Since the femme fatale is the subject of an investigation in which the detective strives to uncover her true identity, she must cunningly subvert his inquiries into her past, usually by plotting to murder him. Here we see another subversive subtext; the role of the male protagonist signifies order, stability, and authority, all of which must be restored by the end of the novel, while the femme fatale represents disorder and ambiguity. In fact, this plot line completes the male protagonist’s transition from a spoiled aristocrat to vigilant protector when he risks his life to guard his family and wealth against the threat of the femme fatale who undermines powerful aristocratic families. However, when we consider Robert Audley’s misogynistic views about women, such order really means keeping women oppressed and powerless, and overcoming the sinister, castrating image of the femme fatale characterized in the pre-Raphaelite painting.
Praz refers to the predatory nature of the femme fatale in relation to her male victims as “sexual cannibalism” (215). This definition accurately captures the murderous plots of the midcentury femme fatale, but she does not kill for sport like other femmes fatales such as Cleopatra or Salome. Rather Lydia Gwilt, Becky Sharp, and Lady Audley inexhaustibly pursue the task of gaining wealth against all odds; they want to be rich, and they strive for social power. That objective usually requires seeking out an available wealthy male suitor and damaging family relations or reputation in order to have a greater influence over her male conquest. While in other cases, the femme fatale seeks revenge, she either murders a family member or forces the family to abandon their home and escape the calumny that she now attaches to the family name. Destroying the structure of the family enables her to settle old scores against aristocrats who treat her viciously, and to eradicate entirely future heirs to the family fortune.