The figure of the beautiful but lethal woman has haunted the Western imagination from ancient myth to contemporary film. Looking at news media, cinema, drama and other cultural forms, this study considers the interaction between representations of 'real life' 'femmes fatales' and their fictional counterparts.

List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Defining the Femme Fatale 2. Frances Howard (1590-1632) 3. Ruth Snyder (1891-1928) 4. Amanda Knox Conclusion References Note ...