Modlesky T. Cinema and the Dark Continent: Race nd gender in Popular Film // Feminist Film Theory. A Reader. / Ed.

y !.Thornham. " #e$ %ourk &P' ())). " P. *+( " **,.

'CINEMA AND THE DARK CONTINENT: RACE AND GENDER IN POPULAR FILM'
Tania Modleski
-ssues o. race' gender' and ethnicity come together in an especially i/arre manner in one o. the earliest sound .ilms' The 0a// !inger' at the end o. $hich the 0e$ish son' played y A( 0olson' donning lack .ace .or a theatrical per.ormance' hears 1the call o. the ages2the cry o. my race'1 sings 13ammy1 to his mother' and rushes home to his dying .ather' promising to take up momentarily the .ather1s role as cantor. !u se4uently2and the coda is added to the .ilm 5ersion o. the stage play2the son returns to his sho$2 usiness career' thus eing permitted the est o. oth $orlds' old and ne$. 6ere' o. course' are the .amiliar oedipal themes o. 6olly$ood cinema: the son1s accession to the role o. the .ather entails a modi.ication o. the stern and unyielding patriarchal attitude' there y' in the case o. The 0a// !inger' accommodating the assimilationist ideologies o. the period. The mother is a key .igure in the process o. the hero1s gro$th and acculturation' since in her unconditional lo5e .or her child she can ser5e as the mediating .orce et$een .ather and son' old $orld and ne$' the desire .or cultural di..erence and the desire .or cultural integration.1 7ut the mother in the .ilm is not the only mediator' not the only person $hose sole signi.icance lies in the meaning she holds .or the $hite man and his drama8 the other such .igure is' o. course' the lack man' metonymically summoned to represent the unaltera le .act o. 1race'1 and thus to .orm one pole o. the assimilationist continuum' at the other end o. $hich stands the 0olson character1s shiksa girl.riend. -t is ironic' i. utterly characteristic' that the " From Modleski, T., Feminism without Women: Culture and Criticism in a 'Postfeminist' Age.
London: Routledge, !! , pp.
&$' ( "#$%.

essentialist notion o. race the .ilm dra$s upon is asserted through mas4uerade and in a space o. illusionism' i.e.' the theater. That is to say' the 9a// singer recogni/es his supposed racial authenticity as a !emite in the process o. miming another race2assuming lack skin and lack 5oice2so that the .ilm is situated s4uarely in the realm o. the .etish' $here y the notion o. ineradica le racial di..erence :one $hich de.ies history and calls out across 1the ages1; is simultaneously a..irmed and negated. Recent $ork y 6omi 7ha ha has sho$n ho$ colonialist discourse as a $hole in5ol5es a process o. mimicry that is related psychoanalytically to the mechanism o. .etishi/ation' the play o. presence and a sence. 7y mimicry' - take 7ha ha to e re.erring to an imposition y one nation o. its structures' 5alues' and language upon the coloni/ed nation' an imposition that rather than completely o literating di..erence speaks o. 1a desire .or a su 9ect o. a di..erence that is almost the same' ut not 4uite1 and hence is' 7ha ha continually emphasi/es' am i<alentA.<lt hough 7ha ha1s terms o. re.erence concern the 7ritish Empire' they apply e4ually to the American situation' .or' as Thomas Cripps points out in his some$hat dated ut still use.ul study o. lacks in American .ilm' the position o. lacks in relation to the dominant culture and its representations has een an 1am i5alent1 one: lacks had 1a sor ed American culture ut could not e=pect to e a sor ed y it.1* 3oreo5er' Cripps himsel. points out that the 7ritish colonial system 1resem led American racial arrangements1 in the $ay 1it encouraged cultural assimilation $hile denying social integration1 :p. *(*;. >ne .airly ludicrous result o. such 1arrangements1 $as that' .or e=ample' in cinema $hat used to e called 1race mo5ies1 o.ten had to do $ithout $hite people. 1?ithout $hites' the re4uirements o. dramatic construction

created a $orld in $hich lack characters acceded to the $hite ideal o. segregation' and unreal lack cops' crooks' 9udges' and 9uries interacted in such a $ay as to lame lack 5ictims .or their social plight.1 7ut the lack o. 5ersimilitude' $hich Cripps sees as a pro lem' can cut t$o $ays: .or it is easy to see ho$ ho$ such copies o. $hite cinema could easily re.lect ack on the model itsel.' mocking it' de.amiliari/ing it' casting dou t upon its accuracy as' in the $ords o. one .ilm concerned $ith the perennial theme o. 1passing'1 an 1imitation o. li.e1 :pp. *++2*; [. .] ?e need' then' not 9ust to analy/e the .unction o. mimicry on the part o. the coloni/ed people' ut to understand its role in the li.e and art o. the coloni/er2to understand' that is' the .unction o. minstrelsy. 7ha ha $rites o. the $ay the 1not 4uitelnot $hite1 element o. di..erence displayed y coloni/ed races is related to the psychoanalytic notion o. the .etish: 1 lack skin splits under the racist ga/e' displaced into signs o. estiality' genitalia' grotes4uerie' $hich re5eal the pho ic myth o. the undi..erentiated $hole $hite skin.1@ 3instrelsy $ould e a method y $hich the $hite man may disa5o$2ackno$ledge and at the same time deny22di..erence at the le5el o. the ody8 as a process o. .etishism' it seeks' like all .etishes' to restore the $holeness and unity threatened y the sight o. di..erence' yet ecause it enters into the game o. mimicry it is condemned A*++B to keep ali5e the possi ility that there may e 1no presence or identity ehind the mask.1, The concept o. .etishism ena les us to understand $hy minstrelsy has ne5er really died out2$hy it li5es in a di..erent .orm in the 1trading places1 and 1 lack like me1 plots $ith $hich 6olly$ood is enamored [. .] !ome o. 7ha ha1s discussion co5ers .amiliar territory .or a .eminist reader' since he dra$s on material ela orated in .eminist theory. The pro lematics o. di..erence and sameness ha5e' .or e=ample' een rilliantly analy/ed y Cuce -rigaray in her readings o. Freud1s essay 1>n Femininity1 and Plato1s Repu lic. -rigaray sho$s that .or all ?estern culture1s emphasis on the di..erence et$een the se=es' there is an underlying negation o. the di..erence2and the threatposed y the .emale se=' a negation e5idenced .or e=ample in Freud1s theori/ing o. the $oman as an in.erior man' as earer o. the 1 l a < k .-1 n< F reudian theory' o. course' the .etish is precisely the means $here y 1lack1 and di..erence are disa5o$ed2accepted and negated simultaneously. -t is the means' in other $ords' $here y 1a multiple elie.1 may e maintained and hence ser5es to support the $ildly di5ergent stereotypical associations that accrue around the .etishi/ed ody. For it is not 9ust the lack $ho is marked in the dominant discourse as' in 6omi 7ha ha1s $ords' 1 oth sa5age . o edient and digni.ied o. ser5ants8. .

