Donna, for a discussion of sex, gender, film noir etc. in the
case of _Mildred Pierce_, I suggest you try
 
Krutnik, Frank.    In a Lonely Street:  Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity.
Routledge, 1991.
 
It's well-indexed, so you'll have no trouble finding relevant
passages (esp. 61-3), but I think you may find it useful as q
well for its discussions of women in other *films noirs*.
 
I know I've got lots of other articles on this one.  There's one
called "Bitch Goddesses" that appeared in an issue of Film
Comment dedicated to film noir in 1974, I think...  I'll see
if I can find    'em.
 
Good luck, and perhaps you can post your findings?
 
______________________________________
|  Rick Francis  C47805NF@WUVMD      |   Tout pour moi devient all'egorie.
|  Dep't of Comparative Literature,  |   (Everything, for me, becomes
|  Box 1107                          |    allegory.)
|  Washington University             |
|  St. Louis, MO  63130              |   Baudelaire, 'Le Cygne'
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