ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to observe how Angela Carter's use of short fiction carries over into the work of later generations of women writers. Angela Carter was indeed a prolific short fiction writer. Her work with the form was wide-ranging, and often provocative, as her critical fictions seek to "demythologise" while also pushing the limits of the genre. In her essay "Get Carter", Ali Smith pays homage to Angela Carter, explaining how she "revolutionised the literary and intellectual landscape and made unthinkable heights possible". Helen Simpson sees Carter's fairy tales as a form of "science fiction" of the past that allows her to explore "ideas of how things might be different". Carter's works extend into many critical directions, exploring areas as varied as the visual arts, performance arts, science, philosophy, linguistics and literature, always adhering to the idea that fiction is useful: Fine art, that exists for itself alone, is art in a final state of impotence.
