The images of women in fairy tales: An analysis of the Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt and the Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

This dissertation examines A.S. Byatt's The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye and Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber and the discussion on the contemporary issues of women, a portrayal of gender in the media, and the political position of women. The study also examines the ways in which Byatt and Carter redefined prevailing traditional notions of femininity in their selected stories. In a male-dominated environment, females are presented as emotional, weak, followers, and submissive to males whereas males are presented as bold, strong, and rational beings. Reading both collections offers an intertextual approach that critique the patriarchal codes of contemporary society; thus, evoking post contemporary feminist discourses on women's issues. Byatt's and Carter's awareness of the public perceptions of sexuality and gender made it fundamental to intervene in the culture of the mainstream mass. The study also examines the images of women in the stories, the controversial elements seen in these stories, and understand the several female perspectives to untangle the figures from the restrictions of the sexist and patriarchal ideology. In addition, the study aims to identify the stereotypes in these collections, the way Byatt and Carter discussed these stereotypes, and the narrative techniques and literary devices they both used in their works.