Name: Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus
ISBN: 9780415350129

Synopsis

A highly original and influential work of modern British literature, Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus combines a fantastically creative plot with a strong political undertone. The result is an emotive and provocative novel, which has attracted much critical attention from a range of perspectives including poststructuralism, gender studies, postmodernism and psychoanalysis.

This guide to Angela Carter's complex novel, presents:

• an accessible introduction to the text and contexts of Nights at the Circus

a critical history, surveying the many interpretations of the text from publication to the present

• a selection of new critical essays on the Nights at the Circus, by Heather Johnson, Jeannette Baxter, Sarah Sceats and Helen Stoddart, providing a variety of perspectives on the novel and extending the coverage of key critical approaches identified in the survey section

• cross-references between sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism

• suggestions for further reading.

Part of the Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of Nights at the Circus and seeking not only a guide to the novel, but a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds Carter's text.

Recommendations

The Passion of Estelle Jordan

by Ernest Hebert

Winterson's magical realist style and exploration of gender and identity will appeal to fans of Carter's unconventional storytelling. Like Nights at the Circus, The Passion blends history, fantasy, and a strong feminist perspective in a captivating, dreamlike narrative.

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Violence Against Women The Bloody Footprints

by Pauline B. Bart

As the source book is by Angela Carter, I'm recommending one of her own short story collections. The Bloody Chamber updates classic fairy tales with Carter's signature blend of the gothic, erotic, and subversive - much like the fantastical, politically-charged world of Nights at the Circus.

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Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors Instruction for the Intermediate Player

by Robert M. Snyder

Kundera's philosophical novel explores themes of identity, politics, and the human condition through an ensemble cast of characters navigating the complexities of 1960s Czechoslovakia. Like Carter, Kundera blends the personal and the political in a style that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant.

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A Sister is Forever A Blue Mountain Arts Collection for One of the Most Beautiful People You'll Ever Know

by Gary Morris

Hulme's Booker Prize-winning novel shares Nights at the Circus' interest in the intersections of the mythic and the mundane. The Bone People weaves together the stories of three outsiders in a remote New Zealand community, crafting a poetic, genre-blending exploration of isolation, connection, and the power of the imagination.

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Man of the House

by Todd Strasser

Allende's sweeping family saga, set against the backdrop of political upheaval in Chile, shares Nights at the Circus' use of magical realism to illuminate the personal and the political. Both novels feature strong, unconventional female protagonists navigating turbulent times with a mix of pragmatism and fantastical vision.

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