Life Under Mask of Otherness: Tracing The Notion of Masquerade in The Passion of New Eve

Abstract

Being known as a distinguished contemporary British writer, Angela Carter has
attracted scholarly attention in the recent decades. Although Carter’s oeuvre is not
confinable to only one genre, the salient feminist themes in her works have propelled many
academicians in the field of women’s studies to investigate her works from feminist
perspectives. The present paper as well centers around some notions in regard to feminine
identity and women’s submissive role in a patriarchal context. For this purpose, Carter’s
novel The Passion of New Eve is under study. As far as the theoretical framework is
concerned, the researcher will elaborate on the notion of masquerade as it is discussed by the
prominent French feminist critic, Luce Irigaray. In addition, the researcher will explain in
what sense Irigaray’s theory is traceable in Carter’s this particular novel. Since the focus of
this paper is on one of the novel’s characters named Leilah, a fully detailed analysis of this
character will be presented and her oppressed state in a male dominated situation will be
closely examined.