Wise Children
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 The front cover of Angela Carter's Wise Children (Vintage 2006 edition). |
|
| Author | Angela Carter |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Parra |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Magical realism |
| Publisher | Vintage |
| Released | 1991 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 232 |
| ISBN | 0099981106 (ISBN 10); 9780099981107 (ISBN 13 from January 2007) |
| Preceded by | Nights at the Circus |
| Followed by | Last novel |
Wise Children was the last novel written by Angela Carter. The novel follows the fortunes of two chorus girls, Dora and Nora Chance, and their bizarre theatrical family. It explores the subversive nature of fatherhood, the denying of which leads the twins Nora and Dora Chance to frivolous "illegitimate" lechery. The book was Carter's last publication and along with Nights at the Circus marks a far more down-to-earth brand of storytelling, which, unlike her previous, more surreal and subversive novels, won her widespread recognition. The novel is a rich tapestry of themes and ideals, playing on Carter's admiration of Shakespeare and her love of fairy tales and the surreal. It incorporates a large amount of magical realism and elements of the carnivalesque that probes and twists our expectations of reality and society, with the vivacious Dora Chance daring us to believe her unlikely tale.
This book is used for English literature A-level study in the UK.
Contents |
[edit] Main characters
Dora Chance - 75 years of age, minor theatre and film star, illegitimate daughter of Melchior Hazard and "Pretty Kitty", who dies in childbirth. Believed by outsiders to be the daughter of Peregrine Hazard.
Nora Chance - Twin sister of Dora.
Melchior Hazard - High-profile theatre and film star, known for putting career before his family. He openly denies being the father of Nora and Dora.
Peregrine Hazard - Twin brother of Melchior, feels sense of duty towards Dora and Nora, officially recognising them as his own. Adventurer, explorer, actor. Embodies magic realism and the carnivalesque.
Lady Atalanta Hazard - First wife of Melchior Hazard, mother of Saskia and Imogen. Becomes known as Wheelchair in her later life, when she is cared for by Nora and Dora after her daughters abandon her and in the process she falls down a staircase, leaving her unable to walk.
Delia Delaney (Daisy Duck) - Actress, second wife of Melchior Hazard, and former lover of Perigrene Hazard.
My Lady Margarine - Third wife of Melchior Hazard. Mother to Gareth and Tristram.
Grandma Chance - Guardian of Dora and Nora Chance. Peregine suggests that Grandma Chance may have been Dora and Nora's mother, but Dora considers this unlikely. Nudist and vegetarian.
Saskia Hazard - Legal daughter of Melchior Hazard. TV chef. Cunning and ambitious. Has an ongoing relationship with Tristram, her half brother. Nemesis of Dora Chance. Assumed by Nora and Dora to be the biological daughter of Peregrene Hazard.
Imogen Hazard - Legal daughter of Melchior Hazard, twin sister of Saskia Hazard. Plays a fish on a children's television programme.
Tristram Hazard - Son of Melchior Hazard's third marriage. Presenter of "Lashings of Lolly". Twin brother of Gareth.
Tiffany - Goddaughter of Dora and Nora Chance. Girlfriend of Tristram Hazard, with whom she hosts "Lashings of Lolly", a TV gameshow.
[edit] Other characters
Gareth Hazard – Son of Melchior Hazard’s third marriage. Twin brother of Tristram Hazard. He became a missionary in his teens and was later on based in South America. His children are presented to Dora and Nora at the end of the novel.
Estella ‘A Star Danced’ Hazard – Mother of Melchior and Peregrine. A Shakespearian actress.
Ranulph Hazard - Husband of Estella Hazard. Ranulph kills Estella, Cassius Booth and himself.
Cassius Booth – Boyfriend of Estella Hazard. Possibly the father of Melchior and Peregrine.
Pretty Kitty – Mother of Dora and Nora Chance, she dies giving birth to the girls.
‘Our Cyn’ – Mother of Mavis, grandmother of Brenda and great grandmother of Tiffany. Showed up at Grandma Chance's door as a peasant.
Miss Worthington – Dora and Nora’s dance teacher.
Mrs. Worthington – Miss Worthington’s mother.
