I will link below guidelines for what needs to be included in my paper and my proposal for what I want to focus on. I also included my citations.I’m including the story my paper is based on as well. There are guidlines for this ppaer that need to be followed in the file labeled Assignment #3.
Praposal fro my paper:
For my research project, I have chosen Angela Carter’s short story “The Company of Wolves.” I selected this story because it reimagines the classic “Little Red Riding Hood” fairy tale in a way that challenges traditional portrayals of women as helpless victims. Carter’s story gives the female protagonist power, autonomy, and agency, which I find compelling and relevant to ongoing conversations about gender and identity. Her vivid storytelling and symbolic imagery invite deep analysis of societal roles and expectations.One theme I want to explore is how women are expected to conform to strict roles like purity, obedience, and motherhood. These expectations are often passed down by both men and older women who uphold patriarchal norms. I believe a feminist perspective will help me analyze how Carter critiques these limiting roles and shows women reclaiming their identities. The story’s focus on transformation, desire, and self-definition aligns with feminist ideas about female empowerment and resistance to societal control.In “The Company of Wolves,” Carter presents three werewolf stories that contrast how society punishes women who step outside traditional roles. However, the hunter story introduces a man trying to control the wolf but failing, suggesting that men, too, are trapped by societal expectations. The girl’s decision to tear off the wolf’s clothing symbolizes shedding societal expectations and embracing her true self, highlighting her role as a leader in breaking stereotypes.(Carter 118) This act of embracing desire and autonomy challenges the idea that women need saving and shows that both women and men can redefine their identities beyond societal molds.
I plan to use examples such as the girl’s fearless confrontation with the wolf, the symbolic burning of her red shawl, and the complex portrayal of the wolves to support my ideas. I want to explore how Carter’s story empowers women to define womanhood on their terms and challenges the double standards that punish women for their sexuality while excusing men. This analysis will deepen my understanding of how Carter’s work contributes to feminist discourse on identity, power, and liberation.
Citations
Wu, Jie. “Carter’s Feminist Revision of Fairytale: The Narrative Strategies of ‘The
Company of Wolves.”’ Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences,
2017, pp.53–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40647-016-0162-7
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40647-016-0162-7