Sexuality and the Griffith woman : the Victorian ideal in Way down east (1920) with an introduction on the use of film as a historical document : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

At the beginning of the twentieth century, reformers struggled to define women's sexuality. Progressive reformers advocated a combination of sexual freedom and the old ideals of marriage, while the more conservative reformers continued to espouse-the Victorian ideal. This struggle was not new, but it found a new arena - the motion picture. By reaching a vast audience, particuarly the middle class, motion pictures had the potential of influencing a vast number of social issues including women's sexuality.By the end of World War I, director D.W. Griffith had emerged within the film industry as a champion of the Victorian ideal. However, Griffith's 1920 film Way Down East represents more then just this ideal. The film also portrays the new female sexual ideology that is developing through the efforts of the progressive reformers. This paper focuses on a number of the images of women's sexuality in Way Down East and draws upon the D.W. Griffith papers found at the Museum of Modem Art, contemporary newspaper articles, and scholarly works. Also included is an introduction on how teachers may use films as a historical document.