The Femme Fatale in American Literature By Ghada Sasa

In addition, this woman seldom can or wants to perform the tasks of a nurturing and caring mother. Finally, although the femme fatale does not have to murder or destroy the male character, she does bring about a psychological change or an ominous change in him or in the quality of his life. Patrick Bade outlines the characteristics of the femmes fatales and asserts that femmes fatales are “pale, proud, mysterious, idol-like, full of perverse desires yet cold at heart” (8). These attributes summarize the common characteristics of this literary type. A combination of these characteristics suggests the presence of a femme fatale. In this book, I look for and examine these characteristics in each of the female protagonists being discussed.

Background and Definitions of American Naturalism

In American naturalism, characters are seen as helpless products of heredity and environment. Realism and naturalism have often been seen as two interrelated literary movements which objectively depict man’s position as well as man’s limitations.

In The Beginnings of Naturalism in American Fiction, Lars Ahnebrink provides definitions of both realism and naturalism. He defines realism as “a manner and method of composition by which the author describes normal, average life in an accurate and truthful way,” whereas naturalism “is a manner and method of composition by which the author portrays life as it is in accordance with the philosophic theory of determinism” (vi). Ahnebrink outlines the differences between the realist and the naturalist: “In contrast to a realist, a naturalist believes that man is fundamentally an animal without free will. To a naturalist, man can be explained in terms of the forces, usually heredity and environment, which operate upon him” (vii).