From captivity to bestiality: Feminist subversion of fairy-tale female characters in Angela Carter's "the Tiger's Bride"

Abstract

This paper elaborates on Angela Carter‟s subversion of the fairy-tale genre in the tale from The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories titled “The Tiger‟s Bride”. The method of research combines researching relevant theoretical literature and thorough text analysis. The primary concern of this paper is the subversion of female characters in fairy tales as a means of advocating feminist attitudes. Relevant passages are used to exemplify Carter‟s feminism, with special reference to the subverted roles of the heroine of the tale. The female protagonist‟s transition from being a captive to becoming a beast is analysed, and her reinvented roles discussed and compared to the traits of the heroine from the classic Beauty and the Beast story written by De Beaumont. This is done in order to uncover the multilayered structure of Carter‟s work and hopefully determine the author‟s genuine purpose in subverting the fairy-tale genre as well as the message she wanted to convey.