I did English at uni. Literature, rather than language; and paired with Creative Writing. I love extended metaphors through the novel, I love literary theory (even when I vehemently disagree with it, Roland Barthes meet me behind the back of ASDA and I’ll show you what Death of the Author really means) and I see nuance in everything.
My beloved partner, on the other hand, is a science person. A really easy way to annoy him is to chalk someone’s personality traits up to their star sign, and when I told him I was a little bit woo and into Tarot and ghost stories and superstition I felt his respect for me dip momentarily. We are two different disciplines, so while you can’t argue with scientific fact (though I definitely tried when he told me that purple wasn’t a colour)* it’s much easier to pick holes in literary stuff because that’s kind of the whole point. The fighting over theory in academia is so vicious because the stakes are so low.
Which brings us to an argument we had about literary theory that lasted about 40 minutes, or the time it took to drive to and from our local Starbucks. And it was about Tangled.
You’ve probably seen it, if you subscribe to this newsletter; but on the off-chance you haven’t, it’s a retelling of the Rapunzel story. Disney, as it always does, takes some liberties with the folk tale and the witch’s enchanted garden and the radish becomes a magic flower. They got two-time Tony award winner Donna Murphy in to be the witch who, essentially, emotionally abuses Rapunzel until the film’s climax.
Our disagreement centered on the tiara. Why? Because I said it represented Rapunzel’s virginity.
HEAR ME OUT. So in the film, Rapunzel doesn’t know she’s the lost princess. The tiara has never been important to her. When she suddenly possesses it, she doesn’t know what to do with it (see above). The handsome ragamuffin wants to steal it for his own.
But the most convincing case, for me, comes when the witch Mother Gothel is manipulating Rapunzel near the end of the film. Having found her errant daughter, Gothel begs her to reconsider and come home. In her song ‘Mother Knows Best (Reprise)’ (and how much do we love a dark reprise), she sings the following lyrics about the ragamuffin while brandishing the crown.
“THIS is why he’s here! Don’t let him deceive you! Give it to him, watch and see - trust me my dear, that’s how fast he’ll leave you. I won’t say I told you so. Rapunzel knows best! So if he’s such a dreamboat, go and put him to the test. If he’s lying, don’t come crying! Mother knows best.”
If you read that as an analogy for virginity, it couldn’t be clearer to my eyes. So many Disney films are about a loss of innocence, and Tangled is about Rapunzel coming out of being sheltered in her tower and free to make her own choices.
My partner is scornful of this view, saying Disney wouldn’t have made a film where the villain is basically forcing Rapunzel to make a purity pledge. I countered this because as a writer myself, sometimes someone will pick up on a theme in something I’ve written which is too specific to be a mistake and yet my conscious brain didn’t always put it in.
This then spiralled into a disagreement about authorial intent - like, yeah, sometimes the setting is rainy because the writer needed rain to flood the river and destroy someone’s home. But sometimes, it’s raining because the main character is sad and we need to absorb the mood of the world reflecting that.
I love literary theory. You find a thread that feels interesting, you follow it and come up with a brand new take on a story. I remember I got full marks in my English AS Level, several billion years ago, with the theory Iago was gay and in love with Othello and that’s why he tried to destroy him. I guess the examiner was like ‘hey, that’s a new take!’ It can let people recognise themselves in classic books. What if the Bennet family aren’t white? Does that cast them in sharper contrast to Bingley or Darcy, who possibly made some of their fortune in the slave trade? What if Mary Bennet isn’t heterosexual? How does that change how the book treats her?
And… in science, there are theories, but one is proven to the best of collective knowledge. One is The Right Theory, and all other theories go away until the next leap of discovery. And I like finding new meaning in story, without saying ‘this one is right and there shall be no more discussion.’
Have I mentioned before I’d quite like to be a lecturer?
*I asked him to read this to make sure I wasn’t being too harsh on him and his only comment was ‘I said purple was a colour, I just said it didn’t exist.’ So, that’s cleared that up.
Links:
Incredible, in-depth work on the business of lingerie; the fun of wearing it. I highly recommend her book, In Intimate Detail, which looks at things like bra size, corsetry, and how to build the perfect lingerie wardrobe. I will live my marabou robe dreams yet.
My Third Birth Story | Nicole Knows
The newsletter that introduced me to Substack. Nicole Cliffe is a gem of a writer and this birth story was a gift to read.
The Haute Couture History of Sailor Moon | Jezebel
Did you like anime? No? Okay. Did you like one specific anime in the Magical Girl genre you saw on the now-defunct Fox Kids channel as a child? Are you into fashion? Whew, this link comes with a lot of provisos.