Showing Fervour for Fevvers

Posted on | April 18, 2010 | 17 Comments

Just before Christmas last year I participated in Aarti of Booklust’s wonderful Rosie’s Riveters feature, before it came to an end. I hope that Aarti doesn’t mind me recycling that post; I was inspired by a survey posted by My Friend Amy today: What Books Do You Wish Everyone Would Read? It will, I hope, be clear that in hosting a month dedicated to Angela Carter, that I am very much a devoted advocate for reading her; I would encourage everyone to read at least one of books. If you read this post or any that I have written this month, it should be apparent why, but simply put: I am a firm believer that your reading life will be richer for the experience. Now, I recommend different Carter books to different people -as I have to many of you reading this- based on your personal taste and my feel for what you would perhaps enjoy more; however, if there is one book that I wish everyone would read then it would be my favourite, Nights at the Circus. My first Carter novel, this was where the love-affair began with the writer and her work; it inspired my postgraduate education and a subsequent Master’s thesis on a specific aspect of Angela Carter’s work; it affects where I am today as sharing my delight in and enthusiasm for Angela Carter is a huge motivator behind why I write this blog; it is the book that I am spotlighting today by re-posting my Rosie’s Riveter selection.

Rosie’s Riveters is a weekly posting written by Booklust readers about riveting females in literature. Many readers have strong reactions to the women in the books they read- either very positive or very negative. These are the characters we find riveting, for good reasons or bad ones, and they form the population of Rosie’s Riveters. Through this weekly post, we can discuss females we love to hate, or love to love. And maybe, just maybe- we can determine why we react so strongly to them.

Who is your Riveter?

Fevvers, christened Sophie.

What book does she feature in?

Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter

Do you love her or hate her?

LOVE her!

Describe her personality- how would you describe her to a friend?

Feisty, sensational, outrageous, revolutionary, personable, unforgettable, unbelievable.

Can you compare her to a celebrity?

No, Fevvers is a celebrity in her own right; she is a celebrated winged aerialiste at the turn of the nineteenth century and leading attraction at a circus.

What makes her riveting?

Hatched from an egg, Fevvers sprouted wings when she was menstruating. She is Cockney, larger-than-life literally at over six feet in her stocking-feet and peroxide blonde; she is a virgin raised in a brothel and is the strongest female protagonist in literary fiction.

What do you most admire/despise about her?

She is one of the greatest feminist literary constructs of all time and also a construct of her own imagination. A “Cockney Venus” in Victorian London, Fevvers is a wonderful heroine.

Would you recommend reading the book in which the Riveter features?

Absolutely! Angela Carter is an amazing writer and Nights at the Circus is my favourite of her books; her writing is superb and Fevvers is a riveting realisation.

Do you have a quote by or about your Riveter that you’d like to share?

At the dawn of a new century Fevvers looks to the day where “All the women will have wings, the same as I”.

I hope that my character profile of Fevvers, the protagonist of Nights at the Circus, compels you to read the novel. If you need any further encouragement then please read this passionate review from Nymeth that I always direct people to, as it does the book justice in its admiration. Aarti and I discussed in my comments last week whether Carter’s novels and short stories were plot or character-driven and in Nights at the Circus it is a matter of both; Fevvers is one of the most vivid characters that I have come across in fiction, a true feminist who is absolutely mesmerising. Sarah Waters acknowledges that there is much of the glittering performance of Nights at the Circus in Tipping the Velvet and that many of Carter’s thematic preoccupations appear in her own work in general; she had a profound experience reading it for the first time in 1985 -much as I did twenty years later- and in her introduction to the Vintage Books re-issue of the novel in 2006, she wrote that it is “her masterpiece; it’s also the most engaging and accessible of her fictions” and that “Fevvers is a wonderfully fleshly creation, a creature of sweats and appetites, of belches and farts”.

Comments

17 Responses to “Showing Fervour for Fevvers”

bookworm
April 18th, 2010 @ 6:15 pm

I have this one in my TBR and am looking forward to reading it.
Susi (The Book Affair)
April 18th, 2010 @ 6:34 pm

I agree utterly and completely with your love for Fevvers. ‘Nights at the Circus’ was part of my MA thesis and I always thought Fevvers was such a strong and incredible character, she carried the whole book on her winged shoulders. Ok, this sounds as if I’m not giving any credit to the other characters, but I think one has to admit that she is in the centre.
stujallen
April 18th, 2010 @ 6:36 pm

what a lovely post claire ,can she how much you love this book and charcater ,i too have this on my tbr pile
Jackie (Farm Lane Books)
April 18th, 2010 @ 9:29 pm

I agree that Fevvers is a fabulous character! The imagination required to come up with something so weird and then make it actually come to life is amazing.

