Angela Carter Essay

Angela Carter wrote ‘The werewolf’ and ‘The Company of Wolves’ as appropriations of the traditional ‘Red Riding Hood’ story. Carter used language, atmosphere and originality twisted with a sense of tradition, which has created two amazingly deep stories. We know these are appropriations of the traditional red riding hood story, as they contain the somewhat traditional aspects/storylines of the traditional story but they are in one way or another completely different.
Carter appropriated Little Red Riding Hood in a dark and deep manor using language/dialogue. This creative use of language has created an intense atmosphere and setting which makes the reader feel unsteady and intrigued at the same time. Short quick sentences highlight the unsteady feeling as they tend to quicken the pace of the reading and make us feel quick and uneasy, but at the same time she is swapping between deep description and the short sharp sentences which create the intense feeling. “headless, footless, dying, dead” is a good example of language as it shows the reader that the wolves’ head and paws have been cut off, but is dying, the dead. It creates a fast paced motion, but is also straight to the point and quote blunt – not so drawn out. and lets us know that the killing was fast paced, making our un-easiness more evident. In the story “The Company of Wolves” the first 1 ½ pages of the story are based on fables and describing the werewolf, it is not until we read more the appropriation of red riding hood becomes evident. The Company of Wolves seems to have 3 little stories in one. Carter swaps between description and short sharp sentences which varies the intensity of the appropriations.
The stories are un-traditional in most aspects, except one of course, which is the placing of the girl in each story. Little red riding hood, plays different roles in each of carters appropriations and each time she comes out alive, whilst in the traditional story she is eaten. Carter has appropriated