..

and yet the most

. the em

odiment o. rampant se=uality and

yet innocent as a child8 . mystical' primiti5e' simple2minded and yet the most $orldly and accomplished liar' and manipulator o. social .orces.D 3uch o. this description also applies to the representation o. $oman' $ho in the male -maginary undergoes a primal splitting into 5irgin and $hore. The importance o. 7ha ha1s $ork' like Fanon1s e.ore him' lies partly' .or me' in the $ay it insists on understanding the psychosocial dynamics o. colonialism and racism' ringing psychoanalysis to ear on 4uestions that ha5e un.ortunately all too o.ten een 5ie$ed as not suscepti le to a psychoanalytic understanding. %et' unaccounta ly' although 7ha ha utili/es the 5ery concepts originally de5eloped in the theori/ation o. se=ual di..erence' he almost entirely neglects the issue o. gender and slights .eminist $ork. -n 5irtually ignoring the 1$oman 4uestion'1 $hile retaining the terms in $hich it has een posed' 7ha ha commits the same kind o. error .or $hich Freud can e and has een critici/ed. The latter $as undou tedly eing oth racist and se=ist in designating 1$oman1 as the dark continent. 7ut the ans$er is surely not to re5erse the proposition and implicitly posit the 1dark continent1 as $oman2not' at the 5ery least' $ithout care.ully theori/ing the relation. Alhough he does not e=amine ho$ race and gender intersect' 7ha ha

. .

ne5ertheless notes at one point' 1Darkness signi.ies at once oth irth and death8 it is in all cases a desire to return to the .ullness o. the mother' a desire .or an un roken and undi..erentiated line o. 5ision and origin.1E For the heart o. the matter' the heart o. darkness' is' a.ter all' 13ammy12she $ho' a sent in her o$n right' is spoken y man as guarantor o. his origin and identity. -n the .ace o. the male desire to collapse se=ual and racial di..erence into oceanic plenitude' .eminism needs to insist on the comple=' 1multiple and cross2cutting1 nature o. A*+*B identity and to ask: ho$ do $e rid oursel5es o. the desire .or a 1line o. origin'1 ho$ a5oid positing either se=uality or race as theoretically primary' $hile $e at the same time undertake to understand the 5icious circularity o. patriarchal thought $here y darkness signi.ies .emininity and .emininity darknessF - $ould like in this chapter to address this 4uestion y e=amining .irst the $ay our culture through its representations e=plores the highly charged ta oo relationships et$een lack men and $hite $omen :speci.ically .ocusing on Gorillas in the 3ist and a scene .rom an early .ilm' 7londe Henus; and then to .ocus on the representations o. lack $omen in popular .ilm' looking especially at the $ays in $hich the lack $oman .unctions as the site o. the displacement o. $hite culture1s :including $hite $omen1s; .ears and an=ieties. -n Gorillas in the 3ist the 4uestion o. origins is posed at the outset y' o. course' a $hite man2in this case the anthropologist Dr Couis Ceakey' $ho is seen in a large hall lecturing a out gorillas: 1- $ant to kno$ $ho - am' and $hat it $as that made me that $ay.1 As i. con9ured up y his $ords' Dian Fossey appears' the $oman $ho $ill 9ourney alone to the heart o. darkest A.rica and $hose story may e 5ie$ed as a phantasmatic ans$er to the $hite man1s 4uestion. -t is an old story' an updated' middle ro$ 5ersion o. the Iing Iong tale' $hich itsel. is part o. a tradition o. animal mo5ies that ha5e .unctioned as thinly disguised 1allegories .or lack ruteJ.1J >. the perennial popularity o. the .ilm Iing Iong' .or e=ample' K. 0. Iennedy $rote: A #egro .rom Atlanta tells me that in mo5ies houses in colored neigh orhoods throughout the !outh' Iong does a constant usiness. They sho$ the thing in Atlanta at least e5ery year' presuma ly to the same audiences. Perhaps this popularity may simply e due to the .act that Iong is one o. the most $atcha le mo5ies e5er constructed' ut - $onder $hether #egro audiences may not .ind some archetypical appeal in this serio2comic tale o. a huge lack po$er.ul .ree spirit $hom all the hard$orking $hite policemen are out to kill.D Putting aside the $ay this passage pro5ides a te=t ook e=ample o. ho$ $hite racism gets pro9ected into the psyches o. the lack audience' $e may note that Iennedy1s remarks are parado=ically couched in a li eral .rame $hich tacitly ackno$ledges the legitimacy o. lack political grie5ances $hile employing an ahistorical notion o. 1archetype'1 $hich $ould deny the humanity o. lacks :imaged as easts; and so .unction to pre5ent them .rom achie5ing social and political e4uality. This is not to say that Iennedy1s response is idiosyncratic: on the contrary' .ilms like Iing Iong' made y $hites in a racist society' lend themsel5es to this kind o. interpretation' $hich is situated in the space o. disa5o$al characteristic o. colonialist discourse :the .etish indeed eing a means y $hich t$o apparently opposed elie.s' 1one archaic and one progressi5e'1 may simultaneously e held;. This is a space' as $e shall see' increasingly occupied in a post .eminist' post2ci5il rights era y a mass culture that must on A*+@B

one le5el ackno$ledge the political struggles o. the last .e$ decades and on another' deeper le5el $ould $ard o.. the threat these struggles pose to the $hite male po$er structure. < h u s .'o r e=ample' Gorillas in the 3ist seems to respect the notion o. a $oman sacri.icing the opportunity .or a hus and and .amily in order to pursue a career' a career that' indeed' in5ol5es her li5ing the sort o. ad5enturous and

dangerous li.e usually reser5ed .or men in popular .ilms and that also accords her the kind o. single2minded dedication to a cause typically attri uted to the male scienti.ic in5estigator. 7ut the .ilm takes it all ack' as it $ere' y 1depro.essionali/ing1 Fossey' neglecting to mention her gro$th as a scientist $ho in the course o. her research in the mountains o. R$anda earned a PhD .rom 6ar5ard. The .ilm .urther su 5erts its apparently li eral attitude to $oman1s independence y suggesting that Dian is merely channeling and su limating :or should it e desu limating' since she goes 1 ack1 to the apesF; her se=ual desires and maternal instincts into her cause. -n the last scene' .or e=ample' a.ter her death' the image track sho$s the son o. the slaughtered gorilla s$inging in the trees2clearly Fossey1s son' since her tryst $ith its .ather' the gorilla Digit :in $hich the romantic music s$ells as Dian lies on her ack' smiling liss.ully $hen the gorilla slo$ly takes her hand' lea5ing a precious little deposit o. dirt in her palm; is .ollo$ed y her coupling $ith the #ational Geographic photographer. The soundtrack records a con5ersation et$een her and Ro/ Carr' the plantation o$ner' in $hich Fossey remarks' 1- e=pected to get married and ha5e children'1 and her .riend replies' 1-nstead there1s a mountain .ull o. gorillas $ho $ouldn1t e ali5e i. it $eren1t .or you.1 The titles at the end tell us that Fossey1s $ork 1contri uted signi.icantly to the sur5i5al o. the species12$oman1s .unction' a.ter all' e5en i. it isn1t 4uite the right species. The trans.er o. Fossey1s a..ection .rom her .iance to Digit and his 1group1 is 5isually marked y the .ilm through its replacement o. the photo o. the .iance' $hich $e see early in the .ilm placed on a little typing ta le outside Dian1s hut' $ith photos o. the gorillas :1gorilla porn'1 as one o. my .riends remarked; that she passionately kisses right e.ore her murder' $hile a song o. Peggy Cee1s :1-1d take a million trips to your lips1; plays on the phonograph. 7ut per5erse as all this may sound2and in my 5ie$ is2the most remarka le aspect o. the .ilm is the $ay in $hich it manages to make its psychose=ual dynamics seem innocent. -ndeed' the 5ery title o. the .ilm points to a kind o. disa5o$al' suggesting a tamed' romantici/ed' 1misty1 5ie$ o. easts and estiality: a .ilm $hose o$n su limating e..orts $ork on e5ery le5el to deny the per5ersity o. the gorilla( $oman se=ual coupling it continually e5okes. 7lack skin 1splits1 in this .ilm' to recall 6omi 7ha ha1s $ords' into images o. monstrosity and estiality on the one hand and o. no ility and $isdom on the other. Fossey1s tracker' !em agare' represents the latter option8 he is presented as a man $hose .amily has een $iped out along $ith their tri e and thus' ha5ing no story or plot o. his o$n' he is .ree to li5e a li.e o. sel.2sacri.icing de5otion to the $hite $oman. -t is impossi le to o5erestimate the importance o. this A*+,B
character2 common type in 6olly$ood cinema2in ser5ing as a guide to the audience1s interpretation and 9udgment o. e5ents' and it is interesting to re.lect on the .act that such a character1s possession o. the ga/e may e concomitant $ith a radical dispossession in relation to the narrati5e. Throughout the .ilm' the camera continually cuts to shots o. !em agare' usually ga/ing appro5ingly on some action per.ormed y the heroine' ut also' occasionally' registering disappro5al and dismay. 3ostly $hat !em agare cares a out is that the heroine1s se=ual and romantic needs e .ul.illed' and this is made clear .rom the 5ery outset $hen he .irst sees and comments on the picture o. the .ianct. 7y attri uting a kind o. maternal concern to the lack male as $ell as granting him a degree o. moral authority' the .ilm can appear to e' in li eral .ashion' empo$ering the character $hile at the same time relie5ing the audiences1 an=ieties a out the pro=imity o. $hite $omanhood and lack manhood. That .ears a out the threat posed y the lack male to $hite $oman are not .ar eneath the sur.ace can e seen in the .ilm1s treatment o. all the other lack men' $ho are usually sho$n in menacing groups' surrounding our heroine' gesturing and muttering in their 1sa5age1 languages' and touching her hair in a$e. Early in the .ilm' some lack soldiers come to Fossey1s hut' destroy her possessions' and e5ict her .rom their country. The .ilm treats A.rican ci5il $ars

as nothing more than a nuisance impeding Fossey1s crusade2a crusade aligned $ith the .ilm1s pro9ect o. su stituting a timeless' pastoral 1gorilla nation1 .or the eminently less important struggles o. emerging lack nations. !igni.icantly' as the men attempt to .orce her to lea5e' Fossey .uriously tells them not to touch her' to get their hands o.. her. #o$' gi5en that the ig lo5e scene $ith the gorilla in5ol5es Fossey holding hands $ith him' and indeed that the lo5e interest is gi5en the name 1Digit1 y Fossey ecause o. the $e ing o. his .ingers' and .inally that the .ilm is most horri.ied y the castration o. the gorillas1 heads and hands' the latter made into curio ashtrays .or rich <mericans'$ e might e 9usti.ied in seeing in this moti. o. the hand a condensation o. the .ilm1s asic con.lict: a pitting o. animals against lack men' $ith the .ormer ultimately 5ie$ed as less physically and morally repellent than the latter. 6ere $e might note that $e come .ull circle to Gri..ith1s .ilm 7irth of a #ation' $hich had intercut shots o. Flora eing stalked y Gus $ith ones o. s4uirrels .ramed in an iris. The lack man thus ecomes' as Cripps o ser5es' 1a predator a out to pounce upon a harmless animal1 :p. @E;. Thus it is that in Gorillas in the 3ist' the machete$ielding lack men $ho earn their li5ing destroying gorillas are depicted as less truly and mo5ingly human than the tragic and no le gorillas2as $as the case in Iing Iong' as $ell.

