discuss the presentation of Melchior and Peregrine in Angela Carter's Wise Children

Using the extract from page 105 to 106 as your starting point, discuss the presentation of Melchior and Peregrine in the novel "Wise Children" by Angela Carter Melchior and Peregrine are twin brothers in the novel Wise Children but they could not be more different. Angela Carter presents these two characters in very different ways to reinforce this, by showing them as a series of opposites. The section opens with one of Melchior's lines, "What shall I do without my crown? Othello's occupation gone!" which is actually from Othello itself. Melchior represents the 'high art' within performance, and in particular tragedy. He is the Shakespearean actor to be taken very seriously, although as we see especially in this extract, he can be very melodramatic at the same time. All throughout the novel he is portrayed as a solemn character dedicated to his work and with this comes his own performance. Melchior's emotions are rarely shown throughout the novel, and sometimes the reader questions whether he actually can have feelings. However this is disproved with his tears at losing the crown. "He began to cry. The tears ran down his sooty cheeks like chalk down a blackboard" Dora comments that she had a sudden urge to "clap them (hands) together." Even with the tears, Melchior is putting on a performance. It seems that he cannot help but hide behind a mask, in this case

  • Word count: 1221
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Consider The Importance and Presentation Of Perry In The Novel Wise Children

Consider The Importance and Presentation Of Perry In The Novel Wise Children is written from the memoirs and accounts of a now dottering, aging Dora Chance, supposedly his niece but at some points within the novel it is possible to think that both Nora and Dora are his children. There are doubts as to the reliability of her narrative. In a lot of ways, you feel you can trust Dora, you grow to know her through the novel and through her past you feel sorry for her, happy for her and wish better for her, this is because she is so open and omits nothing for an example, the presentation of the character of Tiffany is not presented as being the icing on the cake, even thought it is so clear how much Dora cares about her. But in a lot of other peculiar ways, there are holes in the story, and particularly with the character of Peregrine, she doesn't give the whole story. I believe the reason for this is Perry seldom gives her, or indeed anybody his real life story, everything is elaborated on and a storyteller can only tell as much as they know, never any more. The main line to what Wise Children I think, is the filming of Melchoir's large adventure to America his very own, Midsummer Nights' Dream in Hollywood. And Peregrine is very much closely related to Hollywood representation ally, He is larger-than-life, and has wild adventures that Dora portrays as being mystical, even

  • Word count: 1230
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Compare and contrast the presentation of the characters of Melchior and Peregrine Hazard in Chapters 1 and 2 of Angela Carter's Wise Children and their significance in our understanding of the novel's many themes

Compare and contrast the presentation of Melchior and Peregrine Hazard in chapters 1 and 2 and consider their significance in understanding Carter's themes Through twin brothers Peregrine and Melchior Hazard Angela Carter explores some of the themes constant in the entire novel, such as legitimacy and illegitimacy and patriarchalism. Peregrine is known officially as the father of the story's narrator Dora and her sister Nora, whereas Melchior is their biological father, a situation that sets the scene well for exploration of these themes. When assessing the presentation of these two characters, or indeed any in the novel, it should be carefully noted that the first-person narrative form is a style that requires the reader to trust the tale rather than the teller. The reliability of what we as readers are told must always be questioned, and we accept that there may be certain flaws and exaggerations in Dora's story. Incidentally, the name Melchior may have some significance, as it is the same as one of the three kings, the Magi, in the Nativity story. The presentation of Melchior as a king is concurrent throughout the novel. In the first two chapters we see him as a king of his family, the king of English theatre and the player of kings in Shakespeare plays, his greatest roles coming as Hamlet and Macbeth, whilst taking a 'toy crown with paint peeling off' everywhere he went.

  • Word count: 1202
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Explore the ways in which Angela Carter conveys a feminist message through The Bloody Chamber.

