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In 1985, the first animated full-length film starring a female character in the United States debuted. She-Ra, the heroine of The Secret of the Sword, hailed a new era of more diverse images of women in animation. Nearly thirty years later, the representation of leading female characters in animation and cinema are still limited. What did The Secret of the Sword have to offer its audience in the 1980s that is still valid for female viewers today? This book examines the narrative structure of The Secret of the Sword using Vladimir Propp´s classification system to locate the active heroine. It also explores the film at a visual level to identify the stereotypical markers of femininity and dismantle these markers. Through the aid of Jackie Stacey, it is possible to find the source of pleasure for the female audience in viewing The Secret of the Sword. Finally, the book focuses on the differences between the adult and child female viewer. This book is ideal for schoalrs and readers looking for a critical gender and film analysis of an American cultural icon.

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Saskia Fuerst, Mag.: Research scientist at the University of Graz, Austria. Magistra in English and American Studies, specializing in Gender Studies, Cultural Studies and Film Analysis from the University of Graz in 2010; B.A. in German Studies, Political Science and Women and Gender Studies from Rice University, Houston, Texas, in 2004.

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