I’m afraid I have to disagree with it being a plot driven novel. I found there to be very little plot in the book. I guess I’m just trying to break my news to you gently – I had a love-hate relationship with this book. I’m still trying to formulate a review that will do this book justice, but can see why lovers of magical realism would adore it.
Paperback Reader
April 18th, 2010 @ 10:04 pm

Naida, I know – it was me who sent it to you! Enjoy.

Susi, I am delighted to discover a kindred spirit in you! I concur that Fevvers does carry the novel on her winged shoulders (beautiful description) and that its events centre around her.

Thank you, Stu! I hope that you love it too.

Jackie, I think that we have different ideas of what plot entails; plot does not mean action but storyline and you cannot deny that it has a storyline that centres around Fevvers and the believability of her conception myth.
tea lady
April 18th, 2010 @ 10:21 pm

My first contact with Angela Carter was reading the back of ‘The Magic Toyshop’ in a library when I was about 12 and thinking that it sounded like the strangest book in the world; so I borrowed it.

I never did start it, however, and it was returned a month later, unread.

Your posts have inspired me to give this author another go, so thank you! I shall probably start with ‘Nights at the Circus’…
Booksploring
April 18th, 2010 @ 11:40 pm

Nights at the Circus was one of the first books I reviewed on my blog when I started it last year. Loved it! Definitely want to read more by Angela Carter now…

btw…love your blog
softdrink
April 19th, 2010 @ 1:23 am

I looked for Angela Carter at the bookstore yesterday, but the only book they had was short stories and since I’m not a huge lover of short stories, I thought I’d better start with something else. It sounds like this is the one!
Nicola
April 19th, 2010 @ 2:58 am

I read this a few years ago and I adored Fevvers. Your post has made me want to re-visit it. Great cover on that edition.
Eva
April 19th, 2010 @ 4:42 am

Ok! The moment I finish Ladies’ Paradise, I’ll finish Nights at the Circus.
Vasilly
April 19th, 2010 @ 5:09 am

You know what I love most about Angela Carter month? That your passion for this author is so strong that you’re sharing everything you enjoy about Carter with us. It’s an inspiration and your passion for Carter, makes me want to read her even more. Right now I’m reading The Bloody Chamber and I’m really enjoying it.
litlove
April 19th, 2010 @ 8:35 am

I loved this book when I read it; Carter’s prose is just so extraordinary, it’s almost superhuman (like Fevvers herself). You do make me want to go and get more Carter down from the shelves!
Verity
April 19th, 2010 @ 9:23 am

I missed this first time around, so am glad that you reposted! I’d also like to echo Vasilly’s lovely comment above me.
Desperate Reader
April 19th, 2010 @ 6:52 pm

I was given this book by a friend, and loved it so much I fell a little bit in love with him too. I got over the man, but never got over Carter
Aarti
April 20th, 2010 @ 8:14 pm

Yay for your Rosie the Riveter redux! Perhaps as soon as I finish my current book to review, I shall mosey on over to my shelf and introduce myself to Fevvers!
Paperback Reader
April 21st, 2010 @ 6:21 pm

tea lady, thank you for your comment. You really must read The Magic Toyshop and, of course, Nights at the Circus. I think that the former is one of the strangest books in the world but the same can be applied to a number of Carter’s books, especially The Passion of New Eve.

Booksploring, thank you for commenting and for directing me to your review, which I enjoyed reading.

Jill, I think this is most definitely the one and I hope you manage to obtain a copy!

Nicola, I’m wanting to revisit it and her myself now. I love this particular US cover, which I thought best to use to show Fevvers in her glory.

Eva, it may have been me twisting your arm a little…

Natasha, as you know, I LOVED this comment! I hope that you are still enjoying The Bloody Chamber.

Victoria, the strength of prose can be compared to Fevvers herself; what a wonderful analogy. I hope that you do pick some Carter down from your shelves!

Verity, so glad that you managed to see this post this time around! It is one of my favourites. Thank you so much for echoing Vasilly’s kind words.

Hayley, what a brilliant story! It made me laugh and I completely understand; I don’t think this is a book that I could ever get over.

Aarti, I couldn’t resist! Here’s hoping you meet Fevvers soon and find her fitting enough to be a Rosie’s Riveter!
Carter Collation Post IV | Paperback Reader
April 24th, 2010 @ 9:04 am

[...] took her first foray in Angela Carter’s universe by reading Nights at the Circus; she found Fevvers to be “one of the most vivid characters” she had ever read and loved her [...]