The short story in critical theory

Faery Handbag

One of the newer subgenres of science fiction and fantasy is the feminist, posing questions about women's roles in society. This subgenre tends to explore how society constructs certain gender roles and what those roles mean, how gender defines social and political power, sexual politics, and exploring utopian and dystopian futures to find comment on societal direction in general.

Science fiction and fantasy serve as important vehicles for feminist thought, particularly as bridges between theory and practice. No other genres so actively invite representations of the ultimate goals of feminism: worlds free of sexism, worlds in which women's contributions (to science) are recognized and valued, worlds in which the diversity of women's desire and sexuality, and worlds that move beyond gender (Helford, 2006, 191).

One such exploration into juxtaposition between our world and the world of magic is called magical realism. For the contemporary reader, magical realism is a genre in which magical, or some would say illogical, scenarios and events appear in a relatively normal setting. The power of this genre seems to be the juxtaposition of the two elements -- magic and realism -- in that in an everyday, somewhat banal, setting; one does not really expect magic, the unexpected, the delightful, to happen without a logical explanation. Contrary to many critical explanations, the basic idea of this juxtaposition is not simply to entertain, but as a genre to provide a greater insight into the possibilities of both the human and divine -- of the belief that not everything that happens can, or should, be explained rationally and that as advanced a being as we are, there are still things to learn about the universe. Witness a famous Arthur C. Clarke's "Third Law" -- "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" (thinkexist.com).

Kelly Link's the Faery Handbag, is one such journey, albeit a short one. The story is told from the point-of-view of Genevieve, a young woman living near Boston who has a mildly eccentric grandmother, Zofia, from exotic Baldeziwurlekistan. Grandmother has a special possession, a handbag, several hundred years old according to Zofia, which may contain some magical characters, and may not. We aren't too sure about Grandmother Zofia, even less so when Jake, Genevieve's boyfriend, snatches the bag to find out if the stories are indeed true.

Feminist Themes and Motifs: One of the strongest themes in feminist science fiction is that of power. Power is not necessarily the hierarchical definition most used in regular literature, however. Grandmother Zofia transcends time and place with the special qualities of her handbag -- be that magic or fantasy. Genevieve is the central female character, and the plot revolves around her ability to manage the real and fantasy worlds. Also, the object of all the action is the handbag itself -- which tends to be a feminine symbol:

The farery handbag; it's huge and black and kind of hairy. Even when your eyes are closed, if feels black. As black ever gets, like if you touch it, your hand might get stuck in it, like tar of black quicksand or when you stretch out your hand at night, to turn on a light, but all you feel is darkness (2).

Genevieve as Catalyst: In the pace and organization of the story, Genevieve is the catalyst of a number of symbols. For instance, Jake is suspicious of the handbag, he cannot -- as in male control, imagine that a woman would own something as wonderfully magical and full of life as Zofia's gift. So, again representing male hierarchy, he takes the bag -- ostensibly to provide proof of its veracity as a magical element, but more likely to control the output so that someone else is not wiser than he. Yet, Genevieve places her feminine intuition and more objective view of the situation in his path -- and he both treasures and rebels against that.

He reached over the counter and took Zofia's handbag right out of her hand. He closed it and then he opened it again. I think he opened it the right way: I don't think he ended up in the dark place. He said to me and Zofia, 'I'll be right back." And then he wasn't there anymore (16).

Zofia as Earth Mother: There are a number of archetypes that humans share in common with each other regardless of chronological timeframe or even culture -- it is simply a matter of expression and definition. One of the most powerful, and ancient of those themes is of the Earth Mother; symbolizing fertility, motherhood, or creation. Artistic representations back to the Paleolithic represent this deity, and it is typically associated with reproduction. However, in the Faery Handbag, we can see Grandmother Zofia as that same character. She is wise, benevolent, but intolerant of negativity and foolhardiness. She has a gift, empathy, that transcends her physical presence in this world as well as the "reality" of what she says. She is quick to smile, and tends to bring out the best and most honest within people. Her character was independent of men (Rustan), but remained romantically attracted to the maleness in him, just not co-dependent. She enjoyed life, lived it to the fullest, and provided the magic for the next generation.

It's Not Nice to Fool With Mother Nature - as the Earth Mother, then, Zofia teaches, but not always by words. Genevieve is magical herself; she must just remember that she is a powerful woman, again like Zofia, not codependent upon Jake. While sad and worried that Jake won't come back -- Mother Nature comes to the rescue: