"The Company of Wolves," by Angela Carter

           

I had never read any literary pieces written by Angela Carter and I would have to say that after reading, “The Company of Wolves,” she has intrigued me enough to where I will be seeking out her literary works. Angela Carter was able to capture my attention by quickly absorbing me into this twisted plot about wolves, witches, hobgoblins and ghosts. Then I had this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was lingering in the story, like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Interesting how she took samples from folklore in reference to wolves, in order to set the premise for the story. I felt as if I was being set up, but I read on. I had been forewarned that her genre of writing is fantasy, somewhat erotic, and quite a few of her stories are based off of literary classics such as, “Little Red Riding Hood,” and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” with a twist.

First of all I would like to talk about her style of writing. I noticed right up that some of the words she wrote seemed dated. I’m unsure if it was because of the story itself or the time period it was set in? I noticed that several of her sentences seem to go on forever. She used commas and semi colons excessively. I was intrigued by her style of writing and how she maintained the flow using incredibly descriptive words, which kept the picture in my head liquid, flowing, vibrant and full of life.

As I read on with the story, I was contemplating about the girl coming of age. Angela Carter was extremely detailed about the girl’s purity and I believe she wanted the reader to understand the magnitude of the girl being a virgin. It seemed to me that Angela Carter used the girl’s innocence as a key element in order to make an impact at the end of her tale.

Interesting how the story came to a crescendo at the end. The marriage of a woman and beast, the wedding party outside howling, and serenading the bride, and groom while they were battling with the sexual tension. But the girl turned the tables in the end on the wolf. The girl seized control of the situation, enjoying her sexuality and the usage of it to seduce the wolf. Interesting how it ended. You would have expected the dominate wolf, the leader of the pack, the sadistic male, hungry for lust, would get the girl in the end, on his own terms. The girl became more than just meat for the wolf, she ended up aligning herself with the wolf in marriage on the winter solstice or Yule, which is the time for introspection, and planning for the future, interesting…..