WR100 C1 ESL
Instructor Bennett-Zendzian
Anjali Vallikkat
10/27/2017
Paper 2 Draft 2
Questions
1. How can I include more analysis? Should I focus on analysing the critics or Lee?
2. Do the body paragraphs support my claim?
3. I feel like my essay lacks enough evidence and is unclear, and might not fully show what
I’m trying to say (more a concern than a question).
A Feminist Interpretation of “When The Clock Strikes” by Tanith Lee.
The earliest fairy tales were published in a patriarchal society where women had little
rights and played a subordinate role, always bowing to male authority. As a result, most
traditional fairy tales tend to reflect the norms of such a society. In contrast, modern retellings
have been produced during times of female suffrage and equal rights, and therefore we are
likely to expect these versions to portray durable female protagonists who are endowed with
the ability to triumph their male counterparts. However, the idea of passive female characters
who are easily subdued has become a theme even in modern fairy tales. Some versions still
tend to undermine female authority by presenting women who are easily pitted against each
other due to petty reasons and objectified.
The feminist fairy tale critic Karen Rowe discusses the anti-feminist sentiments of
fairy tales in her essay “Feminism and Fairy Tales” and presents perspectives explaining the
importance of strong female characters. The socio-historic critic, Marina Warner also presents
feminist arguments in “Absent Mothers” which is a chapter from her book, and it
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predominantly discusses the role of mothers and stepmothers in fairy tales. The tale being
examined is called “When The Clock Strikes”, a modern retelling of the traditional Cinderella
stories, which was published by Tanith Lee in 1983. Lee’s narrative story revolves around a
young girl called ‘Ashella’ who practices dark magic and performs ‘evil’ tasks yet still ends
up victorious. One of Warner’s principle claims is that “fairy tales such as Cinderella bear
witness against women” (210) and this goes along with what Rowe stated in her conclusion:
“the liberation of the female psyche has not matured with sufficient strength” (358) to
strongly challenge the patriarchal society. By comparing the arguments presented by Warner
and Rowe, I argue that despite expectations of passive female characters, Lee’s fairy tale
defies the norms by presenting ‘evil’ yet powerful female characters.
While most Cinderella tales barely mention the mother, “When The Clock Strikes”
presents Ashella’s mother with an irreplaceable role. According to Warner, in most “familiar
