Recipes for perennial insatisfaction: women’s sexuality in Angela Carter’s and Alice Munro’s writings

• Autor(a) principal: Alita Fonseca Balbi
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFMG
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1843/67490
• topic: Sexuality; Feminism; Gender; Literature; Fantasy; Angela Carter; Alice Munro; Carter, Angela, 1940-1992. – Crítica e interpretação; Munro, Alice, 1931- – Crítica e interpretação; Identidade sexual na literatura; Relações de gênero; Feminismo; Ficção inglesa – História e crítica; Ficção canadense – História e crítica

This dissertation proposes a comparative reading of Angela Carter’s and Alice Munro’s fiction regarding how each portrays women’s sexuality. Both Carter and Munro exhibit a keen awareness of the pivotal role that sexuality plays in self-representation and gender dynamics. Munro's writing sheds light on the influence of women's sexuality and desire in shaping gender relationships, employing a more realistic style. On the other hand, Carter constructs imaginative, fantastical realms to accommodate the intricacies of women's sexuality and desire. Both authors employ distinctive approaches in their writings to represent women's sexuality, providing fresh perspectives beyond the commonly encountered, limiting, and constraining portrayals. Furthermore, the works of both authors share an underlying desire for more authentic ways of human connection, devoid of economic, sexual, or preconceived notions. Many of their women characters emerge as heroines on a quest to liberate themselves from external influences continually attempting to mould their identities. By defying social expectations and rejecting prescribed codes of conduct, they take control of their sexuality. A comparative analysis of Munro's and Carter's portrayals of women's sexuality reveals fiction's capacity to challenge conventional views of women's sexuality, exploring how it intertwines with the characters' sense of self, pleasure, and empowerment. These stories blur the lines between fictional depictions of sex and actual social and sexual interactions, offering fresh perspectives on the women characters' desires and sexual identities.