Gorgeous George – Comedian who appears as Bottom in a film version of ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’. A Patriot who displays a map of the British Empire on his body. He is later on reduced to begging at the end of the novel.
‘Pantomime Goose’ – Nora Chance’s first boyfriend.
Principal boy – The wife of the Pantomime Goose.
‘Blond tenor with unmemorable name’ – Nora Chance’s boyfriend, to whom Dora loses her virginity on her seventeenth birthday.
Genghis Khan - A film producer. He produces a film version of ‘The Dream’ later described as a “masterpiece of kitsch”. Takes his name from Genghis Khan the ruthless founder of Mongolia as he behaves in a similar manner. At one point is engaged to Dora Chance.
Genghis Khan’s first wife – A jealous woman who still loves her ex-husband after his marriage to Daisy Duck.
Mascara - Dance teacher during the filming of The Dream.
‘Radical German exile’ – boyfriend of Dora Chance.
Puck – Third husband of Delia Delaney.
Irish – A bookish American writer and a boyfriend of Dora Chance. He taught Dora how to read and write.
Tony - Nora's boyfriend and fiance on the set of The Dream.
Brenda – The granddaughter of ‘Our Cyn’ and the mother of Tiffany.
Leroy – The husband of Brenda.
Miss. Euphemia Hazard - Melchior and Peregine's Presbyterian aunt. They stay with her after the deaths of Ranulph and Estella.
[edit] Dramatis Personae
'Wise Children' is notable for the number of identical and fraternal twins in its cast of characters. The complicated relationships between the characters, including some incestuous relationships, adds to the sense of incredulity which Angela Carter's use of magical realism has also created. She is pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable and possible so that a reader must suspend their disbelief to follow the novel.
[edit] Family Tree
NB the blond tenor is Nora's boyfriend, who Dora is in love with. Nora allows Dora to sleep with him as a present for their seventeenth birthday.
[edit] Plot Summary
[edit] Chapter 1
We are introduced to Dora (the narrator) and Nora (her twin sister). It becomes clear that Dora is writing her memoirs, and that this story is based on them. We learn about their famous Shakespearean actor of a father, Melchior Hazard, and that they are his illegitimate children. Melchior has for years disregarded Dora and Nora, claiming that they are his twin brother Perry's children. We learn that Melchior slept with the chamber maid "Pretty Kitty" during the first world war. Kitty then died giving birth to Dora and Nora whilst the "zeppelins were falling". Her landlady "Grandma" Chance took the children in as her own (there is some debate as to whether she is in actual fact the mother and Kitty was just a fabrication).
We learn of Ranulph and Estella Hazard, and how Estella has an affair with Cassius Booth. Ranulph, ultimately, murders Cassius, Estella and then himself. Melchior and Perry then departed on their separate lives. Melchior came to England and lived with an elderly relative before running away. Perry remained a wanderer - both hold rivalries between each other.
We then get the drama of the chapter. Tristram (son of Melchior by his third marriage) arrives and tells Dora and Nora that his girlfriend, Tiffany (Dora and Nora's godchild) has gone missing after she appeared on his trashy television show "Lashings of Lolly" in a delusional state. Her delirium was due to the fact that she was pregnant with Tristram's child, but he was unwilling to commit to her. Tiffany seems to resemble Ophelia from Hamlet in this scene and this is an allusion to Shakespeare. A body is later found in a river, and the police believe it to be Tiffany.
Dora, saddened, takes a trip down memory lane.
[edit] Chapter 2
Begins with Dora and Nora's seventh birthday, Grandma chance takes them to the theatre to see a "nayce muscical comedy". This begins Nora and Dora's infactuation with low brow entertainment/culture. The show leaves the girls with "stars in their eyes" and they decide there and then that it will be the "damascus road" for the both of them. While at the theatre, Grandma spots Melchior, the girls biological father and points him out to the twins. The girls immediatley have a "crush on Melchior Hazard" and thus begins their inappropriate and unconventional relationship with their father.
