"the passion of new eve" by angela carter

[mister_noel_y2k]

im reading this book at the moment for my university literature course and its ok i guess, not really fascinating and much of a page turner but not totally dull. i read her "bloody chamber" stories and thought those were great though. has anyone read those books or ever read any other carter? shes not very well known is she? too academic i suppose. :banana:

[SleepyWitch]

is she the canadian feminist or somebody?
was "the bloody chamber" literary fairy tale stuff? might have read them... :confused:

[mono]

is she the canadian feminist or somebody?
was "the bloody chamber" literary fairy tale stuff? might have read them... :confused:
According to some research, Angela Carter came originally from England, but, indeed, many considered her a great supporter of feminism and women's rights.
I found some information on the novel, The Passion of New Eve, and it looks somewhat interesting, perhaps not my type of story, but I might give it a decent skim on my next trip to the bookstore. For anyone else interested:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0860683419/026-9628817-3862025

[mister_noel_y2k]

angela carter was indeed english and was a feminist. most of her work was originally publish on the virago label (virago meaning warrior woman) which was a label devoted to publishing women only works that were mostly ignored by mainstream publishers like penguin when it came to classics. carter was also on the board of chairmen for that publisher. she travelled a lot though so maybe that's why you thought she was canadian.

the passion of new eve is really a feminist sci fi book about a man who goes to america and gets abducted by a weird group of nutcases in the desert who have an underground base under the sands. they transform the male protagonist (called evelyn) into a female (now called eve) and they intend to do this to everyone so that everyone can be man and woman and before the operation they take out some of evelyn's sperm to be impregnated into eve so that every person will be a father and mother to themselves thus also making eve a sort of virgin mary.

the story then goes into even weirder directions involving american civil war (not the 1861-65 first conflict but a new one) and the destruction of society/the world/etc. it's fairly good, very imaginative, but carter's prose is a bit strange at times like she's making up weird metaphors to befuddle the reader while dismissing themes and characters left right and centre. besides that it's a worthwhile read from a too often neglected writer. the twist of tristessa is a great one too, and if you like neo-gothic fairy tales with a twist then check out her other book "the bloody chamber and other stories".

:banana:

[frida_kahlo]

I'm reading it right now, I have read 2/3 of the book and I really liked it. I have likened Zero the Poet to Rushdie's satire of Mohammad the Prophet having seven wives in The Satanic Verses. Does anyone feel the same?

[frida_kahlo]

I just realized that Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" was published 11 years later than Carter's. But still, can we say that there are some satire of Mohammad the Prophet which is presented through Zero the Poet??

[LitNetIsGreat]

the story then goes into even weirder directions involving american civil war (not the 1861-65 first conflict but a new one) and the destruction of society/the world/etc. it's fairly good, very imaginative, but carter's prose is a bit strange at times like she's making up weird metaphors to befuddle the reader while dismissing themes and characters left right and centre.

It's a postmodern work as well as a feminist one which both explains why it is wacky and on uni reading lists.

I've not had the pleasure of this one, but I've read Nights at the Circus and the altogether better collection The Bloody Chamber. She studied and taught at Sheffield too I believe.

[Heteronym]

Nights at the Circus is a fine read, it's hard not to love Fevvers' down-to-earth attitude. My favourite novel by Carter remains The Magic Toyshop, it's a beautiful, creepy, mysterious coming of age novel.

[TheFifthElement]

My favourite novel by Carter remains The Magic Toyshop, it's a beautiful, creepy, mysterious coming of age novel.
Ditto, one of my favourite books of all time. Her short stories are probably her best works, particularly The Bloody Chamber but I also have a soft spot for Heroes and Villains.