From LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU Tue Feb 12 16:48:44 2002 Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 18:38:31 -0600 From: "L-Soft list server at UIC (1.8d)" To: Laura Q Subject: File: "FEMINISTSF-LIT LOG0101A" ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 01:43:21 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Amy Harlib Subject: What I just read, my first book of the Millenium! The Green Prince Book Review Comments: cc: amazons@egroups.com, annebishop@egroups.com, ShadowRealms@egroups.com, anorton@egroups.com, bayley@egroups.com, charles_delint@egroups.com, deLint list , fantasy@egroups.com, fantasybookclub@onelist.com, FantasyDiscussion@egroups.com, Fantasy_Books@egroups.com, fsf-list@egroups.com, McKillip@egroups.com, Midkemia@egroups.com, Night_Runner@onelist.com, Paradys@egroups.com, Science_Fiction_Books@egroups.com, SciFiNoir@egroups.com, SciFi_Discussion@egroups.com, sffbooks@egroups.com, sheritepper@egroups.com, timpowers@egroups.com, WomensFantasySciFi@egroups.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Just read this fantasy novel, my review of which will be posted at the websites where my writing regularly appears (the troll.net, rambles.net and Blue Iris Journal),but I wanted to share with you folks first! Thanks! HAPPY NEW MILLENIUM! AMY aharlib@worldnet.att.net The Green Prince by Sophie Masson, (Hodder Headline Australia, Sydney, Oct. 2000, $16.49 AUS, trade paperback, ISBN#: 0-7336-0791-8). Sophie Masson, an Australian expert on medieval European history and folklore who also happens to be the author of a number of excellent fantasy novels that express her interests, is finally getting her work published in Great Britain. One of her books has been made available in the USA so far by a small, independent publisher. Her latest work, released in Australia, (but easily obtainable on the Internet), is one of her best yet and deserves much wider distribution and attention. 'The Green Prince', using Welsh and Celtic myth and folklore pertaining to the watery worlds and the denizens thereof of streams, rivers and the sea as its source of inspiration, is set in medieval England and opens in the small provincial village of Crundall. This is where the protagonist, 16-year-old orphan Jack Fisher with his eccentric affinity for aquatic environs and the fisherman's trade makes his home. Immediately, Masson's shimmering poetic prose style sweeps the reader into the story, for the text is so rich in vivid description, background detail and emotional intensity that, the characters and plot spring to life. Jack, enjoying the annual local Fair, is mesmerized by the 'exhibit' in this year's freak show---a powerful-looking merman whose telepathic communications convince him that he is genuine. Vagan, the ambassador from the undersea Green Kingdom, is actually on a mission to find the hero needed to fight the fearsome Grimlow, Monster of Darkness, Master of the Abyss and Jack, by reason of his mysterious heritage (later to be revealed), responds to the call to meet his destiny. Jack, absconding with Vagan and aided by the amusing, froglike Shellycoat (the local spring-spirit), embarks on the adventure of his life gripped by confusion, doubts and the requisite excitement. Mer-magic enables the protagonist to function underwater with total ease as he undertakes a classic quest which involves journeying through the river province of the Lady Tam and the mysterious realm of Fanach of the Lake until the climax in the Green Kingdom ruled by the refreshingly female, eponymous Green Prince. Jack's life-transforming experiences in the water-world involve encounters with colorful characters out of lore and legend: selkies and kabyls (kelpies), and the like and most importantly, the half-human, strong and spirited Linn (to be the love of his life), Heiress of Fanach. Masson's descriptions of the undersea realms and their inhabitants are delightfully imaginative, atmospheric, and full of wonder and inventiveness with such set pieces as: Lady Tam's 'river cattle' and their magical connections to the origins of amber (!); the 'soul cages'; and the oddly computeresque, silvery, translucent sea-books being most memorable and affecting. Of course, all this and Jack's utterly believable hesitations, fears and uncertainties lead up to the confrontation with the terrifying Grimlow, an effectively resonant representation of the dark force, the evil monster that lurks not only in the literal Abyss, but also in the depths of all human hearts. How Jack copes with this trial, resolved in a classically folkloric manner, is both dramatically and emotionally satisfying and a fitting conclusion to this lovely fantasy. 'The Green Prince' is so colorfully aquatic, awash with swift-flowing, exciting plotting, with the deeper meanings a shining subtext serving to enhance the book's evocative entertainment value, that the diligent reader willing to fish for it in the vast ocean of the Internet, will be richly rewarded! ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2001 18:17:07 +0000 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Angela Barclay Subject: BDG: Nights at the Circus Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: multipart/alternative; boundary="MS_Mac_OE_3061217831_578265_MIME_Part" > THIS MESSAGE IS IN MIME FORMAT. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. --MS_Mac_OE_3061217831_578265_MIME_Part Content-type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you all had a good time with family and friends and the time to devour a book or two- including Angela Carter=B9s Nights at the Circus which is up for discussion this month. I discovered Angela Carter=B9s Heroes and Villains in a used bookstore a yea= r and a half ago and became enthralled with her work, even though it doesn=B9t neatly fit into the science fiction/fantasy category I almost inevitably gravitate towards. When I started collecting her books, I discovered she isn=B9t well known here in Western Canada- nearly every used and independent bookstore owner and clerk I talked to had never heard of her. While Carter may be largely unknown this side of the globe, her reputation in Europe is firmly established. She started writing in the sixties and experienced early success winning the John Llewellyn Rhys prize with her second novel, The Magic Toyshop and the Somerset Maugham Award for her third, Several Perceptions. She also wrote short stories, essays, radio plays and screenplays in addition to her full length fictions. She contributed to New Society, edited a collection of short stories for Virago in 1986 called Wayward Girls and Wicked Women, and was a popular book reviewer. She was also in demand as a creative writing instructor in the U.S. and Australia. She gave birth to a son in 1983 and apparently relished the role of mother. It is not surprizing that after pumping out five novels in the sixties and two in the seventies, Nights at the Circus was the sole extended piece of fiction of the 1980s for this very busy woman. It was the most acclaimed o= f her novels and while it won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize many critic= s expressed surprise that it was not shortlisted for that year=B9s Booker Prize= . In an interview with Ian McEwan, Carter indicated it took her ten years to write because =8CI had to wait until I was big enough, strong enough, to writ= e about a winged woman=B9. She therefore identified Nights as a work born out of confidence- which in all its possible meanings is a byword, a theme, a sub-text in the work. In another interview with Helen Cagney Watts, Carter revealed that Fevvers originated out of the writing of The Sadeian Woman (1979). The Marquis d= e Sade, one of the great guerrillas of the Age of Enlightenment and one of Carter=B9s favorite sources because of his radical irony, chose heroines and not heroes; figures hitherto not imagined who will rise out of mankind and will have wings and will renew the world. Fevvers as the New Woman of the twentieth century declares, =B3once the old world has turned on its axle that the new dawn can dawn, then, ah then! all the women will have wings, the same as I (Nights, 285).=B2 Perhaps this is why some critics such as Andrzej Gasiorek describe the nove= l as exuberantly utopian; as one which =8Crewrites history as utopia, envisagin= g the closing of the last century as the opening of a brave new feminist world=B9. Sarah Gamble (whose book Angela Carter: Writing from the Frontline I used as a resource to write this discussion kick-off) questions this interpretation. Gamble claims Carter=B9s on-going recognition of the relationship between predator and prey, the precarious relations between the circus animals and their so-called trainers, mars that utopianism. And, the biggest challenge to the text=B9s optimism, claims Gamble, is posed by the cruel and destructiv= e humor of the circus clowns, the penultimate performers who end up mad or disappeared. I personally think the description of the book as =B3exuberantly utopian=B2 is questionable because whereas it features many examples of effective solidarity between women and a fascinating female supporting caste, the mal= e characters are all basically buffoons or worse: opportunists, wife beaters, rapists or murderers. Even Walser who helps Fevvers understand that love i= s not something one enters into for what one gets out of it, and who accepts her for who she is, sans all of her peroxide, dye and face-paint; seems rather a wimp whose life is out of control and who perpetually needs to be rescued. Despite these criticisms, I loved the book. I like how the story teeters back and forth between fantasy and reality, constantly =8Cmessing with your mind=B9. I like how the novel itself was like the Grand Duke=B9s gallery of exquisite eggs- many masterful (and macabre!) little tales within a tale. Looking forward to reading what you thought about the book, Angela --MS_Mac_OE_3061217831_578265_MIME_Part Content-type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable BDG: Nights at the Circus Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you all had a good time with family and friends and the time to devo= ur a book or two- including Angela Carter=B9s Nights at the Circus whic= h is up for discussion this month.  

