New book about the Bond Girl!!

autobotmirage007autobotmirage007 Posts: 4MI6 Agent
edited November 2010 in James Bond Literature
A new book has just been released about the Bond Girl. Called SHAKEN & STIRRED: THE FEMINISM OF JAMES BOND, it considers the feminist and women's liberation movement through a Bondian lens as it dissects the Bond Girl character. From the author's web site:

Although she has been lauded by some as a liberated woman and true feminist archetype, the Bond Girl has virtually escaped critical study—until now. Robert A. Caplen’s SHAKEN & STIRRED: THE FEMINISM OF JAMES BOND analyzes the cinematic Bond Girl and argues that the character initially served as a different archetype: one that reinforced a traditional, feminine ideal that served as a powerful reactionary symbol against the gender equality movement that gained prominence in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s.

The Bond Girl is one of the most recognized and celebrated cultural icons of the last fifty years. First introduced in Ian Fleming’s novels and short stories, producers Albert “Cubby” R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman breathed life into her cinematic manifestation beginning with Dr. No in 1962. Since then, the world has been fascinated by the Bond Girl.

SHAKEN & STIRRED: THE FEMINISM OF JAMES BOND provides a glimpse into “second wave” feminism, the Women’s Liberation Movement, and cultural representations of women during the latter half of the American twentieth century through a Bondian lens. It traces the evolutionary journey of the cinematic Bond Girl and assesses her cultural impact, revealing who she is and what she represents during the first eleven films in the James Bond franchise, a seventeen–year period described as the Golden Era of the Bond Girl, and beyond.

The book is full of images and interesting facts about the characters and actors/actresses. It is a cinematic critique, dissecting the manner in which the female characters are portrayed in the films and how they interact with 007. Both entertaining and thought-provoking, the book is not merely a celebration of 007. In fact, the author is an historian and legal scholar, and is not affiliated with the 007 franchise in any way.

Has anyone read this book??

Amazon.com listing
Official Publisher site
Facebook Page

SHAKEN_STIRRED_HIGH_RES_COVER.jpg

Comments

  • MI00viiMI00vii Posts: 1MI6 Agent
    I ordered this book on Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Shaken-Stirred-Feminism-James-Bond/dp/1453512810/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293041574&sr=1-1 and thoroughly enjoyed it! It's full of lots of information, great images, the writing was entertaining, and the author does a great job of relating actual historical developments with the progression of the Bond Girl through Moonraker. Definitely highly recommended! :D
  • JLordJLord Posts: 35MI6 Agent
    I'm trying to flog my book too! Isn't it fun!
    It is not supposed to be fun, Mr Bond.
    Oh do stop it.
    ;)
    Book_cover_001.jpg
  • JLordJLord Posts: 35MI6 Agent
    Hadley tried the door but knew it would be locked. Then he heard the hissing of the gas from the air-conditioner. They had done this to Patrick McGoohan as John Drake in ‘Danger Man’. An undertaker wearing a top hat had come to his door and sprayed something through the letterbox. And when Drake came to, he was suddenly in a new series called ‘The Prisoner’. Turned out to be a good career move. Where will I be, Hadley thought, when I wake up? If I wake up, that is.
    The answer turned out to be the boathouse. Hadley thought he was dreaming, but the pain in his wrists assured him that he was awake. He was pinioned on the ground, held down by the wrists and the ankles. Above him was the wooden roof and cross beams, decked out with assorted telescopic and microscopic instruments, two crossbows, a jar of liquid and yards of wiring. A man, wearing a black diving suit and black eye patch, was standing at the back of a speedboat propped upright on the sand by wooden bollards. Next to him were a pair of oxygen tanks and a speargun.
    “And so I am afraid, my dear Mr Bond, death may be slow, but it is certain.”
    “What are you playing at?”
    :o
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