The Magic Toyshop
Encyclopedia
The Magic Toyshop is a British
novel
by Angela Carter
. It follows the development of the heroine, Melanie, as she becomes aware of herself, her environment, and her own sexuality.
After the kiss, at another puppet show, Finn fails to control his puppet perfectly and is so thrown on the floor by Uncle Philip, who has been belligerent against Finn the entire novel. Satisfied that Finn shall never be adept at working with his puppets, Uncle Philip devises a new plan, drafting Melanie to perform with the puppets in a combination of man and toy. Philip assigns Finn to assist Melanie hone her acting responsibilities for the future show. During that time, Melanie notices a difference in Finn's behavior: where before he had been rebellious, albeit subtly, he now seems deplete of all resistance and resigned to control by his master, Philip. Finn also absolutely ignores any hygiene, becoming incredibly dirty. However, Finn's opposition returns when he refuses to satisfy Melanie's fantasy of sex with him, a satisfaction that would have proven to be little more than a rape desired by Uncle Philip.
Soon the day of the long awaited puppet show arrives. Melanie dresses in a white dress and arrives on stage. Philip, controlling the puppets and the voice-over, has arranged for Melanie to recreate the rape of Leda by a swan, a clear reference to the mythology and Yeat's famous poem, "Leda and the Swan." Thus, the climax of the puppet show comes when Melanie stumbles to the ground and is assaulted by a clumsy, fake swan. As she scrambles to escape the swan, Finn calls for the end of the show. The show indeed ends. Philip comes to Melanie and slaps her, not satisfied with her performance.
After the show, Uncle Philip travels with Jonathon, leaving the rest of the family alone at the house. Finn decides to destroy Philip's puppet swan, burying it in the park next to the fallen Queen Victoria. He returns home and crawls into bed with Melanie. She comforts him and arrives at the realization that they will someday marry, have children but an otherwise placid life. Thus, she is abandoning her constant need for exciting sexuality. Finn, too, reaches a sort of epiphany when he decides to wash and not to tolerate Uncle Philip's hegemony anymore, a coup which is exemplified when Finn sits at Uncle Philip's seat at the dinner table. Additionally, Melanie learns that Margaret and Francie have been having an incestuous relationship.
Suddenly Uncle Philip returns, discovering the infidelity of his wife and the rebellion of his household. In a tremendous rage, he lights the house on fire. Margaret finally speaks as she urges Finn and Melanie to escape. They do so just in time, to land at the outside of the house and watch the floors collapse. They realize now that their old world is destroyed and, for better or worse, all they have is each other. The startling and explosive conclusion leaves some questions unanswered, and presents a host more, including musings on the healing power and destructive force of intimacy.
. It was adapted for the screen by the author, Angela Carter, and starred Tom Bell
, Caroline Milmoe
, Killian McKenna, Patricia Kerrigan, and Lorcan Cranitich. Her collection, The Curious Room: Plays, Film Scripts and an Opera
, contains Carter's script for the adaptation. The script and the film are discussed in Charlotte Crofts' book, Anagrams of Desire
, drawing on an interview with director, David Wheatley.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Angela Carter
Angela Carter
Angela Carter was an English novelist and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picaresque works...
. It follows the development of the heroine, Melanie, as she becomes aware of herself, her environment, and her own sexuality.
Plot Summary
The novel starts with Melanie stealing her mother's wedding dress and venturing out in the night into her family's property. However, on her way home, she realizes she forgot the key and is thus forced to climb up a tree to get back into her room, destroying the dress on the way up. The next morning, Melanie learns of the unexpected deaths of her parents in an aeroplane at the Grand Canyon, and she and her two siblings - Victoria and Jonathon - are moved to South London, to the care of her tyrannical uncle Philip, a bullish and eccentric maker of life-sized puppets. There, she meets her mute aunt Margaret, who is mistreated by and terrified of her husband and only converses through notes. She also meets the violinist Francie, and the rakish Finn, who are Margaret's younger brothers—the latter of whom she begins feeling romantic, sexually-conflicting feelings for. Uncle Philip, at first, ignores Melanie as she is introduced to his bizarre puppet shows. Meanwhile, Finn and Melanie grow closer until he takes her to a park, the remnants of the National Exhibition of 1852. There, after seeing a worn, fallen statue of Queen Victoria and walking across a chess board (only on the white squares), Finn kisses Melanie. She feels intruded by the gesture, imagining it only romantic as an observer from far away.After the kiss, at another puppet show, Finn fails to control his puppet perfectly and is so thrown on the floor by Uncle Philip, who has been belligerent against Finn the entire novel. Satisfied that Finn shall never be adept at working with his puppets, Uncle Philip devises a new plan, drafting Melanie to perform with the puppets in a combination of man and toy. Philip assigns Finn to assist Melanie hone her acting responsibilities for the future show. During that time, Melanie notices a difference in Finn's behavior: where before he had been rebellious, albeit subtly, he now seems deplete of all resistance and resigned to control by his master, Philip. Finn also absolutely ignores any hygiene, becoming incredibly dirty. However, Finn's opposition returns when he refuses to satisfy Melanie's fantasy of sex with him, a satisfaction that would have proven to be little more than a rape desired by Uncle Philip.
