Author Identifier
Dida Sundet: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1869-5866
Date of Award
2025
Keywords
Sexual violence, feminist intervention, creative arts, media literacy, rape myths, art history, feminist art
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
School
School of Arts and Humanities
First Supervisor
Nicola Kaye
Second Supervisor
Joanne Dickson
Third Supervisor
Lyndall Adams
Abstract
This creative research doctoral project engages with the myth of the ‘heroic’ rapist, a term coined by feminist writer Susan Brownmiller in Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape (1975), and feminist counter-media practices. Brownmiller (1975) pointed out how mythology, popular culture, and cultural artefacts routinely depicted men’s violence towards women and glorified the male perpetrator. The heroic rapist is empowered through a tradition of representations and stereotyping; silencing victims and reinforcing deep rooted rape myths and misconceptions about rape.
Employing an interdisciplinary approach (Bal 2012), this research critically examines visual media rooted in Greco-Roman mythology alongside relevant news articles to identify recurring themes and tropes that reinforce rape myth acceptance. Through deconstructing these narratives, the research aims to unveil underlying societal attitudes shaping media depictions of perpetrators. In their 2021 research report, Our Watch (2021), an Australian non-profit organisation working for primary prevention of violence against women, emphasised the urgency of countering news media narratives that perpetuate rape myths, advocating for the need for media literacy particularly among young people, as a preventative measure. The project aims to demystify representations of sexual violence and to interrogate the myth of heroic rape in classical art and contemporary media. It seeks to provide a new entry point for those unfamiliar with the classics, engaging specifically with recent feminist translations and scholarship to create counter-narratives. It invites further dialogue around how rape myths derived from antiquity live on in contemporary media narratives, and how misconceived some of these are. It asks; How does contemporary media recycle historical representations of heroic rape? What does sexual violence look like when expressed through victims’ trauma? How can feminist counter-media practices construct more nuanced and ethical representations of sexual violence, and effectively reframe the myth of heroic rape? The insights gathered from this research inform the creation of artworks that culminates in a selection curated for the examinable exhibition. The creative work responds to and challenges the myth of the heroic rapist by intervening in representations of heroic rape found in mythology, art history, and contemporary news media. Ultimately, this interdisciplinary exploration aims to provoke critical reflection and directly contribute to the preventative efforts outlined by organisations like Our Watch (2021).
Access Note
Access to this thesis is embargoed until 3rd June 2029
Recommended Citation
Sundet, U. D. (2025). Lest We Forget–Countering the myth of 'heroic' rape. Edith Cowan University. https://doi.org/10.25958/4p00-1k58