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Department of English and American Studies Monstrosity in Angela Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Veronika Bleson Monstrosity in Angela Carter’s Work Master‟s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: prof. Mgr. Milada Franková, CSc. M.A. 2014 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Author‟s signature 2 I would like to thank professor Milada Franková for her kind supervision and valuable advice, Anna Kérchy for introducing me to Angela Carter, my friends Soňa and Sofie, and my husband for their love and support. 3 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 5 2. Monstrosity and the Grotesque ....................................................................... 8 2.1 Angela Carter. A British Postmodern and Feminist Writer ................................. 8 2.2 Monstrosity as a Myth ..................................................................................................... 15 2.3 Bakhtin’s Carnival and Grotesque Bodies ............................................................... 18 3. Nights at the Circus ............................................................................................ 21 3. 1 Fevvers ................................................................................................................................ 23 3.2 The Male Monsters – Buffo and Walser .................................................................... 31 4. Wise Children ......................................................................................................... 34 4.1 Dora, the Seductress ....................................................................................................... 36 4.2 Grandmother Chance – The Ghost in the Closet .................................................... 42 5. The Magic Toyshop ............................................................................................. 45 5.1 The Monstrous Uncle Philip ......................................................................................... 46 5.2 The Monstrous Toyshop and the Mechanical Monster ....................................... 52 6. The Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 55 7. Bibliography ............................................................................................................ 60 8. Resumes ..................................................................................................................... 63 8.1 English Resume ................................................................................................................. 63 8.2 České resumé ..................................................................................................................... 65 List of used abbreviations: MM – Managing Monsters: Six Myths of Our Time: 1994 Reith Lectures MT – The Magic Toyshop NC – Nights at the Circus WC – Wise Children 4 1. Introduction Subversion of fairy tales and Carter's take on mythology have triggered my interest more than by scholars often explored feminism in her work. Thus I am not going to look at her novels only from the feminist theory point of view, but rather challenge the gender issues of the characters in the novels. I have decided to narrow my focus on the monstrosity of the characters, both in character and physical. The monsters and their monstrosity, in general, in fairy tales and myths are the driving aspect of the stories, as the monsters must be leashed so they do not destroy either themselves or their surrounding. Carter employs this fact in her postmodern novels and makes the characters monsters physically, e.g. Fevvers in Nights at the Circus, or mentally as Uncle Philip in The Magic Toyshop. One of the greatest inspiration for my research has been Marina Warner and her critical works: Managing Monsters: Six Myths of Our Time and From the Beast to the Blond: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers; and Anna Kérchy‟s Body Texts in the Novels of Angela Carter: Writing from a Corporeographic Point of View, in which she explores Nights at the Circus and Wise Children. I will use Warner‟s and Kérchy‟s theoretical texts as my main secondary sources to support my thesis. In my thesis I will explore and analyse what role the monstrosity has in the development of the plot and how Carter uses the monstrosity to challenge the gender issues and sexuality of the characters in Nights at the Circus (1984), Wise Children (1991) and The Magic Toyshop (1967). I argue that the portrayal of monstrosity differs with the characters‟ gender and that Carter subverts the traditional approach and perception of monsters and monstrosity in myths and fairy tales. 5 In the first chapter I am going to discuss Angela Carters significance as a British, postmodern, feminist and magic realist writer, her inspiration and the elements she employs in her writing, with regard to the thesis. Furthermore, I am going to discuss the myth and monstrosity, how it is regarded in the contemporary society and how it challenges our understanding of the female versus male sexuality and gender issues. Mainly, I am going to focus on Marina Warner‟s critical lectures on monstrosity. In the second chapter, I am going to discuss Carter‟s novel Nights at the Circus. Mainly, I am going to focus on the central character Fevvers, a winged giantess, who represents Carter‟s portrayal of physical monstrosity and who, despite her monstrosity, is very sexual. I am also going to look at Buffo, the Clown of the Clowns, who, according to Anna Kérchy represents Fevvers‟ evil twin; however, in contrast with Fevvers‟ sexual monstrosity, he represents a male violent monstrosity. In the third chapter, I am going to discuss Wise Children, a story of two twin seductresses. I am going to focus on the Dora, one of the twin sisters and a narrator of the story, and her incestuous relationship with her Uncle Peregrine. I am going to look at what role make-up plays in the twins seducing and carnivalesque monstrosity. Further I am going to examine the role of Grandmother Chance in the twins rediscovering themselves. In the fourth chapter, I am going to discuss Magic Toyshop, a story of a girl‟s maturation. Mainly I am going to focus on the central villain of the story – Uncle Philip, an archetype of a violent male usurper. Since the novel is written in third person narrative from Melanie‟s point of view, it crucial to analyse the significance she plays in Uncle Philip‟s monstrosity. Further I am going to look at the role of Philip‟s monstrous mechanicals in the development of the story. In the last chapter I am going to draw a conclusion and summarize my findings. 6 7 2. Monstrosity and the Grotesque 2.1 Angela Carter. A British Postmodern and Feminist Writer After dying of cancer, aged 51, in 1992 Angela Carter was pronounced by The Times one of the best post-war British writers and “became the most read author on English university campuses” (Peach, 1). Although she is not much recognized by the general public, as she is rather demanding on her reader, she is highly acknowledged by the academic world for her unique writing style and the way she reflects her postmodern and feminist views in her work. Her writing comprises a diverse incorporation of different genres and thus considering it postmodern fantastic or magic realism may seem rather a simplification. During her life Carter wrote nine novels and “although most of them are relatively short they‟re crammed with an extraordinary range of ideas, themes and images” (2): Shadow Dance (1966), The Magic Toyshop (1967), Several Perceptions (1968), Heroes and Villains (1969), Love (1971), The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman (1972), The Passion of the New Eve (1977), Nights at the Circus (1984) and Wise Children (1991). Besides the listed novels she wrote three pieces of nonfiction and several collections of short stories including the masterpiece The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories (1979). This collection of subverted fairy tales became her best known work also because of Neil Jordan‟s film adaptation of „Company of Wolves.‟ Being a postmodern writer, Carter touched upon many topics and interwove many genres, however the most significant and recurring issues are the gender, sexuality and the myth, exploration of the human mind and sexuality, and examination of male towards female sexual behaviour and vice versa. Although her work needs to be discussed within a particular framework, applying conventional labels must be 8 done with care as her non-realistic conventional writing explores the „actualities‟ in which many of us live (3). Carter reclaimed many elements of the fairy tale genre, as I have stated in my bachelor thesis (Šimunková 7), and “rediscovered its imaginative potential, especially for the feminist author” (73). It is most obvious in the short stories collection The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, however, the fairy tale inspiration can be found in all of her novels as she “[recognised] fairy tales as a reactionary form that inscribed a misogynist ideology” (74). Within her subversion of fairy tales she incorporated several techniques and styles and thus her writing could be framed as postmodern, feminist, intertextual, subversive, utopian, Gothic, mythical, magical, bizarre, and surrealistic. These influences can be traced to her life and scholarly experience.
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