d. course' at the le5el o. its script' the .ilm suggests a more complicated 5ie$'
and at one point the photographer 7o cautions an angry Fossey that the lack men are simply pa$ns in an economic po$er game that chie.ly ene.its rich Americans. -n this respect too' then' the .ilm operates in the realm o. disa5o$al' 5er ally disputing its o$n 5isual scapegoating o. the lack men and, moreo5er' pro9ecting the scapegoating onto the character o. Fossey' $ho at one point A*+LB terrori/es a little lack oy y pretending to e a $itch and at another point conducts a mock lynching o. a lack male poacher. -t is the $hite man' then' $ho in the end seems to e the most .ully human character' $hile the lack men are either sel.2sacri.icing ser5ants or threatening monsters' and the $hite $oman is at the same time oth a no le sa5ior o. innocent creatures and a $itch $hose unholy alliance $ith the easts o. the .orests turns her into a ra5ing monomaniac. -n other $ords' into the space hollo$ed out y the .ilm1s .etishistic splitting steps the $hite man' e4uipped $ith the photographic apparatus $hich apparently ena les him to esta lish the proper 5oyeuristic distance .rom the per5ersity that surrounds him. -nterestingly' since this is Dian Fossey1s story' and most o. the .ilm is .rom her point o. 5ie$' the .ilm gi5es the point o. 5ie$ o5er to 7o on se5eral occasions. - ha5e already re.erred to one instance2$hen 7o stares in .ascination at Dian1s 1mating1 $ith Digit' the camera cutting to tight close2ups o. him as he crouches near his photographic e4uipment and stares intently at the coming together o. $oman and ape. Another such moment occurs $hen he .irst arri5es on the scene' and $e see Dian s4uatting on the .loor' imitating the gorillas1 mo5ements and noises. !o 5ertiginous does the .ilm1s play $ith mimicry ecome that the $oman is constantly sho$n copying the gorillas' aping the anthropomorphi/ed apes8 like the lacks' she seems to occupy a position one step elo$ the animals' to e not 4uite capa le o. achie5ing the same degree o. humanity attained y the easts. 7ut $hile an analysis o. the point2o.25ie$ structure o. Gorillas in the 3ist suggests that' like most 6olly$ood .ilms' and despite its iographical claims' this one is largely concerned $ith $hite male .ears and .antasies and seems designed to assure the $hite man o. his .ull humanity in relation to the animals' the .emale se=' and other races' it is important to understand that the 5oyeuristic distance et$een the $hite male and his 1others1 ultimately collapses. 7o ' it turns out' is dra$n to gorillas too' and he gets to act out his estial lusts 5icariously $hen he and Dian ecome lo5ers a.ter he sees her $ith Digit and during an ela orate 5er al play in $hich re.erences to the eauty o. the animals ser5e as dou le entendres applying to Fossey hersel.. 6ere $e encounter the perennial thematics o. homosocial desire' according to $hich the $oman .unctions in a triangular relationship et$een t$o males' the $oman ecoming

attracti5e to the second male as a result o. eing sought a.ter or possessed y the .irst: a matter o.' in Rent Girard1s $ords' mimetic desire22o.' in the .ilm1s case' man imitating east.D Thus' $e might say' y the end o. the t$entieth century' homosocial desire' long the cornerstone o. patriarchal society' has e=panded to include the entire order o. Primates. -n Gorillas in the 3ist' then' $oman ser5es to initiate man into the secrets o. his origin' $hereupon he goes o.. to a ne$ 9o in the $ider $orld' escaping the carnage and destruction 5isited on the other players. !uch 5iolence is made to seem an appropriate ending to a .ilm that touches on so many ta oo areas' situating itsel. at the shi.ting orders et$een man and $oman' $hites and lacks' humans and animals' nature and society. >ne might e=pect that ecause A+*MB o. its unsettling o session $ith these ta oos' its nearly uncontrolla le play o. iteration' audiences $ould e trou led y the .ilm1s per5ersity. !eldom' ho$e5er' did re5ie$ers e5en mention the .ilm1s i/arre psychosocial dynamics8 instead' the main 1contro5ersy1 surrounding )orillas in the Mist had to do $ith its accuracy as representation o. Fossey1s li.e2a 4uestion' once again' o. mimicry' or mimesis. -t is tempting to speculate that this 4uestion arises as a response to the distur ances created *+ the .ilm at a phantasmatic le5el' instilling in us a longing .or an authentic human li.e to ser5e as ground and source o. the .ilm1s meaning' 9ust as the .ilm itsel. attempts to .oreclose the historical process and esta lish a natural' pastoral space $hich $ould pre2e=ist the struggles o. .eminists and lack nationalists. !uch a 4uestion $ould take on a special urgency precisely ecause the lines toed y the .ilm are so thin that it comes perilously close to mocking its o$n 4uest' making monkeys o. us all. -n his ook' The ,ignif+ing Monke+: - Theor+ of -fro#-merican Literar+ Criticism, 6enry Couis Gates praises 0ean Renoir1s silent .ilm ,ur un air de Charleston .or its parody o. the literature o. disco5ery popular in Renaissance and Enlightenment Europe. -n the .ilm' a lack man in lack.ace disco5ers a post2holocaust Europe and its only sur5i5ors' 1a scantily clad $hite ?ild

. . . and her lasci5ious companion' an ape.1 Gates sees in this scenario a 1master trope o. irony'1 $hich operates a 1.airly straight.or$ard . . . re5ersal . . .
?oman o. common European allegations o. the propensity o. A.rican $omen to pre.er the company o. male apes.1 That Gates can see nothing du ious in Renoir1s 1surrealistic criti4ue o.. .undamental con5entions o. ?estern discourse on the lack1 and can entirely neglect to consider the potency o. myths like .ing .ong :$hich long precede the ()** .ilm; suggests a 5ery large lind spot indeed22 lind' that is' to the $ay the .emale >ther' regardless o. race' has een .re4uently consigned to categories that put her outside the pale o. the .ully human.(+ :?hy' $e might in4uire' did it not occur to the 1master1 ironist to depict a scantily clad $hite man le$dly gyrating $ith his pet apeF; 3ost pertinently $e need to ask i.' gi5en the .etishistic nature o. discourses on race and gender' a politically e..ecti5e representational strategy can e5er operate 5ia 1re5ersal.1 Gates1s o$n lucid discussion o. the comple=ity o. lack American 1signi.ying'1 $hich he argues oth participates in and su tly undermines $hite discourse' implicitly repudiates the 5ia ility o. 1straight.or$ard re5ersal1 as political criti4ue. -.' as Gates argues' lacks ha5e de5eloped a dou le2edged discourse capa le o. responding to $hat ?. E. 7. Du7ois called the 1t$oness1 o. their e=istence in American culture' ho$ much more pertinent is the theori/ation o. such a discourse .or anyone concerned $ith understanding the comple= articulations o. race and gender in American li.e and $ith a5oiding the 1re5ersals1 that keep us continually 5eering et$een the !cylla o. racism and the Chary dis o. se=ism. To illustrate this point' - $ant to return to a scene in a .ilm y a director $hose presence is strongly .elt at the 1originary1 moment o. .eminist psychoanalytic A*+EB

..