After the theatre, the girls return home to find a package from their uncle Perry, inside is a present. A toy theatre that the girls learn to "treasure". The next important scene in this chapter is that in Brighton when Perry takes the girls for a trip out. This is a strange scene as it brings Perry's character into question, there is a hint that he may have had a sexual relationship with Dora "I thought, I must have had it off with Perry". This is a very disturbing thought as not only is Dora just thirteen, but Perry is also her uncle. During the trip, the girls stop off at a theatre on the end of Brighton pier and they see a performance by 'Gorgeous George'. Carter satirises the British publics' view on Empire and the whole idea of low culture and bawdy humour through George . The tattoo on his chest is symbolic of the British Empire and its growth at the time (to be made ironic later on). After the show, the girls are walking with Perry when they see posters of Melchior acting in a show nearby and their eyes swell up with tears. Perry eventually brings them into their father's dressing room. It is this scene that the girls fascination with Melchior becomes apparent. "I did piss myself when I saw him..." this unexpected reaction shows how unconventional their relationship is and highlights the theme of female prevailance through the absence of father throughout the novel. Melchior completely disregards the girls and through this the girls fabricate fake memories in order to deal with the heartache of this rejection. The memory is of Peregrine lifting both girls up and back-flipping 'out of the window", this is an example of magical realism that is evident throught Carter's novel.
The rest of the chapter is based around the girls growing up and coming of age. "we knew we were shedding our childhoods along with those ringlets, and we were pleased as punch". Peregrine loses his money in the Wall Street crash and the girls are forced to earn their money through dancing in the music halls. As the girls age they become interested in the 'facts of life', Nora especially wants to find out about all of lifes "dirty little secrets", she has sex with "the goose" in an alley. The girls eventually change their physical appearances and dye their hair black. "it looked like bath night at the minstrel show" - this is an example of carnivalesque language. Dora gets jealous of Nora and asks her for her "fella for a birthday present". This is a good example of doubles as the twins swap identities in order to 'share' the boy. For their birthday, Melchior acknowledges the girls and gives them a "special present" which was to star in his Shakespearian film.
This leads on to the next important aspect of chapter two, the Lynde house party for the shakespearian play. This continues the previous idea of mistaken idenitites as Nora's boyfriend still mistakes Dora for Nora. He is doubling as a waiter which also adds to the theme of doubles in the chapter. The two get re-acquainted and slip upstairs to have sex for the second time, while they are away the house catches fire due to the boy's absence, just as it catches fire, everyone runs outside and Dora and the boy continue to have sex even while the house burns down around them, this is another example of magical realism. The idea of the pretentious upper class is satirised here also as the high cultured people in question are pictured engaging in inappropriate sexual acts also.
The end of this chapter depicts Melchior mourning the loss of a paper crown, "a flimsy bit of make believe" instead of all the valuables that were burnt down, however Perry saves both Nora and the paper crown from the burning wreck.
[edit] Chapter 3
Chapter 3 describes the filming of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' this chapter is a very ourageous and chaotic chapter, just like the middle of a Shakespeare play. Melchoir falls in love with Genghis Khan's wife, Delia Delaney aka Daisy Duck, a very flirtatious woman- whom at the beginning of the chapter was flirting with Perry. Genghis Khan is outraged by this and decides that he wants Nora to have his child but she is in love with Tony,a young Italian and so gets Dora to marry Ghengis in her place. There is to be a triple wedding; Nora to Tony, Dora to Genghis and Melchoir to Daisy Duck. This triple wedding is again an allusio to Shakespeare as in some Shakespeare plays there are prominent triple weddings. Genghis' ex-wife, who has been stalking Ghengis for quite some time, turns up having had a face lift to look like Dora because she is desperate to re-marry GENGIS and will do anything to please Genghis - even change her appearance and this shows she is a woman who has bowed to the patriarchal society. She marries Genghis instead of Dora, who hides at the wedding by wearing a big Donkey mask from Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Tony's mum doesn't seem happy either, she empities a huge vat of marinara sauce onto Nora and this marriage is called off. The Dream ends and the girls return home with Grandma Chance who arrives to rescue them.
