Carter is a true reader's writer, which is why literary scholars and nerds like me love her so much. She had a specialist's knowledge of fairy tales and folklore, which started when she translated Perrault's contes into English. She even once referred to The Bloody Chamber and her early writing as "lit crit."
I once wrote a 30-page paper that traced the cultural and literary allusions to Bluebeard in the title story, and honestly the paper could have been longer. She'd woven so many intertexual jewels into that one story alone. She wears the research so lightly, though, most readers won't know that La Bas is a shout-out to Gilles de Rais or that the Marquis is a reference to King Mark, and they don't really need to. Those rich layers of intertextuality soak into the story to give it the feeling of a palimpsest, like a ghost haunting the pages.
I wonder if this is part of the reason Carter's stories feel like they're spilling over at the edges and part of why her maximalism works so well. It helps to know all the notes of the old wine before you create the new stuff and watch the old bottles explode :).
"How does Carter pull all this off? Mostly, perhaps, her sheer mastery. Good writers can pull off anything and break every rule."
This made me think about something I found in either THE FOREST FOR THE TREES by Betsy Lerner or in READING LIKE A WRITER by Francine Prose, about Chekhov and about how rarely we sit around telling lengthy stories to one anther anymore, and how skillful storytelling can easily break rules: that if you can weave a good yarn that people are eager to listen to, they don’t much care if it’s “done the right way” a la an MFA/workshop/writing advice book. I feel like Angela Carter is an absolutely amazing storyteller (and of course, amazing at transcribing her stories in beautiful prose, too!). With Carter, you just want her to tell you endless frightening stories across a fire pit that will make it hard to sleep in the dark, rules be damned.
I absolutely love this! Thank you so much for posting. I once had an editor describe my work as “psychedelic and baroque,” and it took me a couple weeks to realize it wasn’t a compliment! He later told me he was mystified by the fact that I had responded to him by saying thank you, lol, and that he therefore spent a little while reconsidering it and decided that in the end I was right to take it as a compliment in the first place. We’ve now been great friends for 20 years. ❤️❤️❤️
Angela Carter is fantastic. Reminds me I should read her again. Has the MFA killed writing like this? I feel like we can't read anymore without our "MFA" glasses on, even those of us who never even got an MFA. Sometimes they blur what the story is trying to be in critique circles, and the advice we give just forces the story into the MFA shape, and so of course it fails because that's not what it's meant to be. It's like looking through the wrong part of progressive lenses (Just got my first pair, hence the clumsy extended metaphor!)
i have to say, i feel like so many UK writers still write this way, without the MFA rules of style (so it's not dead yet!). the CW masters programs here are really different in terms of what they emphasize
I'm surprised she would say that about her own writing. The Bloody Chamber was just different. And what is more literary than testing one's boundaries. When i reviewed that book, it was my privilege to talk about stories that really embraced modern goth with a bit of heavy metal/rock in it; while staying firmly held by it's literary form. 🙂
"A rider, her black skirts tucked up around her waist so she could ride hard and fast, a crazy magnificent horse woman in widow's weeds."
Carter is a true reader's writer, which is why literary scholars and nerds like me love her so much. She had a specialist's knowledge of fairy tales and folklore, which started when she translated Perrault's contes into English. She even once referred to The Bloody Chamber and her early writing as "lit crit."
I once wrote a 30-page paper that traced the cultural and literary allusions to Bluebeard in the title story, and honestly the paper could have been longer. She'd woven so many intertexual jewels into that one story alone. She wears the research so lightly, though, most readers won't know that La Bas is a shout-out to Gilles de Rais or that the Marquis is a reference to King Mark, and they don't really need to. Those rich layers of intertextuality soak into the story to give it the feeling of a palimpsest, like a ghost haunting the pages.
I wonder if this is part of the reason Carter's stories feel like they're spilling over at the edges and part of why her maximalism works so well. It helps to know all the notes of the old wine before you create the new stuff and watch the old bottles explode :).
"So fucking what" is all I need to know to want to read this author.