Soon the day of the long awaited puppet show arrives. Melanie dresses in a white dress and arrives on stage. Philip, controlling the puppets and the voice-over, has arranged for Melanie to recreate the rape of Leda by a swan, a clear reference to the mythology and Yeat's famous poem, "Leda and the Swan." Thus, the climax of the puppet show comes when Melanie stumbles to the ground and is assaulted by a clumsy, fake swan. As she scrambles to escape the swan, Finn calls for the end of the show. The show indeed ends. Philip comes to Melanie and slaps her, not satisfied with her performance.
After the show, Uncle Philip travels with Jonathon, leaving the rest of the family alone at the house. Finn decides to destroy Philip's puppet swan, burying it in the park next to the fallen Queen Victoria. He returns home and crawls into bed with Melanie. She comforts him and arrives at the realization that they will someday marry, have children but an otherwise placid life. Thus, she is abandoning her constant need for exciting sexuality. Finn, too, reaches a sort of epiphany when he decides to wash and not to tolerate Uncle Philip's hegemony anymore, a coup which is exemplified when Finn sits at Uncle Philip's seat at the dinner table. Additionally, Melanie learns that Margaret and Francie have been having an incestuous relationship.
Suddenly Uncle Philip returns, discovering the infidelity of his wife and the rebellion of his household. In a tremendous rage, he lights the house on fire. Margaret finally speaks as she urges Finn and Melanie to escape. They do so just in time, to land at the outside of the house and watch the floors collapse. They realize now that their old world is destroyed and, for better or worse, all they have is each other. The startling and explosive conclusion leaves some questions unanswered, and presents a host more, including musings on the healing power and destructive force of intimacy.
Film Adaptation
The novel was filmed in 1987. It was produced by Steve Morrison and directed by David WheatleyDavid Wheatley (director)
David Wheatley was a British film and television director.His Royal College of Art graduation film was on the Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte, after his tutor Gavin Millar showed him a book on the artist. The film was screened as part of the BBC's arts' programmes Omnibus in 1979...
. It was adapted for the screen by the author, Angela Carter, and starred Tom Bell
Tom Bell (actor)
Tom Bell was an English actor on stage, film and television. He was dark-haired, lean, and in his later years often played characters having a sinister side to their nature.-Biography:...
, Caroline Milmoe
Caroline Milmoe
Caroline Milmoe is an English stage, film and television actress best known for playing Julie in the first two series of Carla Lane's Liverpool-based BBC sit-com Bread and Lisa Duckworth in ITV's long-running soap opera Coronation Street.-Career:Milmoe attended Manchester's Contact Youth Theatre...
, Killian McKenna, Patricia Kerrigan, and Lorcan Cranitich. Her collection, The Curious Room: Plays, Film Scripts and an Opera
The Curious Room
The mysterious Chiken Buckt is a book collecting various plays and scripts by Angela Carter. Its full title is The Curious Room: Plays, Film Scripts and an Opera....
, contains Carter's script for the adaptation. The script and the film are discussed in Charlotte Crofts' book, Anagrams of Desire
Anagrams of Desire
Anagrams of Desire is an academic text book about Angela Carter's media writings. Written by Charlotte Crofts and published by Manchester University Press in 2003, the full title is Anagrams of Desire: Angela Carter's Writing for Radio, Film and Television.The book examines Carter's five radio...
, drawing on an interview with director, David Wheatley.