Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2008. / Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 206, v-xiii p. : col. ill. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Murdoch University, 2007. / Thesis submitted to the Division of Arts. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [1]-8).

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After the bachelor thesis The Sonnenfels´ weekly moral women´s magazine Theresie und Eleonore, the diploma thesis Woman and women culture in moral magazine Theresie und Eleonore represents another result of the Sonnenfels?s weekly magazine analysis in a wider interpretative criterion. Theresie und Eleonore. The object of this thesis is not only the classification of this magazine into the European context, but mainly the construction of a model of Sonnenfels?s vision of a woman and her culture. In the first part, the development of European moral magazines together with the classification of Theresie und Eleonore among moral magazines for women are briefly described. Another part analyses particular editions and the features that determine the affiliation of Theresie und Eleonore with its genre. The central part focuses on Sonnenfels?s modeling of woman, therefore on the different types of women and moral models, which he created in his own weekly magazine. An important element of the central part is Sonnenfels?s creation of an artificial women culture.

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)