The Women of Orphan Black: Faces of the Feminist Spectrum

Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany plays a host of the show's main characters, all clones of an illegal experiment. The mighty heroines save one another and destroy the patriarchy while subverting gender expectations. The feminist clones are Sarah, who clashes with her radical feminist foster-mother; Alison, the quintessential post-feminist housewife; Cosima, a second-wave feminist lesbian; Beth, a third-wave feminist bogged down by addiction; and M.K., a fourth-wave feminist who tackles the hardships of disability through the Internet. The book explores the women's war against corporate power and how it relates to the science and ethics surrounding cloning.

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“Frankel takes a deep dive into the sci-fi cult hit Orphan Black...explor[es] how the show challenged female stereotypes and the often-limiting categories women are put into on screen by creating female characters who were radically different despite having the same DNA...examines each character in depth...Frankel also illuminates the science at the heart of the show, along with the many literary allusions referenced each season...smart analysis”

About the Author

Valerie Estelle Frankel teaches English at Mission College and San Jose City College. The author of 90 popular culture books and more than 100 stories and essays, she lives in Sunnyvale, California.

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