Postmodernism in Angela Carter's Short FictionA Žižekian Approach

Resumo

The point of departure of this dissertation is a dissonance some scholars perceive between Carter¿s postmodernist poetics and the political potential of her work. To tackle this dispute, I make use of an unorthodox approach to postmodernism as a cultural paradigm proposed by Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic Slavoj Zizek. For such a purpose, the dissertation will have a three-part structure: 1. In the first part, I will examine the relevance of the term postmodernism to approach Carter¿s aesthetics and the ideology of her fiction work. I will provide an overview of those theoretical perspectives that determined the definition of postmodernism as a philosophical stance and as a literary practice and which, as such, had a direct influence on the critical reception of Carter¿s fiction as postmodernist. I will also address various areas of contention among Carter¿s scholars which are derived from such a categorisation. 2. Part II will focus on the theoretical framework that sustains my analysis of Carter¿s work. I will explain Zizek¿s Lacan-based distinction between modernism and postmodernism as cultural paradigms. I will thus resort to Jacques Lacan¿s theory to provide a definition of concepts that ground Zizek¿s account of postmodernism, namely the subject, the ego, the Symbolic order or Name of the Father, the anal father, fantasy, perversion, paranoia and psychosis. I will systematically use these concepts in my analysis of Carter¿s work. 3. Part III will be the core of this dissertation as it will provide a textual analysis of a total of seven short narratives from Carter¿s all four collections. This part will be divided into six chapters, one per tale, except the last chapter, which includes the interpretation of two tales that have the same protagonist. The dissertation will close with concluding remarks that serve a double purpose: - To provide a summary of the contents developed. - To expose my research findings, which in turn will provide answers to the following questions: 1) To what extent is Carter¿s short fiction exemplary of postmodernist literature? 2) How does Carter represent the social reality, the subject and enjoyment? 3) How does Carter¿s view of these three concepts determine her representation of sexual difference? To what extent does this reproduce or subvert patriarchal ideological premises? 4) Has our dissertation expanded the significance of Carter¿s work? 5) What new lines of research can be established in the light of the conclusions derived from my research?