hi everybody!
thanks for the link to Catherine Thompson's 'The Feminization
of the Hard-boiled Detective', etienne. without further ado,
i am awarding her the first official "when a cigar is not a
cigar" award, based on the following quote from her
thesis:
********************** The symbolism inherent in her name
[Birdie] also underscores her androgynous state. Birds can be
regarded as phallic symbols; their cylindrical bodies and
erect heads contribute to this interpretation, as well as the
common use of the word "bird" as a euphemism for "penis."
Thus, through her name Miss Keppel gains a kind of phallus,
in keeping with the power she wields as keeper/giver of
information. However, it is only a small one (a "birdie"):
her "phallic" status, like Effie's, is limited, likewise
rendering her "not-quite."
**********************
footnote: the name of the award is a paraphrase of freud's
insightful comment, "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar,"
noted in an earlier post.
loving every second of it, miker
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