Abstract
During the 1990s, Judith Butler's theories on the performativity of gender identity grew to dominate criticism of Angela Carter's fiction. Butler's theories have provided critics with a politically enabling reading strategy that deconstructs foundational ideas of gender/sexual identity to a far greater degree than many earlier feminist discourses. While acknowledging the sophistication and pertinence of Butler's theories, this article argues that there are significant differences between Butler's presentation of gender acquisition and that presented in Carter's fiction. Highlighting how dominant theoretical trends can often problematically displace other relevant approaches, this article will suggest that Carter's presentation of gender acquisition is more in accordance with that promoted by Simone de Beauvoir in The Second Sex rather than the currently more fashionable theories of Judith Butler.
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