Postmodern Representations of the Feminine Body in a Selection of Works by Angela Carter and Jeanette Winterson

Starting from the theories of the grotesque, femininity, mother-daughter, mother-son relationship, the present study attempts at analyzing how stereotyping in the patriarchal society can gender identity construction. The study relies on the analysis of a series of works by the British postmodern writers Jeanette Winterson and Angela Carter stretching between the 1970s and 1980s. It is a period of great turmoil for the British society, mostly influenced by the plethora of feminist movements, waves and theories which influence the academia and the social life as well. At this important period of development for feminist theory, the female body – with a focus on the grotesque – is the place of intersectionality between sex, gender and sexuality. From this perspective, the present study is an attempt at identifying the means by which society regulates its norms, how feminist literature tries to fight them and the extent to which the solutions found are viable, applicable and liberating.