We are also introduced properly to Irish, another of Dora's lovers, and, perhaps the one that she values most. Irish, a writer/playwright holds much similarity to Oscar Wilde. Irish seems to value Dora more than she does him as she is also sleeping with her German teacher at this time. Irish is an alcoholic.
 |
This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
[edit] Chapter 4
Chapter 4 describes Dora and Nora alone after the death of Grandma Chance and how Grandma Chance was their "Shelter and Breast." This is also when Perry comes to Saskia and Imogens birthday baring gifts, which the two sisters hate. Also Melchoir announces he is going to marry Saskia's friend Cordelia (reference to King Lear, Shakespeare). The two sisters then throw a massive strop and smash plates at trees and destroy the so called party, Melchoir slaps Saskia and says he will no longer give them any pocket money. Poor old Perry is left heart broken because he has been totally rejected, and has his presents thrown back at him. This again is where Perry vanishes on one of his own quests.
|
This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
[edit] Chapter 5
Dora, Nora and the Lady Atlanta depart to their father, Melchior's, 100th birthday party. Along the way, Dora meets Gorgeous George from Chapter 2, except he's now an old homeless tramp begging for money off the rich party-goers - he is the metaphor for the downfall of the British Empire. Dora gives him £20 (a note with the face of Shakespeare on the reverse) and tells him to spend it all on booze.
At the party, Melchior finally acknowledges them as his children, but Dora and Nora are unsure of his sincerity as there are cameras and news crews everywhere - but they take Melchior's apologies with great pleasure and they both melt into the child versions of themselves whereby they saw great admiration and love toward this mysterious man.
A few things become apparent and some characters unexpectedly arrive with extravagant, carnivalesque entrances. Daisy Duck is the first, entering with a battalion of trumpet players and Gambian dancers (with Puck). Saskia's cake is then brought in. Before Melchior can cut the cake, there is a knocking at the door. Perry arrives in a magical, mystical way - not forgetting that he is presumed dead - and is described as "larger the life" in both persona and fat ("...was as large as a warehouse..."). Perry then releases butterflies, a butterfly for every person at the party, and produces a long box. Opening it, the lovely Tiffany steps out. She too is presumed dead (from chapter one), so her appearance strikes tears. Tristram begs for Tiffany to give with a second chance, but Tiffany completely disregards him, much to Dora and Nora's pleasure.
It is then discovered that Saskia, who baked the cake, had slipped poison into it - to try and murder her father as she tried to murder Lady Atalanta. Truths are shared realating to Saskia, Melchior and Lady A (in her speech)- whose presence is exemplified by Perry.
This is when Dora and Perry run off to the master bedroom and have sex. Dora questions him, asking if he is her father. Perry replies, no - but he believes that Dora's mother isn't who Grandma said she was... The point of incest here is toned down, and also the desperation of the pair is denied, and the entire affair is seen as an act of equal compassion.
With this done, they find the Cardboard crown and present it to Melchior (as it had been discovered that Melchior has been feeling useless in his age) and Melchior sees this as a peace offering. Perry then gives Dora and Nora two twin babies from his coat pocket, stating that they belong to Gareth (Tristram's twin)who had been in South America.
For once, there is a truce between the Hazards and the Chances, representing a truce between legitimacy and illegitimacy. Dora and Nora walk back to their houses with the two babies, and break into song and dance in the middle of the street.
The novel ends with a phrase used throughout the novel, which summarises the themes and messages of the book: "What a joy it is to dance and sing!"
[edit] Major symbols
There are many symbols used in the book which illustrate the themes. Carter frequently uses objects and places which take on meanings beyond the literal and begin to develop ideas about society, for example:
The grandfather clock: represents their absent father, as it was given to them by Melchior. It is also a phallic symbol. It is flawed, as it doesn’t always strike the right time: "it gives out the time in a falsetto ping, and always the wrong time". This links to their father, as he is also flawed, because there are many aspects of his personality which are less than admirable, such as his vanity and not recognising his daughters for many years.
Song and dance: represents their career. Like them it is light-hearted and full of energy. It is also a cliché – making a song and dance – making a fuss.
London: their own city – it is their birthplace. There is also a carniavalesque element to London – it is a city that is constantly changing: “can’t get a cup of tea”. The most important moment of carnivalesque in the novel is the party which ends in the fire, as it has a manic recklessness to it, which parallels the pre-renaissance carnivals; it also corresponds to the description of carnivalesque by Bahktin.
