Becoming Cleopatra

Cleopatra. Sexy, sultry, political, and racially ambiguous. Moving fluidly from Shakespeare's England to contemporary LA, Francesca Royster looks at the performance of race and sexuality in a wide range of portrayals of that icon of dangerous female sexuality, Cleopatra. Royster begins with Shakespeare's original appropriation of Plutarch, and then moves on to analyze performances of the Cleopatra icon by Josephine Baker, Elizabeth Taylor, Pam Grier (Cleopatra Jones) and Queen Latifah (in Set It Off ). Royster argues that Cleopatra highlights a larger cultural anxiety about women, sexuality, and race.

'...a dense but readable book, especially appropriate for 'Women in Film' courses.' - Publishers Weekly Annex

Autorentext
FRANCESCA ROYSTER is Associate Professor of English at DePaul University, where she teaches courses on Shakespeare, film, and black feminism. She is one of the leading young African American feminist Shakespeare scholars.

Inhalt
Introduction Part I: Cleopatra in Hollywood-Constructing and Deconstructing Whiteness African Dreams, Egyptian Nightmares: Cleopatra and Becoming England Cleopatra and the Birth of Film: Staging Perpetual Motion Egyptian Sandals: Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra and the White Grotesque Part II: Cleopatra and Counter-narratives of Adoption Cleopatra Jones (1973): Blaxploitation and Tactical Alliances with Shakespeare Queering Cleo: Set it Off and Queen Latifah's 'Butch-in-the-Hood'