Worlds in Collision - Angela Carter's Heterotopia

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Converging Echoes
• Introducing Angela Carter
• Defining Heterotopia
• Heterotopian Zones - Inner Depths of Outer Spaces
• Dismantling Catacombs
• The Castle
• The Prison
• The Cave/The Womb
• Mazes of the Outside
• The Forest
• The Desert
• The City
• Heterotopia - Reaching for the Other
• Duplicitous Dolls
• Innocent Predators
• Cannibals
• Desired Others
• Heterotopia - Dynamics of Performance
• Scenes of Dissemblance
• Twists of Passion
• Songs and Dances
• Heterotopia - The Warp and Weft of Storytelling
• The 'Confidence Trick'
• Embroidering Genealogies
• Cinematic Spinners

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis examines the work of Angela Carter through the lens of heterotopia, a concept of space that emphasizes otherness and boundary fluidity. It aims to demonstrate how Carter’s narratives explore themes of identity construction, marginality, and the subversive power of myth. The thesis focuses on the ways Carter utilizes heterotopia to challenge conventional notions of space and place, highlighting the intertextuality, irony, and wit that permeate her work.

• Heterotopia as a framework for understanding Carter's work
• The construction of identity and subjectivity in Carter's narratives
• The role of myth and ideology in shaping Carter's fictional worlds
• The exploration of marginality and social exclusion through spatial metaphors
• The intersection of space, performance, and storytelling in Carter's works

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter introduces Angela Carter's work and its critical reception, establishing the concept of heterotopia as a key framework for analysis. It traces the etymology of the term and explores its theoretical applications within the study. The second chapter examines the public and domestic zones of confinement in Carter’s work, exploring how characters navigate their subjectivity within these spaces. It analyzes the role of spatial construction and strategies of resistance in novels such as *The Passion of New Eve* and *The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman*.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This study explores Angela Carter’s work through the lens of heterotopia, emphasizing the concepts of spatial construction, otherness, boundary fluidity, and the subversion of traditional narratives. The thesis examines the interplay of identity construction, marginality, myth, ideology, performance, and storytelling within Carter’s works. Key terms include heterotopia, space, place, identity, marginality, myth, ideology, performance, and storytelling.