Takes a long view on the figure of the femme fatale, exploring her style, language, and stories from silent cinema to contemporary television. Julie Grossman explores the notions of female ambition, frustration, and intelligence that undergird the power and fascination of the femme fatale across time and media.

This book offers readers a concise look at over a century of femmes fatales on both the silver screen and the TV screen, from Theda Bara and Barbara Stanwyck to Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh, considering how this figure embodies Hollywood’s contradictory attitudes toward female ambition, independence, and sexuality.