The Bad Boy Appeal

Traditionally horror has been viewed as a masculine
genre, saturated with submissive, weak females.
Both horror films and literature often depict women
dying violent deaths at the hands of a stronger male.
More recently, female characters in horror fiction
have repossessed their power and authority, equalling
the strength and cunning of their male counterparts.
This new trend is particularly evident in the
television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with the
central heroine having greater physical prowess than
anyone else, male or female in the world. This
feminist revisionism of horror in the nineties,
saluted the Gothic fiction era where horror was
considered a woman s field.
''The Bad Boy Appeal'' studies the representation of
female sexuality in the young adult horror fiction of
L.J. Smith and the manner in which she reclaims
horror from its perceived place in the masculine
sphere, specifically by assigning her female
characters the principle roles.

Autorentext

Emma Meade graduated from NUI Galway in 2007 with a Masters inPublishing. She now works in publishing in her home town ofCork, Ireland and continues to write in her personal time. Creatingsupernatural fiction aimed at intelligent young adults is herpassion.

Klappentext

Traditionally horror has been viewed as a masculinegenre, saturated with submissive, weak females. Both horror films and literature often depict womendying violent deaths at the hands of a stronger male. More recently, female characters in horror fictionhave repossessed their power and authority, equallingthe strength and cunning of their male counterparts. This new trend is particularly evident in thetelevision series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with thecentral heroine having greater physical prowess thananyone else, male or female in the world. Thisfeminist revisionism of horror in the nineties,saluted the Gothic fiction era where horror wasconsidered a woman's field.'The Bad Boy Appeal' studies the representation offemale sexuality in the young adult horror fiction ofL.J. Smith and the manner in which she reclaimshorror from its perceived place in the masculinesphere, specifically by assigning her femalecharacters the principle roles.