Public Rape: Representing Violation in Fiction and Film

by Tanya Horeck

Second-wave feminism fought to end the blanket silence shrouding rape and bring it to public attention. Now feminist critics must confront a different issue. In Public Rape Tanya Horeck considers the public investment in images of rape and the figure of the raped woman. Introducing the idea of 'public rape', Horeck looks at how images of rape serve as cultural fantasies of sexual, racial and class difference. Looking at rape in real life as well as in literature and films such as The Accused and Boys Don't Cry , Horek reveals how representations of rape raise vital questions about the relationship between reality and fantasy, and between violence and spectacle

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction

196 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2003

Reviews

[ira · Rating 5 out of 5]

really incredible! one of the best & most helpful rereadings of mackinnon I’ve ever seen

[Spicy T AKA Mr. Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be well researched--at least coming from someone without an academic background in texts regarding film and feminism--and a pretty quick read. Horeck examines the idea of public rape and challenges second-wave feminist ideas on fantasy and rape in order to look more closely at how rape and fantasy are interconnected with class and race and how rape is perceived by audiences and the public through narrative in popular culture and news.