Feminism in Angela Carter’s “The Magic Toyshop”
In The Magic Toyshop , Angela Carter tells of scenarios of how and why women tend to be dependent on men. In doing so, she explores the subjectivity, victimization and sexuality of women. Melanie’s reliance on her father, Uncle Philip, and possibly Finn, is reminiscent of the women in her life and suggestive of the societal values of her time. In the beginning, the reader experiences Melanie's discovery of herself – as a creation made of flesh and blood, and as a sexual being (1). She imagines herself as a nude model for Lautrec and sees her self-worth in the appreciating gaze of a man and not in her mental prowess.