In this collection Angela Carter retells fairy tales, but these aren't your grandmother's stories. You won't find your helpless heroines who have to be rescued by handsome princes. These fair maidens take charge and refuse to be victims. The thinly-veiled sexual themes of traditional folk stories are made explicit. The message is that females are fierce and sensible and sexual, making them forces to be reckoned with.
The language is extraordinary -- lush and baroque. In all its various retellings, "Beauty and the Beast" never before sounded this good. Angela Carter was an author of great talent; her novels Nights at the Circus and Wise Children are two of my favorites.
It's difficult to know how much the patriarchal stories (and now films) of our youth influence the way we view gender roles. These feminist fairy tales for adults offer a differing viewpoint.
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