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Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus: Feminism Or Postfeminism?

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Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus: Feminism Or Postfeminism? Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus: Feminism or Postfeminism? Naomi Täuberová Bachelor's thesis 2021 ABSTRAKT Bakalářská práce se zaměřuje na analýzu románu Angely Carterové Noci v cirkuse. Práce popisuje ideologie a teorie prezentované v průběhu dějin feministického hnutí a reakci postfeminismu na pokrytecké způsoby, jak toto hnutí vedlo své bitvy. Tyto znalosti jsou aplikovány v analýze románu pro zdůraznění Carterových skrytých názorů v moři feministických konceptů a ustanovit, zda je jejich cílem zesměšnit feminismus nebo se s nim ztotožnit. Klíčová slova: Feminismus, Postfeminismus, Feministické hnutí, Osvobození žen, Angela Carterová, Noci v Cirkuse, román, historická fikce, analýza literatury ABSTRACT This bachelor thesis focuses on the analysis of Angela Carter’s novel Nights at the Circus. The thesis describes ideologies and theories presented during the history of the feminist movement and the reaction of postfeminism to the hypocritical ways the movement has fought its battles. This knowledge is applied in the analysis of the novel to highlight Carter’s hidden opinion regarding the women’s movement in order to determine if their purpose is to relate to it or make fun of what it has become. Keywords: Feminism, Postfeminism, Feminist movement, Liberation of women, Angela Carter, Nights at the Circus, novel, historical fiction, analysis of literature I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Ewald Mengel, for his professional guidance and support throughout this enduring process. Furthermore, I would like to thank my family, boyfriend, and videogames for keeping me afloat during my studies. “Es wird schon gut.” ― Michael Täuber I hereby declare that the print version of my Bachelor's thesis and the electronic version of my thesis deposited in the IS/STAG system are identical. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 9 I THEORY...................................................................................................................... 10 1 FEMINISM ............................................................................................................... 11 1.1 HISTORY OF FEMINISM ......................................................................................... 11 1.1.1 Feminism in Great Britain in the late 20th century ...................................... 16 1.2 FEMINIST MOVEMENTS ......................................................................................... 18 1.2.1 Liberal Feminism ......................................................................................... 18 1.2.2 Marxist Feminism ........................................................................................ 19 1.2.3 Radical Feminism ......................................................................................... 20 2 POSTFEMINISM ..................................................................................................... 21 2.1 HISTORY OF POSTFEMINISM .................................................................................. 21 3 ANGELA CARTER AND NIGHTS AT THE CIRCUS ...................................... 25 3.1 ANGELA CARTER AND HER VERSION OF FEMINISM ............................................... 25 3.2 INTRODUCTION OF NIGHTS AT THE CIRCUS .......................................................... 27 II ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................... 28 4 ANALYSIS OF NIGHTS AT THE CIRCUS ........................................................ 29 4.1 CHAOS AND FRAGMENTATION .............................................................................. 29 4.2 INTERTEXTUALITY AND PERSONAS ....................................................................... 32 4.3 DUALITY: FICTION VS REALITY ............................................................................ 35 4.4 UPSIDE DOWN AND INSIDE OUT ............................................................................ 38 4.5 NEW WOMEN ........................................................................................................ 41 5 FEMINISM OR POSTFEMINISM ........................................................................ 45 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 51 BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................. 53 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... 57 TBU in Zlín, Faculty of Humanities 9 INTRODUCTION Feminism has played a big role in the fight for women’s suffrage and is still relevant up to this day as we continue to strive for better conditions for all genders and sexual orientations. Angela Carter uses Nights at the Circus to battle universal patterns that have been used for centuries by the patriarchal society which continues to exploit people. Furthermore, she expresses her political stance through satire and irony which distance themselves from the original purpose of feminism and aims for overall social change. Firstly, the thesis will mention what feminism is in the first chapter, how it started, its long-lasting history and the reasons for it to have such a big impact. It is also necessary to mention feminism in Britain since Carter wrote Nights at the Circus during her time living in London and might have been influenced by it greatly. We will briefly mention the three main branches of feminism which are going to be Liberal, Marxist and Radical feminism that influenced the movement’s coverage of other topics like class, economy and the social sphere. The second chapter is going to cover postfeminism and its point of criticism towards feminism and their double-sided nature that leaves out a whole spectrum of people. It will mention the negative sides of postfeminism that might have helped women to conform to certain beauty standards thanks to the rise of consumer culture. Moreover, this chapter will cover the fight for the normalization of sexually oriented topics that have been taboo and shine light on the racism that was not covered by feminism. The last chapter of the theoretical part introduces Angela Carter as a skilled writer of various styles from fairy tales to postmodernism. Fairy tales have had a deep impact on Carter and are always interpreted in her writings in some form to bring a deeper meaning to the subversion of universal identities and practices. We have stated her lasting impact on feminism and support for women’s suffrage despite her not being open about it. The final part of the thesis will concentrate on the analysis of the novel based on the information gained from the previous parts. The analysis will look deeper into the hidden parts of Carter’s political messages and differentiate if they belong into the ideologies of feminism or postfeminism. It will examine the use of postmodern techniques and the carnivalesque as a potential gateway to understanding the differences in Carter’s feministic aims. TBU in Zlín, Faculty of Humanities 10 I. THEORY TBU in Zlín, Faculty of Humanities 11 1 FEMINISM Feminism has been a big part of our history and has reshaped our society for hundreds of years. It is no surprise that feminism has found its way back into today’s world and continues to push boundaries. Nowadays, feminism has become an extremely controversial topic discussed by many specialists trying to reflect where the world went wrong during its course of actions. Many writers use feminist theories to motivate women to help find themselves in these chaotic times of consumerism and oversexualization of both genders. Feminist literature used to be a form of protest against the politics of the male dominated world and often acknowledged the dire need for change. This part of the thesis will concentrate on the beginning of feminism and its impact on the world during its history. It will shortly mention the history of feminism in Great Britain since Angela Carter wrote Nights at the circus during her time in Britain and thus might have influenced her writing. 1.1 History of feminism Women have had it rough since the beginning of ancient times, always viewed as creatures who must be led by a firm hand so that they cannot be lured by evil intentions. The Bible created the portrayal of women as sinners that will bring doom to the world if not put into restrains and is the main source for women’s suffering: “Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die. Give the water no passage; neither a wicked woman liberty to gad abroad. If she go not as thou wouldest have her, cut her off from thy flesh, and give her a bill of divorce, and let her go.”1 There was never room for their feelings or wishes because they would be seen as misbehaved or corrupt. When women fought against these stubborn ideologies during the peak of Christianity in America, it ended with countless women accused of witchcraft and were burned at the stake during the Salem witch trials. Just like Joan of Arc, the holy woman, was burned at the stake for heresy2, hurting the religious ego of many Bishops for being strong-willed and taking religion into her own hands by wearing male attire3. In the end, she was not holy enough to be spared of such a vile closure to her trial. Joan of Arc has been recognized as a symbol for women’s struggle and was praised
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