The celluloid ceiling: women academics,social expectations,and narrative in 1940s American film |
| |
| Authors: | Pauline J Reynolds |
| |
| Institution: | University of Redlands , CA, USA |
| |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the portrayal of women university academics in American films from the 1940s. It applies analytical tools from a critical methodology to access the socio‐cultural ideas and values attributed to the female professoriate during what is a period of great change for women in American society. This analysis reveals that the values associated with the professors are aligned with the themes of chastity, sanctuary, and sacrifice in ways which portray them as other in the profession and society. Not only does this analysis illustrate the consequences and conditions of being a woman professor during the 1940s, but it also highlights the implications of these values for today’s female professoriate. |
| |
| Keywords: | professors women film 1940s values narrative |
|
|
