The Lady And The Hero In The Mirror: A Feminist Psychoanalytical Reading Of Angela Carter’s The Passion Of New Eve

This thesis chooses one of the most influential female writers in the20thcentury，Angela Carter, as a studying object to discuss the construction process of genderidentity. By mainly applying Jacques Lacan s mirror stage theory and Judith Butler sgender performativity theory, this thesis gives a systematic study on the constructionprocess of gender identity presented in The Passion of New Eve. By dividing thisprocess into three different stages: passive acceptance, initiative perfection, andinitiative subversion stage, this thesis analyzes the influences of social ideology andgender relationship upon the construction of gender identity, arriving at the conclusionthat gender is constructed relationally under the influence of hegemony culture.Besides, this thesis also summarizes the repeatedly used mirror images in Carter sworks to explore Carter s profound insight about mirror image: Self-reflection andre-emphasizing on body experience are the means to tear off the patriarchal shacklesfor both men and women.The Passion of New Eve is a life adventure of an English gentleman Evelyn inthe first person narrative. The story begins with Evelyn s inhuman sexual abusetowards a girl. With the development of the plot, this outrageous masculinity of himdisappears as Evelyn intrudes into a utopian place where the Mother god denatureshim into a woman, New Eve. After several adventures, Evelyn/New Eve finallyemancipates himself/herself from gender suppression successfully. Thisdenaturation has attracted lots of critical interests as it not only adds a touch ofsorcery to the novel, but also questions profoundly about the binary division of masculinity and femininity. Chapter1is the introduction which mainly concernsAngela Carter and the current research situation on her works home and abroad.Meanwhile, this part also gives a brief introduction about the analytical structure ofthis thesis. The main body of the thesis: Chapter2,3and4, will give a progressivestudy about the changes of identity cognition from passive acceptance, to initiativeperfection and finally to initiative subversion based on the frame of Jacque Lacan smirror stage theory. The last part, chapter5is a conclusion of this thesis. It concludesthat Carter utilizes this identity cognition changing process to manifest herexploration on the way to break through patriarchal shackles to search for the subject.