Animal leaders and helpers: from the classical tales of Charles Perrault to the postmodern fables of Angela Carter and Patrick Chamoiseau

Desblache, Lucile

doi:https://doi.org/10.3828/jrs.11.2.75

Desblache, Lucile

Journal of Romance Studies (2011), 11, (2), 75–88.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3828/jrs.11.2.75
Language: English
Pages: 14

Abstract

This article aims to show how animal fables and tales, thanks to, rather than in spite of, their metaphorical or allegorical content, can broaden our perceptions and constructions of interspecies relationships. It considers to what degree the presence of the natural world and animals is used by writers to challenge not only the moral conventions and expected structures of these literary forms, but also traditional images of non-human beings, of the natural world and of human relationships with non-human beings. The fundamental role of these genres in promoting human and non-human relationships and offering new constructions of nature-culture will be outlined, analysing ‘Le Chat botté’ [‘Puss-in-Boots’], one of the founding Western tales, together with one of its contemporary interpretations by Angela Carter to illustrate those points, before broadening the conclusion with reference to a Creole animal tale by contemporary Martiniquan writer Patrick Chamoiseau.

FormatArticle

£25.00

READ THIS ARTICLE

If you have private access to this content, please log in with your username and password here

Armstrong, Alan (2005) Whittington (New York: Random House). Whittington Google Scholar

Armstrong, Philip (2008) What Animals Mean in the Fiction of Modernity (London: Routledge). What Animals Mean in the Fiction of Modernity Google Scholar

Atwood, Margaret (1998) ‘Animals Victims’, in The Wild Animal Story, ed. Ralph H. Lutts (Philadelphia: Temple University Press), 215–24. Animals Victims The Wild Animal Story 215 24 Google Scholar

Bachelard, Gaston (2000) [1938] La Formation de l’esprit scientifique (Paris: Librairie Philosophique Vrin). La Formation de l’esprit scientifique Google Scholar

Bailly, Jean-Christophe (2007) Le Versant animal (Paris: Bayard). Le Versant animal Google Scholar

Buffon, Georges (1756) ’Description du chat et ‘Description de la partie du Cabinet qui a rapport à l’Histoire Naturelle du Chat’, Histoire naturelle, générale ou particulière, avec la description du cabinet du roi, VI, 18–54, http://www.buffon.cnrs.fr/ice/ice_book_detail.php?lang=fr&type=text&bdd=buffon&table=buffon_hn&bookId=6&typeofbookId=1&num=0 [accessed 9th December 2010]. Google Scholar

Byatt, Antonia S. (2001) ‘True Stories and the Facts in Fiction’, in Essays on the Fiction of A.S. Byatt: Imagining the Real, ed. Alex Alfer (Westport CT: Greenwood Press), 175–200. True Stories and the Facts in Fiction Essays on the Fiction of A.S. Byatt: Imagining the Real 175 200 Google Scholar

Carter, Angela (1996) [1979] ‘Puss-in-Boots’, in The Bloody Chamber and other stories, Collected Short Stories, Burning Your Boat (London: Vintage), 170–85. Puss-in-Boots The Bloody Chamber and other stories, Collected Short Stories, Burning Your Boat 170 85 Google Scholar

Chamoiseau, Patrick, (1998) Emerveilles (Paris: Gallimard Jeunesse). Emerveilles Google Scholar

Chamoiseau, Patrick, (2009) Les Neuf consciences du malfini (Paris: Gallimard). Les Neuf consciences du malfini Google Scholar

Coetzee, J. M. (2003) ‘He and His Man ’ Nobel Lecture delivered on 7 December, http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2003/coetzee-lecture.html [accessed 9 October 2010]. Google Scholar

Darnton, Robert (2009) [1984] The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History (New York: Basic Books). The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History Google Scholar

Day, Aidan (1998) Angela Carter: The Rational Glass (Manchester: Manchester University Press). Angela Carter: The Rational Glass Google Scholar

Defoe, Daniel (2005) [1724] A Tour thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain (London: Penguin Classics). A Tour thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain Google Scholar

Deleuze, Gilles and Félix Guattar (1975) Kafka: Pour une littérature mineure (Paris: Editions de Minuit). Kafka: Pour une littérature mineure Google Scholar

Deleuze, Gilles and Félix Guattar (1980) Mille plateaux (Paris: Editions de Minuit). Mille plateaux Google Scholar

Finn Garner, James (1995) Politically Correct Bedtime Stories (New York: Macmillan). Politically Correct Bedtime Stories Google Scholar

Freud, Sigmund (1909) ‘Family Romances’, in The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, vol. 9 (1906–1908): Jensen’s ‘Gradiva’ and Other Works, 235–42. Family Romances The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud 235 42 Google Scholar

Fudge, Erica (2002) Perceiving Animals, Humans and Beasts in Early Modern English Culture (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press). Perceiving Animals, Humans and Beasts in Early Modern English Culture Google Scholar

