key feminist film makers during the 'visual pleasure' moment that immediately followed the publication of Mulvey's article and re-states their importance. The following chapter broadens the argument and examines two visual practices that were not film-based, photo-text and tape-slide, but which took up Mulvey's ideas strategically to explore language and sexual difference in the 1980s. The final chapter looks at how questions of pleasure became vital for a generation of black, gay and lesbian artists during the 1990s in response to, and even in rejection of, Mulvey's earlier work. My aim is to highlight some key practices, mostly in the UK, exploring their heterogeneous nature through context and location, to show a network of practices where Mulvey's legacy can be seen through shared concerns and approaches. This reconstitutes a history and argues that Mulvey's work is part of a framework, which has a legacy to practice, as well as to theory.

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The twin topics of interest to this thesis are the figure of the desirous virgin, as she appeared in Hollywood films around the cusp of the 1960s, and Doris Day, during the later evolution of her star persona around the time of Pillow Talk (Michael Gordon, 1959). An introductory section looks at important works from star studies and film history. Several texts from stereotype studies are also examined, both sections working to build up a methodology for the explorations of the virgin and Day which follow. Films which seem to constitute part of a distinct mini-cyle, the 'virginity dilemma' film, are then explored in detail, with their shared themes, narratives, characters, and, often, actors, examined. This cycle of films seems crossgeneric, with both comic and melodramatic entries produced. Furthermore, a generically-inspired rubric, dictating the physical performance of the virgin, emerges from comparison of the films. Here the comic virgin displays a buoyant comic body, her unruly kinesis indicative of energies not yet directed into sex. By contrast, the melodramatic virgin is always marked by a stillness and composure which may wax and wane through the film but will reach both its apogée and rupture at the moment when she capitulates to consummation. The final section looks at Doris Day's star persona as it emerged after Pillow Talk attempted to redefine her as a maturely sexual star. Subsequent films pathologized the qualities of maturity and sexuality, resulting in the creation of a coy aged virgin persona. Although actually performed only once, in Lover Come Back (Delbert Mann, 1961), this persona subsumed previous incarnations of the star, eventually leading to the decline of her active career and calcifying to become the dominant lasting memory of Day even now.

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The hero is a key archetype in Western culture. However, the hero has almost invariably been male, with associated traits deemed “masculine” within the gender binary. Feminists have begun to rigorously interrogate this binary, and the associated biological essentialism that precludes women from heroism. The fruits of this process are evident in recent popular filmic texts, which feature women as heroes. I examine developments in gender theory, propose a behaviour-based definition of masculinity, and argue that the new female action heroes authentically perform this masculinity. I then examine several select recent films and television series, showing that the new female action hero proves that “masculinity” can be authentically performed by female-bodied persons, and moreover is a liberatory model for ordinary women who wish to assert themselves in the public sphere. Finally, I argue that female action heroes model a new heroic archetype which embraces the best traits of both “masculinity” and “femininity.” Keywords “women in popular culture” “women as heroes” “gender studies” “film / English Studies / M.A. (English)

The hero is a key archetype in Western culture. However, the hero has almost invariably been male, with associated traits deemed “masculine” within the gender binary. Feminists have begun to rigorously interrogate this binary, and the associated biological essentialism that precludes women from heroism. The fruits of this process are evident in recent popular filmic texts, which feature women as heroes. I examine developments in gender theory, propose a behaviour-based definition of masculinity, and argue that the new female action heroes authentically perform this masculinity. I then examine several select recent films and television series, showing that the new female action hero proves that “masculinity” can be authentically performed by female-bodied persons, and moreover is a liberatory model for ordinary women who wish to assert themselves in the public sphere. Finally, I argue that female action heroes model a new heroic archetype which embraces the best traits of both “masculinity” and “femininity.” Keywords “women in popular culture” “women as heroes” “gender studies” “film / English Studies / M.A. (English)