The pairing of opposites: Shown most simply in the number of sets of twins, and also in the family names- "Chance" and "Hazard", two words with the same meaning, perhaps emphasising the superficial nature of the differences between them.
[edit] Themes
Illegitimacy vs legitimacy: Nora and Dora are from “the wrong side of the tracks” and were “born out of wedlock”, their father is “a pillar of the legit theatre” and throughout the book the twins are constantly trying to become legit and be accepted. However, Carter questions the concept of legitimacy, and whether it is just a perception rather than reality: even the characters that are seen to be from the legitimate side do not always act in a respectable way, for example Saskia has an affair with Tristram, her half-brother.
Carnivalesque-: Carter uses the carnivalesque to illustrate some of her points about social boundaries, such as illegitimacy and highbrow/lowbrow. Important instances include the scene at the burning mansion in Chapter 2, where she describes the "orgiastic" element to the scene, using images of the "flickering flames" to emphasise this: the highbrow party and mansion is reduced to a ruined, passionate near-orgy by the fire and the breaking of social boundaries. This is similar to the final chapter when Dora and Perry have sex, as Nora says she wishes Dora would "fuck the house down": as well as physically damaging the Hazard residence, Dora and Perry having sex almost brings down the divide between the highbrow and lowbrow sides of the family. Some of the imagery used in this scene echoes the imagery of the Chapter 2 scene, for example "cover them all... with plaster dust and come and fire".
Incest: for example Saskia and Tristram are half brother and sister (although may be cousins), Nora looses her virginity to a pantomome goose when playing a goosling, Perry sleeps with Dora. Melchior and Peregrine also share partners e.g. Daisy Duck, Lady A; Nora and Dora both sleep with the Blond Tenor. This could be seen as carnivalesque, as it inverts social hierarchies and boundaries.
Culture and class: the high culture of the theatre in the legitimate side of the family as opposed to the dance halls in which Nora and Dora perform.
[edit] Allusions/references to other works
Throughout the novel, there are numerous references to the works of William Shakespeare. More on the Shakespeare elements of the Novel.
There are also various other theatrical quotations, for example there is a "paper moon" motif, symbolising the spot-light, and indicating a sense of illusion.
There are also many instances of magic realism, which is when a scene is exaggerated to an extent when the reader cannot possibly believe it, but does because of the realism of the rest of the novel. This is known as the willing suspension of disbelief.
[edit] Trivia
- Angela Carter is rumoured to have written this novel shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. As the message presented to the reader is to live life to the fullest, without worrying about other people, this seems quite possible.
- In an interview on the subject of Wise children Angela Carter stated "[I wanted] to have a transparent prose that just ran, I wanted it to be very funny, and at the same time I wanted the complex ideas about paternity and the idea of Shakespeare as a cultural ideology".
Angela Carter to Lorna Stage New Writing, 1992, eds. Bradbury and Cooke
- Angela Carter used the term "wise children" in many of her other novels – the term occurs in The Bloody Chamber and Nights at the Circus.
- At the beginning of the novel Angela Carter places three quotations, which could explain her inspirations for writing the novel.
"Brush Up on Your Shakespeare"
COLE PORTER – This is a song taken from the musical Kiss Me, Kate based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. The novel has numerous Shakespearean references.
"It's a wise child that knows its own father”
OLD SAW – An old saw being a proverb or maxim, saw meaning saying and old used here meaning wise.
"How many times Shakespeare draws fathers and daughters, never mothers and daughters
ELLEN TERRY – An English Stage Actress. In ‘Wise Children’ the mother figure is similarly absent.
[edit] Further reading
- "York Notes on "Wise Children" (York Notes Advanced) (Paperback) • ISBN-10: 140583563X ISBN-13: 978-1405835633
[edit] External links
- Essay - emphasis on magical realism
- PDF Essay on Wise Children
- Random House's reading guide for Carter's Wise Children
| Novels by Angela Carter |
|---|
| Shadow Dance | The Magic Toyshop | Several Perceptions | Heroes and Villains | Love | The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman | The Passion of New Eve | Nights at the Circus | Wise Children |
