Metamorphosing subjectivities and fairytale conventions: how Angela Carter reinvents womanhood

Abstract

The following thesis explores how Angela Carter’s re-writings and adaptations of fairytales transgress the confinements of womanhood told in original folktales. Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber is a collection of fairytales that challenges traditional fairytale narratives and rewrites characters’ identities that break down constraining boundaries women must uphold. The transformative nature of Carter’s literary works transcends more than the elements of fiction, rather the entire identity of women by challenging the status quo and incorporating ambiguous identities throughout her stories. This thesis is broken down into three interrelated sections; the first section discusses how Carter deconstructs the traditional narrative form of fairytales in an innovative fashion. The second section investigates the ambiguous identities of Carter’s characters as means to liberate women from the constraints of womanhood, with a specific focus on Donna Haraway’s theoretical work in “A Cyborg Manifesto.” The third and final section captures how the grotesque and catastrophes function in Carter’s fairytales. Overall, this thesis is defined by its exploration of Carter’s reworking of fairytales, as well as womanhood at large.