Abstract

Angela Carter, known for the richness of her imagination and wit as well as her feminist insights into matters large and small, created in Wise Children an effervescent family saga that manages to celebrate the lore and magic of show business while also exploring the connections between parent and child, the transitory and the immortal, authenticity and falsehood. Critics analyzed the text from different aspects, yet the mingling of magical realism and feminism in the text is ignored. Thus the paper examines the text from five aspects. Firstly, related researches are briefly reviewed. Secondly, the reasons of Carter’s blending magical realism and feminism in the text are analyzed, covering gender relations, female narrative technique and time, and the parody of Shakespeare. The third part attempts to explore the application of the magic and female writing technique from the perspective of the magical reality versus the man-made world, the adoption of mythological archetype, and the magical hall of mirrors. The fourth part handles the themes of the novel through the reality behind the magic, discusses the deconstruction of the male-dominated world. It includes the carnival life of the novel, the characters of duality and pair, and legitimacy versus illegitimacy. The conclusion reiterates the purpose of this article, pointing out the practical significance of the study.

Keywords: Angela Carter; Wise Children; magical realism; feminism；mingling

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Carter and Wise Children-1

1.2 Literature Review-1

2. Reasons of Carter’s Mingling of Magic Realism and Feminism in Wise Children3

2.1 Carter’s Concern with the Relationship between Men and Women-4

2.2 Parody of Shakespeare-5

2.3 Female Narrative Technique and Time-6

3. The Magic Female Space-7

3.1 The Magical Hall of Mirrors-7

3.2 Adoption of Mythological Techniques-8

4. Contributions of the Mingling of Magic Realism and Feminism to the Novel’s Themes8

4.1 Deconstruction of the Other and Male-dominated World-9

4.2 Life as Carnival.9

4.3 Divisions10

5. Conclusion-11

Works Cited-13