Entering the Realms of the Unspoken : Angela Carter’s Narrative Innovation and a New Type of Feminism
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | There sometimes seem to appear oppositional tendencies in the will to accept innovation as a necessary fuel for the progress in art. Whether it comes to innovative techniques in visual art, new approaches towards theatrical settings, or the audacity to portray that which should stay hidden, critical responses differ, dividing the audience into those who grasp the sometimes-surprising transformation and those who fail to accept the necessity of innovation. Many famous artists were innovators in their field, transgressing the boundaries that were previously given. Such is the case of the British magical realist Angela Carter, whose transformation of fairy tales into erotic horror stories professes innovation in the narrative as connected to feminist ideology. Carter’s aim in writing was that of demythologising, which she succeeded at with her surprisingly naturalistic narrative portrayals of female characters as liberated and sexually autonomous beings. Rather than having victimised them, Carter shifted the focus from the previously male-dominated desire to that of a female. This paper will examine how Angela Carter opens the door to a new kind of feminism through her narrative, objectifying her ideological position in the fictional characters from her novels and short stories. Similarly to La Tosca, Carter’s writing invited ambiguous reception at the time of its birth. |
| Related projects: |