Throughout Nights At The Circus, Angela Carter establishes an ironic tone in her voice. The work is said to encompass feminist ideas, which I agree with, while some call it "post-feminism". Her allusions to feminism are said in a snide, swift manner, which could potentially enable somebody to view her work as "post-feminist". I simply believe that this is her attempt at embracing feminist writing in a different style, which should not necessarily deem it "post".

On page 67, I quote, "We girls began to dream of putting up our hair and letting down our skirts and all the delicious mysteries of growing up." By italicizing "growing up", Carter refers to the conventional adolescent girl. At a certain age, she will "grow up", let down her skirt, put her hair up, and live life like an ordinary girl. Had "growing up" not been italicized, the sentence would be read completely differently. The girls would dream of literally growing up (aging) opposed to growing up as a commodified woman. A "slave to her husband" who will let out her skirt and fix her hair so she can seem pretty while she scrubs the scum and chest hair from the bathtub.

Of course, if Carter would to put it as bluntly as I did, the post-feminism label would not be relevant; but since she puts relevant intellectual effort and creativity into her writing she is deemed post? I'm not buying it. Carter's Nights at the Circus is a piece of feminist satire, bold enough to break feminist boundaries, but light enough not to destroy them.