.ilm theory: namely' 0ose. 5on !tern erg' the auteur $ho $as the .ocus o. Caura 3ul5ey1s comments on the $ay popular narrati5e cinema tends to .etishi/e the .emale ody.(* The .ilm27londe Henus2has een as ri5eting to contemporary theorists o. cinema as the sight o. Dian Fossey lying among the apes $as to the character 7o in Gorillas in the < i s t . A1 < s till .rom the scene to $hich - am re.erring graces the co5er o. an issue o. Cinema 0ournal $hich includes an article a out the su 5ersi5eness o. the .ilm1s treatment o. .emale se=uality.(s -n the plot leading up to this scene' the heroine 6elen' played y 3arlene Dietrich' has recently le.t her hum le home and her hus and and son to return to a career on the stage8 in the still' she has 9ust emerged .rom an ape costume' although hairy its o. the costume remain around her genital area' her shoulders' and her derrisre' and she is a out to sing 16ot Hoodoo.1 >n her head is a londe A.ro $ig and ehind her stand a group o. $omen in lack.ace holding spears and giant masks painted $ith large mouths and teeth. #o$here does !tern erg more .orce.ully re5eal himsel. to e the master .etishist o. the .emale ody than in this scene' $hich .or an ade4uate reading re4uires us to apply the insights o. oth a 6omi 7ha ha and a Caura 3ul5ey. Too o.ten .eminist .ilm critics ha5e alluded only parenthetically to the .ilm1s racism $hile de5oting themsel5es chie.ly to considering $hether the .ilm is 1progressi5e1 in its emphasis on per.ormance and spectacle' its su tle 5isual undermining o. the domestic ideal that the narrati5e purports to uphold. %et the racism is not an incidental' 1odd1 moment to e racketed o.. in order to pursue more pressing concerns' ut is' in .act' central to the e5ocation and manipulation o. desire that egins $ith the 6ot Hoodoo num er and continues up to and eyond 6elen1s .light south to increasingly e=otic locales' the last o. $hich is a Couisiana oarding house run y a lack $oman. -n the 6ot Hoodoo se4uence' the .etishistic $orking o. presence and a sence' di..erence and sameness' depends' as it does in Gorillas in the 3ist' on the interplay o. the elements o. $hite $oman' ape' and lacks. -. it can e said that the .ilm dra$s on the stereotypical association' re.erred to y Gates' o. apes and lack $omen' it can also e that said the $hite $oman is the ape. 7ut then again' o. course' she is not the ape. Part o. the se=ual charge o. the spectacle deri5es .rom the disa5o$al' the dou leness' the contradictory elie. structure $here y she is posited as simultaneously animal and human' as $ell as simultaneously $hite and not $hite :suggested y the londe A.ro $ig;. !imilarly' the $hite $omen in lack.ace and lack A.ro $igs $ho stand ehind Dietrich are also a..irmed and denied as A.rican 1sa5ages1 :and are .etishi/ed .urther in that the $ar2paint on their .aces resem les the painting on the masks they carry in .ront o. the lo$er hal5es o. their odies2the teeth on these masks clearly sym oli/ing the 5agina dentata;. - think $e can take this .ully theatricali/ed image as em lematic o. some o. the comple= interrelations o. gender and race in popular representation.(L -n doing so' ho$e5er' $e are .orced to recogni/e that $hile e5eryone in this scenario :e=cept .or the $hite male' played y Cary Grant' $ho is looking on; is A*+)B relegated to 1the ideologically appointed place o. the stereotype1D;' the lack $omen in the .ilm are in the most marginali/ed position. -. it is true' to cite Claire 0ohnston1s .amous .ormulation' $oman as $oman has largely een a sent .rom patriarchal cinema' this has o 5iously een much more literally the case .or lack $omen than .or $hites.11 And i. the $hite $oman has usually ser5ed as the signi.ier o. male desire :$hich is $hat 0ohnston meant $hen she spoke o. the a sence o. $oman as $oman;' the lack $oman' $hen present at all' has ser5ed as a signi.ier o. :$hite; .emale se=uality or o. the maternal :13ammy1;. -n the last part o. this essay - $ould like to e=plore the $ay in $hich lack $omen in contemporary popular .ilm are reduced to eing the signi.iers o. signi.iers. The use o. the lack $oman to signi.y se=uality is 5i5idly illustrated in one o. the most recent .ilms in the tradition o. The 0a// !inger. -n this case' ho$e5er' the protagonist is a $oman $ho .inds hersel. going ack to her 0e$ish roots. -n Crossing Delancey' directed y 0oan 3icklin !il5er' Amy -r5ing plays -//y' a thirty2three year2old $hite $oman $ho li5es alone in 3anhattan' $orks in a

