Original scientific paper

Postmodern Fairy Tales by Angela Carter

Jakov Sabljić ; Filozofski fakultet, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku

Abstract

In the mid-twentieth century, fairy tale contents and messages begin to resurface more intensively and the literary interpretation of the canonized fairy tales is done in accordance with the needs of the new social environment. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, an essential collection of prose by Angela Carter, is definitely an integral part of this wave of re-evaluation of well-known fairy tale scenarios. Although Carter's anti-fairy tales serve to de-canonize the fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault, The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories collection has become a sort of exemplary work of the postmodern fairy tale genre. The ‘genre’ is in contrast with the traditional fairy tales, the most important features of which are: black and white characterization, ambiguous temporal and spatial dimension, didacticism, repetitiveness and a happy ending. The postmodern fairy tales are characterized by an emphatically altered style and the technique of magical realism, intertextuality, complex characterization, character ambivalence, transgressiveness and symbolism that are explicitly addressed in the text, in some cases more specific chronotope and the lack of catharsis, the possible lack of a happy ending, the synergy of fairy tales and literary criticism – feminist in particular, carnival motifs, human sexuality and the relationships between the sexes. All these elements of postmodern fairy tales are singled out based on the analytical reading of Angela Carter’s stories in her famous collection.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

171292

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/171292

Publication date:

12.12.2016.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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