Explore the ways in which Angela Carter conveys a feminist message through “The Bloody Chamber.” ‘The Bloody Chamber’ is a collection of short stories written by Angela Carter in 1979, in the midst of the third way feminist movement, which all, in some way or another, round off with an underlying feminist message. Carter criticises the concept of a patriarchal system, and subverts typical fairytale tropes to demonstrate the consistency of this system throughout history. Throughout ‘The Bloody Chamber’, ‘Wolf Alice’ and ‘The Snow Child’, Carter suggests that “women are more deserving than men, but because of the lamb-like nature of their superiority, they also need more protection.’ - Atwood (1994), ultimately emphasising the precedence women could have over men if given the chance. Carter condemns society for its failure to provide rights for women through the concept of marriage, and how this seems to be the only means of escape, but instead, leads to a lifetime of entrapment. Whilst the narrator in ‘The Bloody Chamber’ is presented as the quintessential damsel in distress, being forced into a marriage by the lack of power over her own freedom, her self-awareness allows the reader to depict her submission to her role in society from her strive for empowerment, and her inherent feminine care for those around her. She emphasises the importance of

  • Word count: 1270
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Angela Carter - The Bloody Chamber

Angela Carter Angela Carter believed in the importance of style, as well as ideas. At times this can look 'floral' and she said herself some of her writing did not always succeed as well as she wanted- I think she had doubts about the 'Sadeian Woman'. But at its best it is clear, striking, allusive and powerfully direct: The Bloody Chamber? Angela loved daring stylists such as Ronald Firbank and Peter Greenaway. OK, they can lapse into pretentiousness at worst, but most other art is boring and predictable. Angela's prose is wonderfully fresh and defiantly exhibitionist think you have misinterpreted Carter's unique and often disturbing mastery of language. She is not flowery, elaborate, or extravagant, but fearless and direct in her ability to examine feminist politics and human malice in fairy tales, in relationships, in the world. I question how much you have read of Carter. Do you think it is enough to warrant this assertion against her? Perhaps an example of what you believe to be floral language (with some sort of explication) might help Carter fans at least appreciate and consider your opinon. "The Bloody Chamber", as much for the macabre content as the fact that she massacred our beloved fairytales. However, I can see how a student of English (as I am) could get frustrated by the seeming lack of soul these characters have. Carter takes black and white fairytale

  • Word count: 1501
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Wise children essay

Compare and contrast carters presentation of lady Atalanta and daisy duck A close analysis of Carters' characters of Lady Atalanta and Delia Delaney in "wise children" will present several similarities and differences between the two. Both women were wives of Melchior hazard, but they vary greatly in terms of personality. The outcome of their personalities is backed up by carter with an insight into their family backgrounds, financial status, and early lives, presented through the character of Dora Chance in a series of anecdotes. Carter presents Delia Delaney as a somewhat extreme character, in contrast to the character of Lady Atalanta, although the idea that she does have morals is also conveyed throughout the novel at certain points, for example her reluctance to tell Genghis khan that the baby she is carrying is his although it is actually Melchior's. Delia was born in the Bronx, New York on what Dora refers to as the "wrong side of the tracks". Unlike Lady Atalanta, Delia's career escalated resulting in her becoming wealthy, maintaining this wealth towards the later stages of her life. Her start in life was vastly different to what the glamorous exterior of the "classic thirties blonde" might indicate. She came from a family of several brothers and sisters, and her father was a fish peddler who was caught in a cross fire resulting in his death. Her family were

  • Word count: 1470
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Consider how and to what purpose Angela Carter uses a folk story in any two or three short stories from "The Bloody Chamber"

Consider how and to what purpose Angela Carter uses a folk story in any two or three short stories from "The Bloody Chamber" The purpose of this essay is to explore how Angela Carter uses the stories in "The Bloody Chamber" to make comment on feminism by using well known folk and fairy stories which are almost always male dominated. Although Angela Carter has said "My intention was not to do 'versions' or, as the American version of the book said, horribly, 'adult' fairy tales, but to extract the latent content from the traditional stories and to use it as the beginnings of new stories." (#1) Having said that, it appears there are more similarities than just in the beginning of the stories. If we consider "The Bloody Chamber" which is based on the folk story "The Blue Beard" taken from Charles Perrault's "Tales of Past Times" published in 1729. There are many similarities between the two stories; Firstly in Angela Carter's story there is the Marquis, who like Blue Beard is incredibly wealthy, and has been married several times, with the wives disappearing in unusual circumstances. The male characters both give their new wives the keys to the household, making sure to point to the key to the forbidden room that they must not under any circumstances enter. Angela Carter has brought the story forward in time. So it is modern, but not so far that it is contempory. It is set

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 1289
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Critical Analysis of Tigers Bride, paying particular attention to feminist views.