prestigious ookstore organi/ing readings y the literati' and' 5ehement disclaimers to the contrary not$ithstanding' is clearly desperate to .ind a man. -ndeed' she is so desperate that a.ter ridding hersel. o. an in.atuation $ith a sel.a sor ed and pretentious $riter' she o5ercomes a strong distaste .or a 0e$ish pickle salesman' $ho has een chosen .or her y a marriage2 roker in collusion $ith -//y1s grandmother. -n a rie. scene occurring rather early in the .ilm' -//y is trying to decide $hether or not to call the $riter to ask him out' and she asks the ad5ice o. a .riend as the t$o rela= in the sauna a.ter a $orkout in the gym. ?hile the $omen recline in their to$els' the camera pans do$n to re5eal t$o lack $omen' one o. $hom' a 5ery large $oman $hose ample .lesh spills out o. a tight athing2suit' loudly recounts to her .riend an anecdote a out lo5e making in $hich $hile per.orming .ellatio :1-1m licking it' -1m kissing it' he1s moaning1; she disco5ers a long21- mean long12 londe hair' $hich the man rather lamely tries to e=plain a$ay. The camera tilts ack up' as -//y' ha5ing listened intently to the con5ersation' thought.ully remarks' 13ay e - $ill call him.1 Clearly the lack $oman' small as her role is' represents se=uality and 1em odiment1 in a .ilm that ne5er mentions se= at any other time :to e sure' the .act o. se= is hinted at $hen -//y spends an occasional night $ith a married male .riend' ut it is ne5er sho$n or discussed;. E5en the .raming o. the scene $e ha5e een discussing suggests in ama/ingly e=emplary .ashion the hierarchical di5ision et$een lack and $hite $omen' $ith the upto$n 3anhattanite princess21on2her2high2horse1 :to 4uote the grandmother;' $ho $ill e .orced to accept as a lo5er a 0e$ish man .rom lo$er 3anhattan' placed in the upper part o. the .rame and the se=uali/ed lack .emales situated' as al$ays' on the ottom :a spatial metaphor $ith oth social and psychic dimensions;. The lack $oman1s story not only hints at the threat o. miscegenation .or' 9ust as this $oman1s lo5er has strayed' so too is -//y straying .rom her roots2 ut represents directly all those desires that this post.eminist .ilm is disa5o$ing: oth a A**NB 5oracious se=uality and a 5oracious hunger in general' resulting .rom the depri5ations su..ered y single middle2class $hite $omen in the modern $orld. Thus the .act that the one se=ual act mentioned in the .ilm :$hich is a out a $oman1s lo5e .or a pickle salesman' no less; is the act o. .ellatio is not surprising gi5en the u i4uitous presence o. .ood in the .ilm :scenes o. -//y and her .riend eating hotdogs on -//y1s irthday a.ter she lies to her oss a out going to a .ancy restaurant Ao 5iously $omen cannot nurture themsel5es or each otherB8 o. lonely $omen picking at .ood in salad ars and eating Chinese takeout $hile $atching tele5ision8 o. a a y nursing at his mother1s reast $hile the heroine looks oi in en5y22en5y not' it is 4 i t e clear' o. the mother ut o. the suckling child8 and .inally' o. the Aas the .ilm portrays herB o no=iously loud .emale marriage roker continually go ling do$n other people1s .ood' eating $ith greasy .ingers and talking $ith her mouth crammed .ull;. Else$here - talked a out the horror o. the ody e=pressed in contemporary culture' the anore=ic mentality to $hich this horror gi5es rise' and the tendency on the part o. men to deal $ith these .ears y displacing them onto the ody o. the .emale8() $hat $e need to note here is the special role played y the $oman o. color as receptacle o. these .ears. The .unction o. the .at' se=ually 5oracious lack $oman in Crossing Delancey' is to ena le the $hite 0e$ish su culture' through its heterose=ual lo5e story' to represent itsel. in a highly sentimentali/ed' romantici/ed' and su limated light' $hile disa5o$ing the desires and discontents underlying the ci5ilisation it is promoting. :>nce again' then' $e see the need .or .eminist analysis to consider the $ays in $hich ethnic and racial groups are played o.. against2and play themsel5es o.. against22one an<ther.<1; -. in Crossing Delancey2a .ilm $ritten and directed y $omen2the lack .emale ody is the se=uali/ed ody' in other .ilms the lack $oman .unctions not only as the se=ual other' ut as the maternal ody' as psychic surrogate .or the $hite mother2in short' as 13ammy.1 Recent .eminist theory has sho$n that the nursery maid in Freud1s o$n time played an important' although largely unackno$ledged' role in initiating the child into se=ual kno$ledge.+( -n America' as lack .eminists ha5e pointed out' the lack $oman has mire o.ten

than not ser5ed a similar .unction in the acculturation o. $hite children. Clara1s 6eart' starring ?hoopi Gold erg' pro5ides an unusually stark illustration o. the process $here y the young $hite male achie5es maturity through penetrating the mystery o. the lack $oman21her $isdom' her $armth' her secret'1 as the poster proclaims. That :returning to the metaphor o. the dark continent; $e are dealing here almost literally $ith the 1heart o. darkness1 is suggested y Clara1s last name' $hich is 16eart12an organ that turns out to e a euphemism .or a more li idinally cathected ody part. For Clara1s secret' $hich her young charge Da5id' su..ering .rom neglect at the hands o. his narcissistic parents' attempts to disco5er' is that she has een raped y her o$n son. The horror' the horror' indeed. The lack male thus literali/es the psychic reality o. the ourgeois male' .or the rape is in .act the logical result o. the $hite oy1s2and the narrati5e1s2pro ing. At one point' .or e=ample' A**(B Da5id sits at Clara1s knee and egins slo$ly and sensually to .eel her leg' mo5ing ine=ora ly up$ard until Clara screams at him2an 1o5erreaction1 e=plained $hen $e learn o. the son1s rape. 3oreo5er' Da5id not only continually adgers Clara to re5eal her story ut reads in secret the letters he .inds in a suitcase under her ed. Again' Clara reacts .uriously' saying he has ruined their .riendship' although at other times she says he can ne5er do anything to destroy her a..ection. The intense aggression aroused y the promise and $ithholding o. unconditional lo5e ultimately .inds e=pression in the re5elation o. incest and rape2a rape that is enacted y the se=ually monstrous lack male' $ho is presuma ly incapa le o. su limating such .eelings and thus destined to remain .ore5er a casualty o. >edipus' $hile the recognition o. his o$n desires in the mirror pro5ided y the lack male ena les the $hite oy to rechannel his hostilities and ecome a man: pre5iously unathletic' $e no$ see him $in a s$imming championship under the appro5ing eye o. his .atherO Thus the lack man comes to ser5e as as the $hite male1s oedipal scapegoat' and the lack $oman is positioned' as in so many popular representations :like !piel erg1s The Color Purple;' as se=ual 5ictim2not o. the $hite man' o. course' the historical record not$ithstanding2 ut o. lack men' including e5en their o$n sons.++ And lack people in general are once again consigned to the le5el o. estiality. A more recent' enormously popular .ilm in $hich ?hoopi Gold erg again has a ma9or role sho$s yet another $ay the lack $oman ser5es the .unction o. em odiment. -n Ghost' ?hoopi Gold erg plays a spiritual medium' >da 3ae 7ro$n' $ho stands in .or the ody o. the $hite male' !am' played y Patrick !$ay/e. !am has died as a result o. a mugging' $hich turns out to ha5e een engineered y a co$orker em e//ling .unds. ?hen he learns o. the plot and o. his $i.e1s danger at the hands o. the mugger' he seeks out >da 3ae to help him communicate to his $i.e. A.ter a great deal o. mutual mistrust et$een the $i.e and >da 3ae' clima=ed y a scene in $hich >da 3ae stands outside the door trying to con5ince the $i.e o. her 1authenticity'1 as it $ere' she is allo$ed inside the house' and the $i.e e=presses a great longing to e a le to touch her hus and one last time. >da 3ae o..ers up her ody up .or the purpose' and !am enters into it. The camera sho$s a close2up o. the lack $oman1s hands as they reach out to take those o. the $hite $oman' and then it cuts to a shot not o. >da 3ae ut o. !am' $ho in taking o5er her ody has o literated her presence entirely. This se4uence' in $hich Gold erg turns into a man may e seen as a kind o. logical e=tension o. all her comedic roles' .or she is al$ays coded in the comedies as more masculine than .eminine. For e=ample' there is a scene in 0umping 0ack Flash in $hich she dresses up in a se=y e5ening dress that nearly gets che$ed up y a shredding machine' and' as she clim s the stairs to her apartment at the end o. the e5ening' she is heard muttering in anger ecause the ta=i ca dri5er mistook her .or a male trans5estite. -n Fatal 7eauty' too' Gold erg1s donning o. $omen1s clothes is seen to e a .orm o. drag22o. lack .emale mimicry o. :$hite; .emininity' and $hen she dresses in such clothes she $alks in an e=aggeratedly a$k$ard .ashion like a man unaccustomed to .emale accoutrements. A**+B