I discovered Angela Carter=B9s Heroes and Villains  in a used boo= kstore a year and a half ago and became enthralled with her work, even thoug= h it doesn=B9t neatly fit into the science fiction/fantasy category I almost i= nevitably gravitate towards.  When I started collecting her books, I di= scovered she isn=B9t well known here in Western Canada- nearly every used and = independent bookstore owner and clerk I talked to had never heard of her. &n= bsp;

While Carter may be largely unknown this side of the globe, her reputation = in Europe is firmly established.  She started writing in the sixties an= d experienced early success winning the John Llewellyn Rhys prize with her s= econd novel, The Magic Toyshop  and the Somerset Maugham Award f= or her third, Several Perceptions.   She also wrote short s= tories, essays, radio plays and screenplays in addition to her full length f= ictions.  She contributed to  New Society,  edited a c= ollection of short stories for Virago in 1986 called  Wayward Girls = and Wicked Women,  and was a popular book reviewer.  She was a= lso in demand as a creative writing instructor in the U.S. and  Austral= ia.  She gave birth to a son in 1983 and apparently relished the role o= f mother.  
 
It is not surprizing that after pumping out five novels in the sixties and = two in the seventies, Nights at the Circus  was the sole extende= d piece of fiction of the 1980s for this very busy woman.  It was the m= ost acclaimed of her novels and while it won the James Tait Black Memorial P= rize many critics expressed surprise that it was not shortlisted for that ye= ar=B9s Booker Prize.

In an interview with Ian McEwan, Carter indicated it took her ten years to = write because =8CI had to wait until I was big enough, strong enough, to write= about a winged woman=B9.  She therefore identified Nights  a= s a work born out of confidence- which in all its possible meanings is a byw= ord, a theme, a sub-text in the work.

In another interview with Helen Cagney Watts, Carter revealed that Fevvers = originated out of the writing of The Sadeian Woman  (1979). &= nbsp; The Marquis de Sade, one of the great guerrillas of the Age o= f Enlightenment and one of Carter=B9s favorite sources because of his radical = irony, chose heroines and not heroes; figures hitherto not imagined who will= rise out of mankind and will have wings and will renew the world.  Fev= vers as the New Woman of the twentieth century declares, =B3once the old world= has turned on its axle that the new dawn can dawn, then, ah then! all the w= omen will have wings, the same as I (Nights, 285).=B2

Perhaps this is why some critics such as Andrzej Gasiorek describe the nove= l as exuberantly utopian; as one which =8Crewrites history as utopia, envisagi= ng the closing of the last century as the opening of a brave new feminist wo= rld=B9.

Sarah Gamble (whose book Angela Carter: Writing from the Frontline &= nbsp;I used as a resource to write this discussion kick-off) questions this = interpretation.

Gamble claims Carter=B9s on-going recognition of the relationship between pre= dator and prey, the precarious relations between the circus animals and thei= r so-called trainers, mars that utopianism.  And, the biggest challenge= to the text=B9s optimism, claims Gamble, is posed by the cruel and destructiv= e humor of the circus clowns, the penultimate performers who end up mad or d= isappeared.

I personally think the description of the book as =B3exuberantly utopian=B2 is = questionable because whereas it features many examples of effective solidari= ty between women and a fascinating female supporting caste, the male charact= ers are all basically buffoons or worse: opportunists, wife beaters, rapists= or murderers.  Even Walser who helps Fevvers understand that love is n= ot something one enters into for what one gets out of it, and who accepts he= r for who she is, sans all of her peroxide, dye and face-paint; seems rather= a wimp whose life is out of control and who perpetually needs to be rescued= .

Despite these criticisms, I loved the book.  I like how the story teet= ers back and forth between fantasy and reality, constantly =8Cmessing with you= r mind=B9.  I like how the novel itself was like the Grand Duke=B9s gallery= of exquisite eggs- many masterful (and macabre!) little tales within a tale= .

