Cultural Depictions of the Stepmother

Dr. Parnell’s superbly curated volume offers a rich, multinational, and interdisciplinary examination of a figure long maligned in narratives spanning from ancient Greek tragedy to twenty-first-century cinema. Each chapter situates the enduring tropes of the cruel, lustful, and at times even nurturing stepmother within their broader cultural, legal, and social contexts, ultimately revealing the common force that sustains these stereotypes: patriarchy. * Julie Anne Taddeo, Research Professor of History, University of Maryland, USA *
This is the fourth and latest in a unique series of books on women’s cultural positioning within the family meticulously curated by Dr Jo Parnell. While previous volumes have centered on the mother-in-law, the bride, and the second wife, the present collection focuses on the stepmother. What is especially enthralling about all four collections is the broad international sweep of the analyses. Here, the representations of the stepmother arise from diverse locations including Germany, United States, Biafra, Australia, the Baltic and Korea. From monstrous to virtuous, from wicked to nurturing, in folklore and film, these learned articles provide a fascinating window onto the ways in which representations inform the lives of women who become stepmothers across the world. * Josephine May, Hon. Associate Professor, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia *