In this master’s thesis, I address the question of whether the grotesque body in the literary space of the circus and within the narrative mode of magical realism functions as emancipatory, or whether it inevitably submits to mechanisms of commodification and control. Through a comparative analysis of Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus (1984) and Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love (1989), I explore how (or whether at all) the grotesque in the framework of magical realism seeks to destabilize social norms, while at the same time remaining trapped within the logic of spectacle and commodifying structures. Carter situates the grotesque body in a feminist context, employing it as a tool of subversion, while Dunn exposes its commodification within economic structures, religion, and patriarchal hierarchy. In both novels, the circus emerges as a liminal space that allows for temporary transgression, yet one that is strictly controlled and inevitably re-inscribed into existing hierarchical structures. The analysis demonstrates that the grotesque body, in and of itself, cannot achieve genuine emancipation, as its subversion remains confined to the symbolic and performative level. In this way, the thesis underscores the necessity of a broader transformation of hegemonic social structures, within which the female body continues to function primarily as an object of control and commodification.
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