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- Semi auto-biographical (Winterson's
lesbianism led to an exorcism performed by church officials)
- The
book is set in the 1960s- Until the passing of the Sexual Offences Bill in
1967, male homosexual activity was illegal. Gay men were frequently imprisoned
for consensual sex with another man. Lesbianism was not illegal, but was
similarly subject to public disapproval, or ignored. Police activity against
gay men was rife throughout the 1950s. Many homosexuals were blackmailed,
although only a fraction came to the attention of the police
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- Repressive society Jeanette lives in
- Her church, mother, anti-gay society at time
- Heterosexuality and dominance on society
- Jeanette's refusal to take orange from Melanie- stance against oppression, seeing other ways of life, not just region or heterosexuality
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- Post modernism tradition- argues not autobiographical due to
addition of stories about other myths.
Since many of the stories in the novel aren’t true, the reader cannot accept
any portion of the story as true. Her story is not always told chronologically
and she frequently jumps to inserted tales that appear to have nothing to do
with the life of the main character. This relative difficult in reading,
however, also is intentional. The fragmented style helps the reader to see the
novel as "metafiction"- Relate her struggle out
- Rejection of binary opposites. Jeanette's mother sees world as good or evil, friend or foe, religious or atheist, heterosexual only= Jeanette's homosexuality rejecting this, struggle in her society against the binary gender roles that dominate Winterson show shifting nature of genders by switching some of gender roles in her mythical tales. Binary systems limits and excludes those people and stories that fall outside of the definitions. Jeanette understands people are not black or white, but a wide range of things
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- ‘’She
had never heard of mixed feelings. There were friends and there were enemies.’’
- ‘’Pillars hold things up, and salt keeps things clean, but
it's a poor exchange for losing your self. People do go back, but they don't
survive, because two realities are claiming them at the same time.’’
- ''have an orange''- mother trying to impose her views on Jeanette, orange represents one way of living, Jeanette recognises other fruits and their colour
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