T$o important points need to e made here. First' the kind o. 1gender trou le1 ad5ocated y 0udith 7utler and others in $hich gender' anatomy' and per.ormance are at odds $ith one another does not necessarily result in the su 5ersi5e e..ects o.ten claimed .or it [. . .-8 on the contrary' in certain cases' such as those in5ol5ing the $oman o. color $ho has o.ten een considered' in 7ha ha1s $ords' 1not 4uite1 a $oman' this kind o. 1play1 may ha5e e=tremely conser5ati5e implications. !econd' $hen oth e=tremes o. the ?hoopi Gold erg persona are considered together2those in $hich she represents the maternall.emale ody :as in Clara1s 6eart; and those in $hich she is coded as more or less male2$e see that $e are not all that .ar .rom the situation addressed y !o9ourner m ruthJJ
[. .] The lack $oman is seen either as too literally a $oman :reduced to her iology and her iological .unctions; or in crucial $ays not really a $oman at all. - must ackno$ledge' ho$e5er' although it places me in an uncom.orta le position' that - personally .ind the Gold erg character in the comedies oth attracti5e and empo$ering :and - kno$ some young $hite girls $ho ha5e made Gold erg a kind o. cult heroine;' and that part o. this attraction .or me lies in the $ay she represents a li erating departure .rom the sti.ling con5entions o. .emininity. %et - ha5e to recogni/e as a $hite $oman the e=tent to $hich these images are at least in part the creation o. a racist mentality and to ackno$ledge ho$ such images and my o$n reaction to them may ser5e to keep me and lack $omen at odds :although - $ould also argue strongly that Gold erg1s po$er.ul acting allo$s her .re4uently to transcend some o. the limitations o. her material or else to ring out the su 5ersi5e potential uried $ithin the te=t;. -t is urgent that $hite $omen come to understand the $ays in $hich they themsel5es participate in racist structures not only o. patriarchal cinema2as in Crossing Delancey2 ut also o. contemporary criticism and theory. -n an important article sur5eying the $ork o. $hite $omen ne$ly addressing issues o. race' Halerie !mith points out that some $hite .eminist theorists may e participating in an old tradition o. .orcing the lack $oman to ser5e the .unction o. em odiment: A-tB is striking that at precisely the moment $hen Anglo2American .eminists and male A.ro2Americanists egin to reconsider the material ground o. their enterprise' they demonstrate their return to earth' as it $ere' y in5oking the speci.ic e=periences o. lack $omen and the $ritings o. lack $omen. This association o. lack $omen $ith reem odiment resem les rather closely the association' in classic ?estern philosophy and in nineteenth2century cultural constructions o. $omanhood' o. $omen o. color $ith the ody and there.ore $ith animal passions and sla5e la or.+@ ?hat !mith1s remarks clearly suggest is the lack $oman1s need to re.use to .unction as either the man1s or the $hite $oman1s odily scapegoat' 9ust as some $hite $omen are re.using any longer to .unction this $ay in male discourse. - $ould like to end' ho$e5er' $ith a .antasy' $hich in5ol5es reading the scene

A***B
- ha5e discussed in Ghost against the grain. This may e a .antasy that .or many reasons lack $omen $ill not .ully share' since it points in a utopian direction and $ishes a$ay some o. the contradictions - ha5e een analy/ing. ?ithout .or a moment .orgetting these contradictions' $ithout denying the .orce o. 6a/el Car y1s o ser5ation that .eminist criticism :to say nothing o. a 1$oman1s .ilm1 like Crossing Delancey; has too o.ten ignored 1the hierarchical structuring o. the relations et$een lack and $hite $omen and o.ten takes the concerns o. middle2class' articulate $hite $omen as the norm'1 - ne5ertheless $ant to point to an alternati5e to the dominant .antasy e=pressed in host.J1 -. in the .ilm the lack $oman e=ists solely to .acilitate the $hite heterose=ual romance' there is a sense in $hich $e can shi.t our .ocus to read the $hite male as' precisely' the