Looking forward to reading what you thought about the book,
Angela --MS_Mac_OE_3061217831_578265_MIME_Part-- ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2001 21:51:45 +1100 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Julieanne Subject: Illicit Passage - by Alice Nunn In-Reply-To: <002201c072f4$fabdbfe0$bbc54e0c@oemcomputer> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Just for info - Some time ago, on this list there was some discussion of Alice Nunn's 1992 novel - 'Illicit Passage' - which unfortunately went out of print when the publisher went out of business. I have recently been contacted by the author, who apparently chose to take the remaining few hundred trade paperback copies when the publisher folded, and they remain sitting in her shed:) It was originally retailed at around Aus$15 - but Alice has been selling a few locally, and by postage through word-of-mouth at Aus$5 plus p&h for some time. However, she would be happy to offload larger numbers than the occasional one or two, if there is any interest - particularly as the Australian dollar is so cheap at the moment, I thought I would mention it here on this list if there are any booksellers who would like to order a consignment, or even just individual fans who would like a copy? If so, let me know by return e-mail and I will put you in touch with Alice:) For those who aren't aware of the book:I would recommend it - its a scream, very witty and a lot of fun, with a very distinctive Australian "flavour":) For those interested in feminist cyberpunk - *Illicit Passage* comes close - but with a few 'twists':)) " Illicit Passage " - by Alice Nunn, 1992 - Women's Redress Press The blurb for the book is: " The year is 2101 and the space habitat colony of Anastasia Union is under siege. Systems are breaking down and sabotage is suspected. Food is scarce, and the space city is icing up. Bureaucrats direct men and money to the war in space, but meanwhile in the Workers' Domes, the women develop some surprising strategies. A cheerful cuppa tea and a gossip isn't always what it seems. Gillie chats with *Big Barbara*, *Dorothy*, *Rita*, and *Deirdre*, the computers on the supposedly 'incoruptible' security network. Gillie is no cyberpunk hacking into the system however, but a new kind of hero, gleeful in her obscurity. She playfully outwits the authorities while disconcerting her conformist sister, and confusing her Revolutionary Marxist friends." Alice Nunn was born in England and has lived for many years in Tasmania. She has an Arts/Law degree from Uni of Tas and has worked as a public servant, a teacher and a tealady. Cheers - Julieanne:) jalc@ozemail.com.au ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2001 09:52:49 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Amy Harlib Subject: Re: Illicit Passage - by Alice Nunn MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > As an individual, I'd love to purchase a copy of this book if the author is willing to accept payment in $USD cash or check. Thanks! Amy Harlib in NYC. > > Some time ago, on this list there was some discussion of Alice Nunn's 1992 > novel - 'Illicit Passage' - which unfortunately went out of print when the > publisher went out of business. > > I have recently been contacted by the author, who apparently chose to take > the remaining few hundred trade paperback copies when the publisher folded, > and they remain sitting in her shed:) It was originally retailed at around > Aus$15 - but Alice has been selling a few locally, and by postage through > word-of-mouth at Aus$5 plus p&h for some time. > > However, she would be happy to offload larger numbers than the occasional > one or two, if there is any interest - particularly as the Australian > dollar is so cheap at the moment, I thought I would mention it here on this > list if there are any booksellers who would like to order a consignment, or > even just individual fans who would like a copy? > > If so, let me know by return e-mail and I will put you in touch with Alice:) > > For those who aren't aware of the book:I would recommend it - its a scream, > very witty and a lot of fun, with a very distinctive Australian "flavour":) > For those interested in feminist cyberpunk - *Illicit Passage* comes close > - but with a few 'twists':)) > > " Illicit Passage " - by Alice Nunn, 1992 - Women's Redress Press > > The blurb for the book is: > > " The year is 2101 and the space habitat colony of Anastasia Union is under > siege. Systems are breaking down and sabotage is suspected. Food is > scarce, and the space city is icing up. > > Bureaucrats direct men and money to the war in space, but meanwhile in the > Workers' Domes, the women develop some surprising strategies. > > A cheerful cuppa tea and a gossip isn't always what it seems. > > Gillie chats with *Big Barbara*, *Dorothy*, *Rita*, and *Deirdre*, the > computers on the supposedly 'incoruptible' security network. Gillie is no > cyberpunk hacking into the system however, but a new kind of hero, gleeful > in her obscurity. She playfully outwits the authorities while > disconcerting her conformist sister, and confusing her Revolutionary > Marxist friends." > > Alice Nunn was born in England and has lived for many years in Tasmania. > She has an Arts/Law degree from Uni of Tas and has worked as a public > servant, a teacher and a tealady. > > Cheers - Julieanne:) > jalc@ozemail.com.au > > ------------------------------------------------------ > This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for > discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To > unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to > LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: > unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT > > Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2001 16:34:01 EST Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Beth Brown Subject: Re: Illicit Passage - by Alice Nunn MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I'd like to get a couple copies. Beth ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2001 17:56:51 EST Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Maire Shanahan Subject: Re: Illicit Passage - by Alice Nunn MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit HI- I live in Sydney, and would love to buy a copy (just one, though) Maire ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2001 15:14:17 -0800 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Laura Quilter Subject: Re: Illicit Passage - by Alice Nunn In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20010103215145.00a9f100@pop.ozemail.com.au> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII I thought this book was *fabulous* and recommend it very highly. I'll forward the information to our local feminist / gay bookstore. On Wed, 3 Jan 2001, Julieanne wrote: > Just for info - > > Some time ago, on this list there was some discussion of Alice Nunn's 1992 > novel - 'Illicit Passage' - which unfortunately went out of print when the > publisher went out of business. > > I have recently been contacted by the author, who apparently chose to take > the remaining few hundred trade paperback copies when the publisher folded, > and they remain sitting in her shed:) It was originally retailed at around > Aus$15 - but Alice has been selling a few locally, and by postage through > word-of-mouth at Aus$5 plus p&h for some time. > > However, she would be happy to offload larger numbers than the occasional > one or two, if there is any interest - particularly as the Australian > dollar is so cheap at the moment, I thought I would mention it here on this > list if there are any booksellers who would like to order a consignment, or > even just individual fans who would like a copy? > > If so, let me know by return e-mail and I will put you in touch with Alice:) > > For those who aren't aware of the book:I would recommend it - its a scream, > very witty and a lot of fun, with a very distinctive Australian "flavour":) > For those interested in feminist cyberpunk - *Illicit Passage* comes close > - but with a few 'twists':)) > > " Illicit Passage " - by Alice Nunn, 1992 - Women's Redress Press > > The blurb for the book is: > > " The year is 2101 and the space habitat colony of Anastasia Union is under > siege. Systems are breaking down and sabotage is suspected. Food is > scarce, and the space city is icing up. > > Bureaucrats direct men and money to the war in space, but meanwhile in the > Workers' Domes, the women develop some surprising strategies. > > A cheerful cuppa tea and a gossip isn't always what it seems. > > Gillie chats with *Big Barbara*, *Dorothy*, *Rita*, and *Deirdre*, the > computers on the supposedly 'incoruptible' security network. Gillie is no > cyberpunk hacking into the system however, but a new kind of hero, gleeful > in her obscurity. She playfully outwits the authorities while > disconcerting her conformist sister, and confusing her Revolutionary > Marxist friends." > > Alice Nunn was born in England and has lived for many years in Tasmania. > She has an Arts/Law degree from Uni of Tas and has worked as a public > servant, a teacher and a tealady. > > Cheers - Julieanne:) > jalc@ozemail.com.au > > ------------------------------------------------------ > This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for > discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To > unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to > LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: > unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT > > Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. > Laura Quilter / lquilter@exo.net ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2001 23:12:50 EST Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Christine Ethier Subject: Re: Nights at the Circus MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What really strikes me about this books is the use of apperance versus reality, or the idea of the "package" versus reality. Take for instance Fevers. What the reader is confronted with is the question of wheter or not she is truly winged. Becuase the reader is told that this is the main debate surronding her, the reader almost readily accept her story of her life. And yet it is the story of her life that becomes the illusion, part of her "package", the one that she presents to her audience. Of course, at the end of the book, the question remains, how much of her life story do you believe? But it is also true of the majority of other characters in the book. The Strong Man, the chimps, Mignon (mispelled sorry), and others. The tigers also represent it when they merge with the glass at the train accident. The book seems to be constantly challengeing the perceptions of the reader. It what makes the end of the book funny. On a more personal note, Nights at the Circus was one of the first Carter books I ever read. I "discovered" Carter while in high school. One of the volumnes of Ellen Daltow and Terry Windling's Year's Best Fanasty and Horror recommoned Carter's The Bloody Chamber. I figured that since I liked the stories in the anthology that they edited, I might as well try a book that reccomnded. I'm glad I did. Christine Ethier ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems.