The Gaze of the Flâneuse and Modern Media: Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train narrates the story of three female characters who could be considered a flâneuse in their own way. Flâneuse, the female equivalent of flâneur, is a literary figure that first appeared in 19th century literary works being an aimless wanderer of the modern streets. However, among the three female characters of Hawkins’ novel, the one who fits best the ideal characteristics of the flâneuse in a postmodern era, is Rachel Watson. This is because the act of flânerie for her contributes to the change of her perception, her self-discovery and her inner growth, while this does not happen with the other two flâneuses in the novel. However, my focus here is only on Rachel. The current study is showcasing Hawkins as being critically aware of the role of images in shaping her main character’s vision. She portrays Rachel’s transformation from a self-conscious, passive and obsolete version of a flâneuse to an active, alert and empowered flâneuse in the postmodern city of London. By applying the theories of Charles Baudelaire and Walter Benjamin on flânerie and its relation with media imagery, this paper is going to situate the character of Rachel in the media landscape of London and demonstrate how her transformation takes place.

Keywords:

Flâneuse , Flânerie , City , Media , Perception , Images