Wise Children Angela Carter

Themes
Illegitimacy versus legitimacy: Nora and Dora are from "the wrong side of the tracks"
and were "born out of wedlock", their father is "a pillar of the legit theatre" and throughout the
book the twins are constantly trying to become legitimate and be accepted. However, Carter
questions the concept of legitimacy, and whether it is just a perception rather than reality: even
the characters that are seen to be from the legitimate side do not always act in a respectable way,
for example Saskia has an affair with Tristram, her half-brother. See Illegitimacy in fiction.
Carnivalesque: Carter uses the carnivalesque to illustrate some of her points about social
boundaries, such as illegitimacy and highbrow/lowbrow. Important instances include the scene at
the burning mansion in Chapter 2, where she describes the "orgiastic" element to the scene, using
images of the "flickering flames" to emphasise this: the highbrow party and mansion is reduced
to a ruined, passionate near-orgy by the fire and the breaking of social boundaries. This is similar
to the final chapter when Dora and Perry have sex, as Nora says she wishes Dora would "fuck
the house down": as well as physically damaging the Hazard residence, Dora and Perry having
sex almost brings down the divide between the highbrow and lowbrow sides of the family. Some
of the imagery used in this scene echoes the imagery of the Chapter 2 scene, for example "cover
them all... with plaster dust and come and fire".
Incest: for example Saskia and Tristram are half brother and sister (although may be cousins),
Nora loses her virginity to a pantomime goose when playing a gosling, Perry sleeps with Dora.
Melchior and Peregrine also share partners (e.g. Daisy Duck, Lady A); Nora and Dora both sleep
with the Blond Tenor. This could be seen as carnivalesque, as it inverts social hierarchies and
boundaries. There is also the recurring idea of the actress playing Cordelia falling for the actor
playing Lear in Shakespeare's "King Lear" on stage.
Culture and class: the high culture of the theatre in the legitimate side of the family as
opposed to the dance halls in which Nora and Dora perform.
Plot summary
The story begins on the 75th birthday of identical twin sisters, Dora and Nora Chance. By what
Dora, who is also the narrator of the story, describes as a bizarre coincidence, it is also the 100th
birthday of their natural father, Melchior Hazard, and his fraternal twin brother, Peregrine
Hazard, who is believed to be dead. The date is similarly Shakespeare's supposed birthday – 23
April.[4]

Dora and Nora's birthday gets off to a dramatic start when their half-brother, Tristram Hazard,
who believes himself to be the nephew of the twins, arrives on their doorstep. He announces that
Tiffany – his partner, and the goddaughter of the twins, is missing. Dora and Nora soon discover
that Tiffany is pregnant with Tristram's baby, but he is unwilling to take on the responsibility.
Once this bombshell has been dropped, it soon emerges that a body has been found, and it is
believed to be Tiffany's.

Most of the novel consists of Dora's memories. As well as providing the backstory of her natural
father, Melchior Hazard, her legal father, Peregrine Hazard, and her guardian, Grandma Chance,
Dora describes key events of her life. These include her early theatre performances, how she and
her sister deal with being rejected by their father, as well as the time that she spent in Hollywood,
producing a film version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It also makes the reader
wonder about a sexual and incestuous relationship between Peregrine and Dora as there are hints
that some sexual activity took place on the Brighton trip, but Carter does not clear this mystery
up.
Dora and Nora attend Melchior's 100th birthday party, where he acknowledges they are his
children for the first time in their lives. The twins learn that both Peregrine and Tiffany are alive,
and the true nature of their long-time enemies, Saskia and Imogen, is revealed.

The novel ends with Dora and Nora being presented with twin babies to look after – a gift from
Peregrine. They realise that they "can't afford" to die for another twenty years, as they want to
see the children grow up. The final line of the story is a message constantly conveyed by Carter
throughout the novel: "What a joy it is to dance and sing!"

Main characters
 Dora Chance – 75 years of age, minor theatre and film star, illegitimate
daughter of Melchior Hazard and "Pretty Kitty". Believed by outsiders to
be the daughter of Peregrine Hazard.
 Nora Chance – Twin sister and best friend of Dora.
 Melchior Hazard – High-profile theatre and film star, known for putting
career before his family.
 Peregrine Hazard – Twin brother of Melchior, who raises Nora and
Dora. Adventurer, explorer, actor. Embodies magic realism and the
carnivalesque.
 Lady Atalanta Hazard (Wheelchair) – First wife of Melchior Hazard,
mother of Saskia and Imogen. In her later life, she is cared for by Nora
and Dora after her daughters push her down a staircase and take all her
money
 Delia Delaney (Daisy Duck) – Actress, second wife of Melchior Hazard,
and former lover of Peregrine Hazard. Later marries Puck from the
production of 'Midsummer Night's Dream.'
 My Lady Margarine – Third wife of Melchior Hazard. Mother to Gareth
and Tristram. Known as "Lady Margarine" because she stars in a
margarine advert on TV.
 Grandma Chance – Guardian of Dora and Nora Chance. Peregrine
suggests that Grandma Chance may have been Dora and Nora's mother,
but Dora considers this unlikely. Nudist and vegetarian. She is also
against picking flowers, believing it to be cruel.
 Saskia Hazard – Legal daughter of Melchior Hazard. TV chef. Cunning
and ambitious. Has an ongoing relationship with Tristram, her half
brother. Nemesis of Dora Chance. Assumed by Nora and Dora to be the
biological daughter of Peregrine Hazard.
 Imogen Hazard – Legal daughter of Melchior Hazard, twin sister of
Saskia Hazard. Plays a fish on a children's TV program.
 Tristram Hazard – Son of Melchior Hazard's third marriage. Presenter
of "Lashings of Lolly." Twin brother of Gareth.
 Tiffany – Goddaughter of Dora and Nora Chance. Girlfriend of Tristram
Hazard, with whom she hosts "Lashings of Lolly", a TV gameshow. Also
pregnant with Tristram's baby.