o stacle to the union o. the t$o $omen' a union tentati5ely suggested in the image o. the lack and $hite hands as they reach to$ard one another. - like to think that despite the distur ing contradictions - ha5e pointed out in this chapter' a time $ill come $hen $e eliminate the locked door :to recall an image .rom Ghost; that separates $omen :a door' as $e see in the .ilm' easily penetrated y the $hite man;' a time $hen $e may 9oin together to o5erthro$ the ideology that' a.ter all' primarily ser5es the interests o. $hite heterose=ual masculinity and is ultimately responsi le .or the persecutions su..ered y people on account o. their race' class' and gender. 7ut since it is $hite $omen $ho in many cases ha5e locked the door' it is their responsi ility to open it up. NOTES
(. !ee the discussion o. the .ilm in Patricia Erens' The 0e$ in American Cinema :7loomington: -ndiana &ni5ersity Press' ()E@;' pp. (N(2L. +. 6omi I. 7ha ha' 1>. 3imicry and 3an: The Am i5alence o. Colonial Discourse'1 >cto er +E :!pring ()E@;: (*(. >ther te=ts y 7ha ha that - dra$ on here include: 1The >ther Puestion: Di..erence' Discrimination and the Discourse o. Colonialism'1 in Citerature' Politics and Theory: Papers .rom the Esse= Con.erence ()ML2E@' ed. Francis 7arker' Peter 6ulme' 3argaret -5ersen' and Diana Co=ley :Condon: 3ethuen' ()EL;' pp. (@E2M+8 1The Commitment to Theory'1 #e$ Formations , :!ummer ()EE;: ,2+@8 1!igns Taken .or ?onders: Puestions o. Am i5alence and Authority under a Tree >utside Delhi' 3ay (E(M'1 in 1Race'1 ?riting' and Di..erence' ed.' 6enry Couis Gates' 0r. :Chicago: &ni5ersity o. Chicago Press' ()E,;' pp. (L*2E@. *. Thomas Cripps' !lo$ Fade to 7lack: The #egro in American Film' ()NN2()@+ :#e$ %ork: >=.ord &ni5ersity Press' ()MM;' p. *M. @. 7ha ha' 1>. 3imicry and 3an'1 p. (*+. For other articles discussing the am i5alent nature o. minstrelsy' see !yl5ia ?ynter' 1!am os and 3instrels'1 !ocial Te=t ( :()M);: (@)2,L8 and !usan ?illis 1- !hop There.ore - Am: -s There a Place .or A.ro2 American Culture in American Commodity Culture'1 in Changing >ur >$n ?ords: Essays on Criticism' Theory' and ?riting by 7lack ?omen' ed. Cheryl ?all :#e$ 7runs$ick' #.0.: Rutgers &ni5ersity Press' ()E);' pp. (M*2),. ,. - id.' p. (+E. L. !ee Cuce -rigaray' !peculum o. the >ther ?oman' trans. Gillian C. Gill :-thaca' #. %.: Cornell &ni5ersity Press' ()E,;. M. 7ha ha' 1The >ther Puestion'1 p. (M). E. - id.' p. (MN. ). Cripps' !lo$ Fade to 7lack' p. (,,. A**@B (N. K. 0. Iennedy' 1?ho Iilled Iing IongF'1 in Focus on the 6o$or Film' ed. Roy 6uss and T. 0. Ross :Engle$ood Cli..s' #. 0.: Prentice 6all' ()M+;' p. (N). ((. !ee Reni: Girard' Deceit' Desire' and the #o5el: !el. and >ther in Citerary !tructure' trans. %5onne Freccero :7altimore' 3d.: 0ohns 6opkins &ni5ersity Press' ()M+;' and E5e Ioso.sky !edg$ick1s discussion o. Girard1s $ork in terms o. 1homosocial desire'1 in her 7et$een 3en: English Citerature and 3ale 6omosocial Desire :#e$ %ork: Colum ia &ni5ersity Press' ()E,;' pp. +(2,. (+. 6enry Couis Gates' The !igni.ying 3onkey: A Theory o. A.ro2American Citerary Criticism :#e$ %ork: >=.ord &ni5ersity Press' ()EE;' pp. (NE2). (*. Caura 3ul5ey' 1Hisual Pleasure and #arrati5e Cinema'1 !creen (L' no. * :Autumn ()M,;: L2(E. (@. For e=amples' see Patricia 3ellencamp' 13ade in the Fade'1 Cine12Tracts *' no. * :Fall ()EN;: (*8 7ill #ichols' -deology and the -mage :7loomington: -ndiana &ni5ersity Press' ()E(;' pp. (N@2*+8 and E. Ann Iaplan' ?omen and Film: 7oth !ides o. the Camera :#e$ %ork and Condon: 3ethuen' ()E*' pp. @)2,). (,. Cea 0aco s' 1The Censorship o. 7londe Henus: Te=tual Analysls and 6istorical 3ethods'1 Cinema 0ournal +M' no. * :!pring ()EE;: +(2*(. (L. For a contro5ersial discussion o. race' gender and spectacle' see !ander C. Gilman' 1The 6ottentot and the Prostitute: To$ard an -conography o. Female !e=uality'1 in Di..erence and Pathology: !tereotypes o. !e=uality' Race' and 3adness :-thaca' #. %.: Cornell &ni5ersity Press' ()E,;' pp. ML2(NE. (M. -saac 0ulien and Io ena 3ercer' 1De 3argin and De centre'1 !creen +)' no. @ :Autumn ()EE;: ,. (E. Claire 0ohnston' 1?omen1s Cinema as Counter2Cinema'1 in !e=ual !trategems: The ?orld o. ?omen in Film' ed. Patricia Erens :#e$ %ork: 6ori/on Press' ()M);' p. (*L. (). 1D?hen the direction o. the .orce acting on the ody is changedD: The 3o5ing

-mage'1 in 3ary Ann Doane' Femmes Fatales: Feminism' Film Theory' Psychoanalysis :Condon: Routledge' ())(; pp. (EE2+NL. +N. For a discussion o. the comple= relations et$een racism and anti2!emitism' see Elly 7ulkin' 3innie 7ruce Pratt' and 7ar ara !mith' %ours in !truggle: Three Feminist Perspecti5es on Anti2!emitism and Racism :#e$ %ork: Cong 6aul Press' ()E@;. +(. For an interesting discussion o. this' see Peter !tally rass and Allon ?hite' 17elo$ !tairs: the 3aid and the Family Romance'1 in their The Politics and Poetics o. Transgression :-thaca' #. %.: Cornell &ni5ersity Press' ()EL;' pp. (@)2MN. ++. 0ane Gaines' 1?hite Pri5ilege and Cooking Relations2Race and Gender in Feminist Film Theory'1 !creen +)' no. @ :Autumn ()EE;: (+2+M. -n this article' $hich has a strong ideological a=e to grind' since Gaines is attacking psychoanalytic .ilm theory' Gaines tries to pro5e that psychoanalysis cannot e o. use in discussing the issue o. race. - hope - ha5e sho$n that this is not necessarily the case' e5en though people $ho ha5e used psychoanalysis may e racially iased: such ias is hardly su..icient to discredit the entire discipline. +*. !o9ourner Truth1s speech 1A1n1t - a $oman1 is reprinted in 7e5erly Guy2!he.tall :ed.;' ?ords o. Fire :#e$ %ork: The #e$ Press' ()),; pp. *,2E. For .urther discussion o. this speech' see T. 3odleski' 1Postmortem on Post.eminism'1 in Feminism $ithout ?omen :#e$ %ork and Condon: Routledge' ())(; pp. *2++. +@. Halerie !mith' 17lack Feminist Theory and the Representation o. the D>therD'1 in Changing >ur >$n ?ords: Essays on Criticism' Theory' and ?riting y 7lack ?omen' ed. Cheryl A. ?all :#e$ 7runs$ick' #. 0.: Rutgers &ni5ersity Press' ()E);' p. @,. +,. 6a/el Car y' Reconstructing ?omanhood: The Emergence o. the A.ro2American ?oman #o5elist :#e$ %ork: >=.ord &ni5ersity Press' ()EM;' p. (M. A**,B