Critical Analysis of 'Tiger's Bride', paying particular attention to feminist views. In the Tiger's Bride, Carter produces a very feminist view of men's apparent role in human relationships. She suggests to us that men live materialistic lives, and care more about possessions and social status than their partners. Carter also portrays the world that we read about, as very saturated with femininity in the way she often describes elements of the house, or emotions, with links to menstruation, or original sin. Finally, although Beauty is at first, in repulse of the sheer masculine power of the beast, Carter slowly titrates the tone of beauty feelings towards sympathy and love for the animalistic master. Angela Carter expresses an opinion of men in the tiger's bride. She implies that men care more for their social status, and their material goods, than their relationships and loved-ones. "My father's circumstances had changed already; well-shaven, neatly barbered, smart new clothes [...] The beast had clearly paid cash on the nail for his glimpse of my bosom, and paid up promptly, as if it had not been a sight I might have died showing. Then I saw my father's trunks were packed, ready for departure. Could he so easily me here?" Here, Carter expresses how both Beauty's father, and the Beast, care more for satisfying their desires than for the dignity and safety of Beauty, "and

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 999
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Bloody Chamber - Commentary

It is late evening, the child runs out onto the moonlit green, searching for something in the lean grass, she had only the light of the moon to guide her as she gazes into the ground in melancholy. She swore she had it on her earlier, she swore to look after it, she swore she wouldn't lose it, but, as whenever we promise ourselves something, the worst always seems to happen. It started with a doll, a petite wooden doll her late mother had given her. The feel of it against her skin did nothing to bring back the warm embrace of her. A dress of embroidered orange silk, the stitching on it as fine and golden as a thread of Rapunzels hair or the spun gold of that millers daughter who had given her word in exchange for a name, her tiny painted face relentlessly smiling in sympathy. Since then she had never managed to hold onto anything for long. Each precious gift would go missing in time, no matter how extensively she clung to it, as a spider clings its sticky, furred, legs to a painted wall. Someone had taken it, it had been there and now it was gone, she remembered it clear as day, even though the dim night had already crept in, had muted the daylight. Innocence has flushed from her cheeks into a guilty crimson. There was no end to her excuses. After that it was an antique music box, the lid engraved with her initials in the cursive script of an antique bible or a medieval

  • Word count: 1968
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Explore the narrative techniques used by Angela Carter to subvert, reverse and challenge the reader's expectations and assumptions, in 'The Bloody Chamber', 'The Company Of Wolves' and 'The Courtship Of Mr.Lyon'.

AS English Essay on 'The Bloody Chamber' by Angela Carter. Explore the narrative techniques used by Angela Carter to subvert, reverse and challenge the reader's expectations and assumptions, in 'The Bloody Chamber', 'The Company Of Wolves' and 'The Courtship Of Mr.Lyon'. 'The Bloody Chamber', 'The Company Of Wolves' and 'The Courtship Of Mr.Lyon' are stories based on fairy tales that would usually have been read to young children. In each story Angela Carter has managed to twist the once innocent fairy tales into short stories with endings and other twists and dramatic turns that are certainly not expected. She challenges the literary structure of the original fairy tale in such a way that it makes the reader think, it leaves you on a cliffhanger. The stories leave you wondering what might happen. Angela Carter subverts, reverses and challenges the reader's expectations and assumptions in each of the three stories. The storyline in each of Angela Carters stories is very much like the original fairytale it is taken from. The endings of each story have been changed; also there are elements of surprise throughout the stories that are varied from the path we as a reader would normally expect the story to take. Because of the fact that the three stories are based on other stories we expect Angela Carter's version to take a more similar path to the story line. There are

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 1641
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
Access this essay