The Metamorphosis of Truth: Mythmaking as Performative Identity in Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between mythmaking and identity construction in Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus (1984), and argues that the novel presents myth not as falsehood but as a performative act of self-creation. Through a comprehensive analysis of the protagonist Sophie Fevvers and the liminal space of the circus, this study demonstrates how Carter employs mythmaking as a radical tool for challenging patriarchal narratives, conventional truth claims, and fixed notions of identity. The paper makes use of contemporary theories of performativity, narratology, and feminist criticism, to explore how the novel's postmodern sensibilities transform mythmaking. Carter's work anticipates contemporary debates about constructed identity, authenticity, and the role of narrative in shaping reality. By examining the novel's tripartite structure, the dynamics of belief and skepticism, and the transformation of both performer and audience, this study contributes to understanding how late twentieth-century fiction reimagined the relationship between truth, fiction, and selfhood. Nights at the Circus presents mythmaking as a collaborative process wherein identity emerges through the dialectical relationship between storyteller and audience, performance and belief, truth and fabrication.