Magic realism is also used throughout the novel. Magic realism (or magical realism) is a literary genre in which magical elements appear in an otherwise realist setting. There are many examples of magic realism, one of the more noticeable cases is the names of the identical twins Nora and Dora Chance. The word ‘Nora’ could be interpreted as slang for ‘not a’. Combine ‘not a’ with ‘Chance’ and you end up with a name that could be seen as summarising Nora’s life prospects; what with her being the illegitimate daughter of a high class father.
Another instance is the name at which the two song and dance girls live; 49 Bard Road. There are numerous references to Shakespeare in the novel, and as Shakespeare himself was, and still is known as the ‘Bard of Avon’, this could be seen as one of them.
Magic realism can be seen in the circumstances that Nora and Dora find themselves in. The fact that all the goings on throughout the novel happen on their birthday, that the grandfather clock (often associated with men) finally gets the right time, which could be a metaphor for Melchior, the twins father, who also gets it right when he sends them an invitation on their birthday inviting them to his hundredth birthday celebration. These could all be seen as being magic realism.
The way in which Dora writes and tells the story has a sort of carnivalesque feel about it. Carnivalesque basically relates to the word ‘carnival’ in that it’s anything humorous, a bit crude, involves enjoyment and inverting things; turning hierarchies on their heads so to speak. This style is used regularly and is typical of Dora’s attitude towards life. Using Shakespeare as an example, Shakespeare is seen as being something of a high cultured subject, the theatres in which it is performed, the language that is used, the people that go to watch it etc, all are pictured to be related with high society. But in actual fact, and referring back to being carnivalesque, Shakespeare himself intended his plays to be seen and enjoyed by everyone, including the lower, ****ing class people. So it’s this idea of turning things on their head, and laughing at the pompous people who think they’re better than certain individuals, when in reality they aren’t – this is what Carter is trying to get across. Melchior Hazard is a prime example of these types of people. (Sir) Melchior Hazard is a high-profile theatre and film star, known for putting career before his family. But as we progress through the story, we find out that Melchior himself is an illegitimate child, and that Wheelchair ‘loves the commercials, she watches out for the ones with Melchior in them’, so now Melchior, the grand Melchior, has been reduced to appearing in TV commercials; a far cry from the mainstream showbusiness that he was once a part of. Again, it’s this idea of turning things on their head, a carnivalesque inversion. And I think that what Carter is saying is that it’s the qualities and morals in a person that are important, and not their social position.
The very first two lines of the novel ‘Q.Why is London like Budapest? A. Because it is two cities divided by a river’ could also be seen as being carnivalesque, as it is a jokey comment, that mixes things up by saying London is in actual fact two separate cities. This comment sets the reader up for the rest of the novel by stating the setting of story, and tells the reader that this carnivalesque style of writing will be exsistent throughout the book.
Symbolism is also present in the book. The wind is often used to describe disturbances, ‘There goes the wind, again. Crash’. And when the wind knocks over the dustbin, ‘Over goes the dustbin, all the trash spills out’ it could symbolise Dora letting out and letting go of all the stories she has to tell. Dora is the dustbin and the rubbish inside (although her tales aren’t literally rubbish) is all her memories.
But as the reader finds out, Dora is not so easily pushed over. She is a survivor, and has been throughtout her topsy-turvy life. She’s survived without having the love of her real father, survived the harshness of South London, survived through the war and without having a lot of money. So when the cat comes strolling in the reader should recognise that cats are also survivors, and that they could symbolise Dora and Nora. They come and go as they please and have a fairly relaxed lifestyle, and this could be compared to Nora and Dora’s care free attitude towards life.
The grandfather clock is also used for a symbolic purpose. It is mentioned throughout the story and symbolises men. The clock is ‘Great, tall, butch’, things that could be seen to describe men. But it also ‘gives out the hours in a funny little falsetto ping and always the wrong hour’. Dora is basically saying that although the thing looks impressive, it is in actual fact pretty useless, again qualities that could be applied to men. In regards to the story, the men in it are also seen as being handsome and majestic but useless all the same. Melchior, Peregrine and Tristram are the main ones, and they all in one way or another fail to do the right thing. They can never be relied on and as far as Nora, Dora and Wheelchair are concerned, they’d be better off living without them. Oh, and did I mention Angela Carter was a bit of a feminist.