"How does Carter pull all this off? Mostly, perhaps, her sheer mastery. Good writers can pull off anything and break every rule."
This made me think about something I found in either THE FOREST FOR THE TREES by Betsy Lerner or in READING LIKE A WRITER by Francine Prose, about Chekhov and about how rarely we sit around telling lengthy stories to one anther anymore, and how skillful storytelling can easily break rules: that if you can weave a good yarn that people are eager to listen to, they don’t much care if it’s “done the right way” a la an MFA/workshop/writing advice book. I feel like Angela Carter is an absolutely amazing storyteller (and of course, amazing at transcribing her stories in beautiful prose, too!). With Carter, you just want her to tell you endless frightening stories across a fire pit that will make it hard to sleep in the dark, rules be damned.
I absolutely love this! Thank you so much for posting. I once had an editor describe my work as “psychedelic and baroque,” and it took me a couple weeks to realize it wasn’t a compliment! He later told me he was mystified by the fact that I had responded to him by saying thank you, lol, and that he therefore spent a little while reconsidering it and decided that in the end I was right to take it as a compliment in the first place. We’ve now been great friends for 20 years. ❤️❤️❤️
I wish there was more psychedelic and baroque literature out there. Sounds fantastic!
Wow. I need to read some Carter!!! Thanks for this.
Yes! She was also utterly unafraid to be a) ideological and b) funny. I’ve been listening to her radio plays lately and they’re fantastic.
(i will actually search around later...) but how/where does one listen to her radio plays? thanks for the tip!
Audible had BBC radio drama collections when I was still signed up, and that's where I found them: https://www.amazon.com/Angela-Carter-Radio-Drama-Collection/dp/B08Z4GVZGJ
Also: https://www.amazon.com/Angela-Carters-Love-Affair-Radio/dp/B0094OQDOA/ref=sr_1_17?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dYvUkZDCoUvYead5NnLr9JUgMy8BwKVqT-AJg-DqaEmEoaQlUX0pHRbsKwmYf_KNTspJjFnsFA7QF15UE76CdlnrNUzkwPwna2bM36kZSNVp3taxlMbsHee2EgBpeC4tJMHAWqoN91CLm35q7R1R241uE5M5mfLSHC45NLh4oZo.L5gvC959731V3H0K7saea1VX1AoWrVph2ou6pbJo5pg&dib_tag=se&keywords=Angela+Carter&qid=1759209935&s=audible&sr=1-17&xpid=2zI4GRyv8Gg00
Yes love her sass
Angela Carter is fantastic. Reminds me I should read her again. Has the MFA killed writing like this? I feel like we can't read anymore without our "MFA" glasses on, even those of us who never even got an MFA. Sometimes they blur what the story is trying to be in critique circles, and the advice we give just forces the story into the MFA shape, and so of course it fails because that's not what it's meant to be. It's like looking through the wrong part of progressive lenses (Just got my first pair, hence the clumsy extended metaphor!)
i have to say, i feel like so many UK writers still write this way, without the MFA rules of style (so it's not dead yet!). the CW masters programs here are really different in terms of what they emphasize
Sounds cool. I would love to check it out / learn more. Here in North America it is so deadening.
I love your newsletter.
Thank you so much, Esmé!
I'm surprised she would say that about her own writing. The Bloody Chamber was just different. And what is more literary than testing one's boundaries. When i reviewed that book, it was my privilege to talk about stories that really embraced modern goth with a bit of heavy metal/rock in it; while staying firmly held by it's literary form. 🙂
"A rider, her black skirts tucked up around her waist so she could ride hard and fast, a crazy magnificent horse woman in widow's weeds."
Go Carter!
I’ve been wanting to read more of her stuff.
I really love Ms Carter’s writing. If only she hadn't passed so horribly. Her writing is certainly missed by her readers.
There are no rules. As Carter knew. And so do I. But if the secret got out all those CW teachers would be unemployed
obsessed with the ruby choker and the slit throat already. i need to read some angela carter
I think you would dig!
Wow! Enjoyed this immensely!!!
Wonderful singular voice. Read The Bloody Chamber in my early 20s while at art school.