著者

沢田 知香子

出版者

一般財団法人 日本英文学会

雑誌

英文学研究 支部統合号 (ISSN:18837115)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.7, pp.167-174, 2015

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Marina Warner tells us that "the fairytale transformations of Cinders into princess represnt what a girl has to do to stay alive." When a girl transforms, themes of female survival and construction of self vividly emerge. Moreover, women's situation and problems present themselves in various guises. Focusing on contemporary fiction which deals with transformations of women, this paper examines images of women and explores new ways and possibilities for a woman to tell her story. This paper first looks into Angela Carter's heroines who transform themselves into predatory animals and survive, and considers the influence of Carter and her rebellious heroines on contemporary retellings of fairy tales. It will then examine Ursula Le Guin's "Daddy's Big Girl" to illustrate women's narrative strategy and Aimee Bender's "The Color Master" based on "The Donkey-skin" as a story of a woman's attempt to capture true colors and to weave her own text/textiles. Both stories are discussed, focusing on other important and relevant themes such as father-daughter relationship, mother-daughter relationship and women's body. These analyses unveil the guise of an innocent girl, revealing a defiant narrative and female figure.