Angela Carter's use of fairy tales of the past allows a certain sense of shock, as her graphic portrayal of lust and animal carnage somewhat confuses the reader as to the original stories. Her main technique is the relation of animals and animal like behaviour to society, reflecting the harsh reality of modern life in her revamped tales of 'magic', love, lust and murder. The use of animals is mainly associated with the male characters of the stories, referred to with the idea of the "carnivore incarnate", using wolves, tigers, and lions to portray masculine figures of authority and...
period reflect the empowerment of female strong characters, without taking a feminist stance, for instance with the roles of the 'tiger' in 'The Tiger's Bride' and the young, virtuous cyclist in 'Lady of the House of Love'. Her work rejuvenates the tired of stories of the past, making them more adult with explicit scenes of passion and lust. Themes of womanhood and growth allow the childhood tales to not change, but develop further into themselves. Carter does not simply change the fairy tales of the past, but in themselves she allows them to grow, transform, as their characters do.