This book analyses the gender roles and political contexts of spy fiction narratives published during the years of the Cold War. It offers an introduction to the development of spy fiction both in England and in the United States and explores the ways in which issues such as the atomic bomb, double agents, paranoia, propaganda and megalomania manifest themselves within the genre. The book examines the ongoing marginalization of women within spy fiction texts, exploring the idea that this unique period in global history is responsible for the active promotion and celebration of masculinity and male superiority. From James Bond to Jason Bourne, the book evaluates the ongoing enforcement of patriarchal ideas and oppressions that, in the name of national security and patriotic duty, have contributed to the development of a genre in which discrimination and bias continue to dominate.
Author(s): Sian MacArthur
Series: Crime Files
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 257
City: Cham
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction: ‘To Make the World a Better Place’: Politics, Patriarchy and Privilege—Spy Fiction and the Cold War
Chapter 2: ‘The Name’s Bond. James Bond’: The Rise of the British Spy Novel
Chapter 3: ‘It’s a Game of Dog Eat Dog’: Discontent and Disintegration in the World of the Hard-Boiled Detective
Chapter 4: ‘A World of Shadows and Suspicions’: The Psychology of Paranoia
Chapter 5: ‘The Greatest Weapon on Earth’: Power and Propaganda in Spy Fiction Narratives
Chapter 6: ‘The Man Who Looked Both East and West’: The Double Agent at Work
Chapter 7: ‘So We’re Not Enemies?’: Spy Fiction and the End of the Cold War
Chapter 8: ‘A Perpetual State of War’: Legacy and Unresolved Conflict in Post-War Spy Fiction
Chapter 9: ‘Power and Agency’: Addressing Inequality in Contemporary Women’s Spy Fiction
Chapter 10: Conclusion: ‘A Pawn on a Chessboard’: The Ongoing Influence of Patriarchy
Bibliography
Index
