The International Doll Museum blog: Christmas in July; Celebrating a custom in Austral...

The International Doll Museum blog: Christmas in July; Celebrating a custom in Austral...: Fans of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries will remember an episode set during Christmas in July.  Many countries south of the ...

Huge Doll Puppet Theater Museum of Childhood in London

Detecting Femme Fatales

The femme fatale makes her appearance in Pym’s work, though far more subtly than in other works of literature.  These are the woman to paraphrase Lady Lamb, who are “mad, bad, and dangerous” for men to know.  They are the sirens, lamia, gorgons, home wreckers, gold diggers, black widows, dominatrixes Amazons, often emasculating, ball busting women that are the stuff of comics, legend, myth, and unfortunately, sometimes porn. Well, Lady Heather and others, please step aside, and don’t trip over your whips, boas, dripping diamonds, or weapons of choice.

Public Domain

The femme fatales we discuss today are the women in pop culture who deal in death, yet still are smart, sexy, even fun to be around.  They are detectives, amateur or otherwise, and include Mrs. Mallory, Hazel Holt’s main PI.  Holt, you will remember, was Pym’s best friend, colleague, and literary executor.  Miss Marple is one, as is coroner Tina Kemp.  Include Patricia Cornwell’s Dr. Kay Scarpetta and her niece Lucy, V.I. Warshowski, Stephanie Plum, Hannah Swensen, Goldy Bear Schultz, and the cozy women of Deb Baker, Monica Ferris and others.    Sue Grafton and Edna Buchannan have created them.  Elizabeth George gives us Deborah St. James, Barbara Havers, and Lady Helen Clyde.

TV is full of them, from Dr. Samantha Waters of Profiler, to Jessica Fletcher of Murder, she Wrote.  Their sisters come from Crossing Jordan, Cold Case, Police Woman,Hunter, The Snoop Sisters, Mrs. Columbo, McMillan & Wife, The Closer, and other shows and sitcoms where women solve crime, and live hand in hand with death.

Public Domain

For that matter, all these women as sisters to Death as Neil Gaiman creates her in The Sandman, or to the other graphic novel icon, Lady Death.

It’s a new way of defining what a femme fatale is, and a woman detective is a more positive cultural icon.  Some, like Miss Fisher, can be both traditional femme fatale, and detective.  They live  for themselves, and use their own sexuality any way that suits them, usually for good, but sometimes . .  .

Pym’s Prudence and Barbara Bird would have known the drill.  Scarlett O’Hara would have understood.

Mary Richards of MTM, well, she’d at least keep an open mind.

Mystery fiction drives rare book auction to $1.6M | Antique Trader

Mystery fiction drives rare book auction to $1.6M | Antique Trader: Led by The Otto Penzler Collection of Mystery Fiction, Heritage Auctions’ Rare Books Auction, held March 6, realized $1,684,038.

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Jeopardy James; Skyward June 2019 by Guest Blogger...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Jeopardy James; Skyward June 2019 by Guest Blogger...: Another wonderful post! On April 23, 2019 I took this picture of a bright Lyrid meteor falling in the sky north of our Jarnac Observator...

Life in the Fast Lane

This morning, as I once again joined the Monday rat race, or race to death as some might see it, I listened to the Eagles’ Life in the Fast Lane.   God Bless them; they are more relevant now than ever.

How many times have I been literally lost looking for something, going up and down the highway and not seeing a God Darned thing!  For those of us of a certain age who work and have family responsibilities, it should be our anthem.

How many of you run around like little rats in a maze?  How great is your reward?  How much satisfaction or reward to you get?  I’d love to hear from you, because this is something that hits people of all genders and walks of life, all over the world.

Think and answer in our comments, how hard is it for you to get from point A to point B?  Do you get any support?  How is your health?  Emotional well being?

Let’s be careful out there, and let’s carry on.  Pym’s Excellent Women come in any gender, lifestyle, culture.  One Excellent Person to another, remember I'm here for you.  Happy Birthday Miss Pym!

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Memoir; Writing your Life Story: Write on!!!

Memoir; Writing your Life Story: Write on!!!: In my musings, I realized today how many time’s I’ve heard that signs of dementia include writing notes and keeping notebooks.   It’...