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Expressions of blame: Narratives of battered women who kill in the twentieth century Daily Express

Clifford, J. Sadie 2009. Expressions of blame: Narratives of battered women who kill in the twentieth century Daily Express. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.

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Abstract

The Daily Express reporting of battered women who kill uses framing borrowed from popular contemporary' entertainment narratives, which have included melodramatic theatre and silent film, clue-puzzle novels, film noir and reality-crime television. Its representations of the guilt or innocence of the women are shaped by these stories, which accord with the newspaper's political views and express its gender politics. It has preserved conservative, traditional ideologies of womanhood to the extent that the virgin-victim is held as a virtuous figure at both ends of the century. It has supported anti-feminist discourse by remaining a sellable product, during both main feminist social movements, whilst circulating anti-feminist and traditionally gendered images that are viewed from the male gaze. The permanence of this male gaze suggests that attempts to blame feminisation as a cause of tabloidisation are misapplied and the culprit is instead the drive to entertain for monetary gain. The newspaper's orientation towards its dual purpose of information and entertainment has demonstrated its different understandings of its own role in society (its epistemology) at different times.

Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
Status: Unpublished
ISBN: 9781303189302
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 30 March 2016
Last Modified: 03 Dec 2014 15:53
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/55832

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