Monsters & Madwomen? Neurosis, Ambition and Mothering in Women Lawyers in Film

Law, Culture and Humanities (2016)

25 Pages Posted: 5 Nov 2016

See all articles by Jennifer L. Schulz

Jennifer L. Schulz

University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law

JiHyun Youn

Independent

Date Written: October 6, 2016

Abstract

In this article we engage with the writings of feminist scholars Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, whose landmark work, The Madwoman in the Attic, critiques the image of the female madwoman or monster. We use Gilbert and Gubar’s thesis of the female monster as the primary analytical framework for excavating three variants of female madness as depicted in three films: madness as neurosis using Laws of Attraction; monstrosity as ambition using Michael Clayton; and madness/monstrosity as failed motherhood using I Am Sam. Our goals for this article are to explore the ways in which popular films featuring female lawyers channel the “madwoman/monster” metaphor; trace those characters in terms of neuroses, ambition, and motherhood; and argue for the possibility of reconfiguring the notion of “madwoman” as a valid and meaningful mode of female subjectivity that expands the field of possibilities for women lawyers.

Keywords: women, lawyers, gender, law & film, feminist

Suggested Citation

Schulz, Jennifer L. and Youn, JiHyun, Monsters & Madwomen? Neurosis, Ambition and Mothering in Women Lawyers in Film (October 6, 2016). Law, Culture and Humanities (2016), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2864588 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2864588

Jennifer L. Schulz (Contact Author)

University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law ( email )

Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2
Canada

JiHyun Youn

Independent ( email )

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