Thoughts on the Circus

Nights at the Circus was an interesting book that I'm still struggling to form an opinion on. As with Geek Love, the first section of this book took me a very long time to get through because I had a difficult time relating to many of the characters. I found Fevvers herself especially difficult to sum up, with her generally pompous attitude and seemingly oblivious nature when it came to assessing dangerous situations or learning from experience. The text jumps back and forth between different times and places, as well as the background stories of several different characters. This, along with Carter's extremely large (and at times obscure) vocabulary was something I found frustrating at times, being an average reader used to stories driven by plot rather than theory.

As I read on, however, I began to realize that the purpose behind this text is not one that could be understood by means of plot alone. I also slowly realized that a character's actions do not have to be the defining feature by which we relate a text to personal experience and thus share in the emotional journey of that character. I find that it is often the deeper experiences of pain and the building (or collapsing) of self-worth expressed by these characters that reminds us of their, as well as our own, humanity. There are a few things, such as love and acceptance, that we all ultimately spend our lives seeking. Some are relatively successful at fulfilling these deep personal needs, while others (several of the characters discussed in class, for instance) face unfortunate circumstances and ultimately crumble while searching for that person or place to provide a sense of fulfillment.

One thing that struck me about this book was the theme of incredible sadness expressed throughout the text in relation to the life and personal history of almost every character. Although Nights at the Circus is widely seen in a political or feminist sense, perhaps personal life experience was what drove me to think of some of the characters in Geek Love when reading some of the highly painful and life-altering moments experienced by characters in the story.

The clowns in particular both disturbed me and broke my heart. I felt both horrified and deeply saddened by the recollection of Buffo's humiliation on the most tragic day of his life. To me the clowns represent a theme of hiding from personal sorrow. I was both intrigued and upset by the poetic idea of hiding from one's personal agony by transforming oneself into something completely different (as done by the clowns when choosing a "new" face). Such a transformation draws attention to the disguise, or ultimately what the individual is not; and in this way he or she is able to divert attention from that which is undeniable. Throughout the time I read about Buffo's slow collapse and ultimate disconnection from reality I couldn't help but think of the members of the Arturan cult in Geek love. These people seem to experience much of the same desire to escape from their personal Hell (whatever that may be to each individual) by undertaking a personal transformation that will make them a freak in a more salient way- as if turning oneself into a physical "freak" will draw both personal and outside attention away from the "freakishness" within. Both of these instances left me pondering the depths of loneliness, and just how far the average person would be able to go in such a direction under the worst of circumstances. Buffo's ultimate mental breakdown also felt eerily similar to that of Crystal Lil, as both were unable to handle the destruction of their family and the grief created by having their worlds crumble around them.

Nights at the Circus is widely discussed as being an important literary contribution in the categories of both postfeminist and magic realism. Though I do not disagree with this in any way, I found that there were several other layers of underlying themes that make Angela Carter's text such an interesting read. These characters hit home in a very human way, whether the reader is male, female, old, young, feminist or otherwise. Though I do not have room to discuss every thought that has crossed my mind regarding this book, I will say that it was a worthwhile read- regardless of my complaints about my own limited vocabulary as compared to that of the author.