MAKING A CASE FOR JOYFUL VIOLENCE: LOOKING AT REVENGE AS AFFECT IN PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN AND SWEET/VICIOUS - Emanuela Mancuso Thesis (9971713)

Abstract

The rape-revenge genre has been extensively studied, yet there is a notable gap in examining the affective power and the political or feminist potential of revenge itself within this genre. While scholars such as Jacinda Read have questioned the legitimacy of revenge, and others have explored the masochistic identification of male audiences with on-screen victims, the emotional and cathartic aspects of revenge for survivors of sexual assault remain underexplored. This thesis seeks to fill that gap by investigating how revenge narratives in the rape-revenge genre, especially in their popular representations, affect viewers who have experienced sexual assault. Specifically, this research aims to answer the question: How can audiovisual media allow for the catharsis of revenge (as an affect) through a narrative that activates the violent desire of women for justice?

By addressing this question, the thesis will look at the nature of revenge and how it can be read as an affect, building on Simone de Beauvoir writing on vengence and Ann Cvetkovich’s on political (and public) feelings. This study will contribute to a deeper understanding of the interplay between media representations of revenge and the emotional well-being of sexual assault survivors. I investigate if the strength of the rape-revenge narrative may lie in a straightforward objective: crafting a story that centers on women inflicting pain on men without demanding their ultimate sacrifice. Allowing in the audience the exhilarating joy that comes with feeling publicly one’s anger, without the constrains of shame as I believe movie and television can elicit, but are hardly allowed to in their depiction of women on screen, can allow a community formation between the single viewer, the characters on screen and the other members of the audience.