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Space Oddities: Women and Outer Space in Popular Film and Culture, 1960-2000
Space Oddities examines the representation of women in outer space films from 1960 to 2000, with an emphasis on films in which women are either denied or given the role of astronaut. Marie Lathers traces an evolution in this representation from women as aliens and/or "assistant" astronauts, to women as astronaut wives, to women as astronauts themselves. Many popular films from the era are considered, as are earlier films (from Aelita Queen of Mars to Devil Girl From Mars) and historical records, literary fiction, and television shows (especially I Dream of Jeannie). Early 1960s attempts by women pilots to enter the Space Race are considered as is the media drama surrounding the death of Christa McAuliffe.
In addition to its insightful film scholarship, this is an important addition to current reassessments of the Space Race. By applying insights from contemporary gender, race, and species theories to popular imaginings of women in space, the status of the Space Race as a cultural construct that reproduces and/or warps terrestrial gender structures is revealed.
In addition to its insightful film scholarship, this is an important addition to current reassessments of the Space Race. By applying insights from contemporary gender, race, and species theories to popular imaginings of women in space, the status of the Space Race as a cultural construct that reproduces and/or warps terrestrial gender structures is revealed.
- GenresNonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
First published November 4, 2010
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 1, 2017
Where to begin.....
First, let me start out by saying, there was so much superfluous & unnecessary writing, it made this book a bit of a difficult/frustrating read.
There are 6 chapters in this book:
The 1st deals with a history of women in space;
2 is all about I DREAM OF JEANNIE;
3 is about Astronaut wives;
4 is all about Chimps & Dian Fossey/GORILLAS IN THE MIST;
5 is about what women wear, or don't wear, in space; and
6 is about making contact.
The only chapter that came remotely close to the title of this book, was chapter 5. If the rest of the book was written like chapter 5, I would've given it 5 stars.
I understand the need for chapter 1, wholeheartedly. I don't believe that an entire chapter needed to be dedicated to I DREAM OF JEANNIE, but at least it was still germane to the subject of the book. Chapter 3 read more like a history of astronauts, who of course are all white males, that it started to veer away from the theme of the book. (This was a book about how women in outer space are perceived in films, NOT an in-depth account of THE RIGHT STUFF.) The 1st half of Chapter 4 talks about how NASA used Chimps in space, which at least still dealt with outer space. The 2nd half of this chapter, jumped the shark & was so completely unnecessary, that I almost stopped reading--I wanted to throw the book against a wall at this point. (What does Dian Fossey/Gorillias have to do with how women are perceived in OUTTER SPACE?!?) The 1st half of chapter 6 I skimmed as it was more of the same tangential, unnecessary blather that comprised a third of this book.
Now, I've read several books on how particular subjects are portrayed in film, so I know what to expect. I was extremely disappointed with this book. While there were several movies & TV shows listed in the appendix, there were very few actually discussed at length--most are just jumbled together as lists. If you are looking for how women in space are perceived in film from 1960-2000, I suggest you look elsewhere.
First, let me start out by saying, there was so much superfluous & unnecessary writing, it made this book a bit of a difficult/frustrating read.
There are 6 chapters in this book:
The 1st deals with a history of women in space;
2 is all about I DREAM OF JEANNIE;
3 is about Astronaut wives;
4 is all about Chimps & Dian Fossey/GORILLAS IN THE MIST;
5 is about what women wear, or don't wear, in space; and
6 is about making contact.
The only chapter that came remotely close to the title of this book, was chapter 5. If the rest of the book was written like chapter 5, I would've given it 5 stars.
I understand the need for chapter 1, wholeheartedly. I don't believe that an entire chapter needed to be dedicated to I DREAM OF JEANNIE, but at least it was still germane to the subject of the book. Chapter 3 read more like a history of astronauts, who of course are all white males, that it started to veer away from the theme of the book. (This was a book about how women in outer space are perceived in films, NOT an in-depth account of THE RIGHT STUFF.) The 1st half of Chapter 4 talks about how NASA used Chimps in space, which at least still dealt with outer space. The 2nd half of this chapter, jumped the shark & was so completely unnecessary, that I almost stopped reading--I wanted to throw the book against a wall at this point. (What does Dian Fossey/Gorillias have to do with how women are perceived in OUTTER SPACE?!?) The 1st half of chapter 6 I skimmed as it was more of the same tangential, unnecessary blather that comprised a third of this book.
Now, I've read several books on how particular subjects are portrayed in film, so I know what to expect. I was extremely disappointed with this book. While there were several movies & TV shows listed in the appendix, there were very few actually discussed at length--most are just jumbled together as lists. If you are looking for how women in space are perceived in film from 1960-2000, I suggest you look elsewhere.
Displaying 1 of 1 review