My shiny padlet by Khalin Soorya

Background

ksoorya1 — 2024-10-20 17:14:16 UTC

Both The Company of Wolves(CoW) by Angela Carter and When the Clock Strikes(WtCS) by Tanith Lee are retellings of classic fairy tales portrayed as oral tales. CoW and WtCS also both add horror elements to their stories, though WtCS has more than CoW.

Problem

ksoorya1 — 2024-10-20 17:17:21 UTC

This isn't where their similarities end, though many who read these tales may think so. There is a lot more that they have in common, and by limiting the similarities between the two tales, you limit your understanding of the tales and of modern retellings of fairy tales as a whole.

Response

ksoorya1 — 2024-10-20 17:17:54 UTC

Kinda addressed in problem, but Ill show that there are deeper underlying connections between CoW and WtCS, and show that those connections are important as to understanding both stories at a deeper level, as well as understanding more modern retellings of fairy tales.

Counterarguement:

ksoorya1 — 2024-10-20 23:02:50 UTC

The protagonists in each tale have pretty different character arcs, with Ashella knowingly tricking everyone into believing she was a victim of her mother and not a willing follower of Satan and the girl in CoW surprisingly embracing the wolfish nature of the Wolf, despite all the buildup of the horror of wolves

Claim 1: Both protagonists take advantage of the societal downlook upon them

ksoorya1 — 2024-10-20 23:26:47 UTC

Ashella uses the cover of acting as if she was in penance for her mother, covering up her beauty, and blending in with the "impoverished flotsam" to hide her doings, only showing her true colors at the right time

The girl in CoW is portrayed as sheltered and protected by her grandma and mom, and yet instead of cowering when she first encounters danger, she embraces it fully

Claim 2: Both protagonists diverge from the original tale in similar ways

ksoorya1 — 2024-10-21 00:08:12 UTC

The retellings of both stories remove the naivity of the character, instead having them be more aware of their world and their predicaments. They also both disrupt the more patriarchal telling of their respective tales.

Naive Morality in CoW vs WtCS

ksoorya1 — 2024-10-21 00:12:56 UTC

In CoW, there is a lack of the typical fairy tale moralility principles in which the main character achieves this ideal moral victory, but this is present in WtCS to an extent

Claim 3: Both tales give the main character the ability to take control of their fates

ksoorya1 — 2024-10-21 00:27:21 UTC

In CoW, the girl manages to take control of her fate by completely embracing the wolfishness of the Wolf. Doing so saves her, yes, but also shows her individuality and allows us to really take in CoW at a deeper level than we would have.

In WtCS, Ashella also takes control of her fate, decieving everyone around her to create a false image of repension, before ripping of the mask at the ball, cursing the prince. She takes control of her own fate too, making sure her mom's death isnt in vain and ensuring retribution for her.

Possible Claim: Both tales arent just portrayed as oral retellings; they are reminiscent of how fairy tales were originally passed down.

ksoorya1 — 2024-10-22 18:45:37 UTC

Going even further than both stories being simply oral retellings, they both also harken back to the times where tales like these could only be passed down orally. They both have several cases where there is ambiguity to the exact happenings in the story, as it has been modified and been told many different ways. They also both use this ambiguity to both confuse and inspire curiosity within the reader.