Garnett, David (1974) Master Cat (London: Macmillan). Master Cat Google Scholar

Haraway, Donna (2008) When Species Meet (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press). When Species Meet Google Scholar

La Fontaine, Jean de (1938) [1678] Discours à Madame de la Sablière, ed Henri Busson and Ferdinand Gohin (Geneva: Libraire Droz). Discours à Madame de la Sablière Google Scholar

Le Guin, Ursula (1994) [1987] Buffalo Gals and Other Animal Presences (London: Penguin). Buffalo Gals and Other Animal Presences Google Scholar

Lewis, Jayne Elizabeth (1996) The English Fables: Aesop and Literary Culture 1651–1740 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). The English Fables: Aesop and Literary Culture 1651–1740 Google Scholar

Midgley, Mary (2006) [2001] Science and Poetry (London: Routledge). Science and Poetry Google Scholar

McHugh, Susan (2009) ‘Literary Animal Agents’, PMLA 124. 2, 487–95. Literary Animal Agents PMLA 124. 2 487 95 Google Scholar

Patterson, Annabel (1991) Fables of Power: Aesopian Writing and Political History (Durham NC: Duke University Press). Fables of Power: Aesopian Writing and Political History Google Scholar

Perrault, Charles (1999) [1697] Contes de ma mère l’Oye (Paris: Gallimard). Contes de ma mère l’Oye Google Scholar

Perrault, Charles (1889) The Blue Fairy Book ed. D. L. Ashliman (London: Longmans, Green and Co), 141–7. Available online at: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/perrault04.html [accessed 9 February 2010]. Google Scholar

Perrault, Charles (1964) [1691] ‘Le Parallèle des Anciens et des Modernes’, ed. H. R. Jauss (Munich: Eidos Verlag). Le Parallèle des Anciens et des Modernes Google Scholar

Pick, Anat (2011) Creaturely Poetics: Animality, Vulnerability, and the Identity of Species (New York: Columbia University Press). Creaturely Poetics: Animality, Vulnerability, and the Identity of Species Google Scholar

Pollock, Mary (2000) ‘Angela Carter’s animal tales: Constructing the non-human’, Literature Interpretation Theory, 11, 35–57. Angela Carter’s animal tales: Constructing the non-human Literature Interpretation Theory 11 35 57 Google Scholar

Potter, Beatrix (2002) [1905] The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle (New York: Frederick Warne and Penguin). The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle Google Scholar

Pullman, Philip (2000) The Adventures of that Most Enterprising Feline Puss in Boots, Ian Beck (London and New York: Doubleday). The Adventures of that Most Enterprising Feline Puss in Boots Google Scholar

Ricoeur, Paul (1997) [1975] La Métaphore vive (Paris: Seuil). La Métaphore vive Google Scholar

Sabloff, Annabelle (2001) Reordering the Natural World: Humans and Animals in the City (Toronto: University of Toronto Press). Reordering the Natural World: Humans and Animals in the City Google Scholar

Thomas, Keith (1984) Man and the Natural World: Changing Attitudes in England 1500–1800 (London: Penguin). Man and the Natural World: Changing Attitudes in England 1500–1800 Google Scholar

Tepper, Sheri (2002) [1989] Grass (London: Gollancz). Grass Google Scholar

Topsell, Edward (1967) [1607] History of Foure-Footed Beasts (London: Routledge). History of Foure-Footed Beasts Google Scholar

Tyler, Tom (2005) ‘Like Water in Water’, Journal for Cultural Research, 9.3, 265–79. Like Water in Water Journal for Cultural Research 9.3 265 79 Google Scholar

Tyler, Tom (2006) ‘The Quiescent Ass and the Dumbstruck Wolf’, Configurations, 14. 1–2, 9–28. The Quiescent Ass and the Dumbstruck Wolf Configurations 2 9 28 Google Scholar

Walker Bynum, Caroline (1999) Shape and Story: Metamorphosis in the Western Tradition, 1999 Jefferson Lecture, http://www.neh.gov/news/archive/19990322b.html [accessed 29th October 2010]. Google Scholar

Warner, Marina (1994) From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and their Tellers (London: Vintage). From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and their Tellers Google Scholar

Warner, Marina ed. (1996) Wonder Tales: Six Stories of Enchantment (London: Vintage). Wonder Tales: Six Stories of Enchantment Google Scholar

Wirtjes, Hanneke (1991) The Middle English Physiologus (Oxford: Oxford University Press). The Middle English Physiologus Google Scholar

Wolfe, Carry (2009) ‘Human, All Too Human: “Animal Studies” and the Humanities’, Publications of the Modern Languae Association of America, March, 124.2, 564–75. Human, All Too Human: “Animal Studies” and the Humanities 124.2 564 75 Google Scholar

Zipes, Jack (1991) [1988] Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion (London and New York: Routledge). Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion Google Scholar

Zipes, Jack (2004) Speaking Out: Story Telling and Creative Drama for Children (London and New York: Routledge). Speaking Out: Story Telling and Creative Drama for Children Google Scholar