In this episode, Caz and Em take a closer look at the fascinating figure of the femme fatale, or ‘fatal woman’, in the Bible and popular culture. Focusing on the biblical character of Delilah (Judges 16), they ask why she’s so often portrayed as a dangerous seductress who uses her sexuality to destroy the hapless Samson. They also consider some femmes fatales from history and contemporary culture to see if there might be alternative ways of understanding Delilah’s character.

Resources for this episode

Caroline Blyth, Reimagining Delilah’s Afterlives as Femme Fatale: The Lost Seduction (Bloomsbury, 2017).

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/reimagining-delilahs-afterlives-as-femme-fatale-9780567673138/

Athalya Brenner, “Jezebel.” Jewish Women’s Archive. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/jezebel-bible

Laura Lee, “Lewinsky Urges Compassion for Cyberbully Victims.” UMB News, 5 December 2019.

https://tinyurl.com/2p987fs4

Stacey Schiff, “Rehabilitating Cleopatra.” Smithsonian Magazine 2010.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/rehabilitating-cleopatra-70613486/

“Virginia Giuffre: What we know about Prince Andrew's accuser.” BBC News, 12 January 2022.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59974220

Olivia Waxman and Merrill Fabry, “From an Anonymous Tip to an Impeachment: A Timeline of Key Moments in the Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal.” Time, 4 May 2018.

https://time.com/5120561/bill-clinton-monica-lewinsky-timeline/

Camille Saint-Saëns, "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix," from the opera Samson and Delilah (1877), sung by Jessye Norman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKQrBvBypNw&ab_channel=ThisisColoratura%21

Aria Code podcast, “Saint-Saëns’s Dalila: She's a Femme Fatale.” New York Public Radio, 3 January 2019.

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/aria-code/episodes/aria-code-saint-saens-samson-dalila-elina-garanca

Samson and Delilah film (1949) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPeg_6y66CE&list=PL4659C6EF8D1FBCE4&ab_channel=joe1Xcel

Samson and Delilah film (1984)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UruyNKEwNg&ab_channel=TheArchive

Samson and Delilah film (1996)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTufI6QDbTY&ab_channel=RevDonaldSpitz28

LA Not So Confidential podcast

https://www.la-not-so-confidential.com/