It Aint Over Until the Fat Lady Sings

It Ain’t Over Until the Fat Lady Sings Lady Oracle: the final chapters (25~37) Jessica Yang 497200762 Lady Oracle

Outline �Brief summaries (chapters 25~37) �General Analysis �Interesting Quotes �Questions? Lady Oracle 2

Brief Summaries Lady Oracle 3

Chapter 25 �Joan begins affair with the Royal Porcupine �Joan meets Fraser Buchanan (black notebook from chapter 4) �Peace Bridge and the dynamite Lady Oracle 4

Chapter 26 �The Royal Porcupine and the dynamite �Joan’s infatuation with the Royal Porcupine dwindled �Joan breaks up with Chuck Lady Oracle 5

Chapter 27 �Joan tries unsuccessfully to communicate with Arthur �The Fat Lady illusion once again �Sinister calls, mail, and corpses �Paul finds Joan �“John” (Zerdo) Lady Oracle 6

Chapter 28 �What is love? �Fraser Buchanan attempts to blackmail Joan �She steals his black notebook instead �Is Arthur responsible for the dead animals and such? —Joan’s perspective on men Lady Oracle 7

Chapter 29 �Joan turns to Sam for help—planning her death �Carrying out Joan’s “death” during a sailing trip with Sam and Marlene Lady Oracle 8

Chapter 30 �Back in Terremoto, Joan reflects on her life again �Mirrored scene with chapter two: the sugar water and the ants �A well-planned death? Lady Oracle 9

Chapter 31 �Joan again tries to write �Transformation: from identifying with Charlotte to identifying with Felicia? �Reappearance of the Fat Lady – this time not as glamorous as she had been in previous illusions? Lady Oracle 10

Chapter 32 �Felicia becomes the fat lady �Mr. Vitroni expresses the townsfolk’s concern �Joan as a witch? �Someone has followed Joan to Terremoto Lady Oracle 11

Chapters 33~34 �Joan sees her mother’s astral body once again �In the morning she begins to pack her belongings to hide elsewhere �The writing of the ending for Stalked by Love Lady Oracle 12

Chapters 35~36 �The allusions to The Red Shoes and The Little Mermaid —walking �Things fall apart at home �Mr. Vitroni seen shaking hands with “the man” �Rewriting of the ending to Joan’s story �Who is the real Lady Redmond? Lady Oracle 13

Chapter 37 �Hitting the reporter �Joan’s resolutions Lady Oracle 14

Analysis Lady Oracle 15

�Lady Oracle – a getaway journey for Joan to find out who she is, what she wants in her life, and how to deal with issues recurring throughout different stages of her life (i. e. complications with her mother) and ones leading up to her “death” (such as the complications with her disintegrating marriage and “secret” love affair, etc. ) Lady Oracle 16

Who is the Fat Lady? Glorious Illusions Grotesque Reality The Fat Lady walking the wire (chapter 9) The Fat Lady in the Freak Show, sitting in her oversized chair, knitting Fat ladies are isolated, ridiculed, a blur to others The Fat Lady skating, free, unbound, spectacular Lady Oracle 17

The Element of Fantasy �Fantasizing empowered Joan �“knowledge isn’t necessarily power. ” (chapter 5) �Romance novels as a means of escape, but also as a means for powerless women to feel somewhat in control of their lives? �“Why did every one of my fantasies turn into a trap? ” (chapter 34) Lady Oracle 18

Question. �How does fantasy serve to empower? How might it be dangerous? Lady Oracle 19

Romance Fantasies versus Reality �My view on love, romance, and fantasies Lady Oracle 20

Joan’s view on her life �Beginning of the novel: confused, trapped, aimless �In the process of revisiting her past and writing her romance novel, Joan slowly begins to resolve issues with her self-image and coming to terms that who she is need not be severed from who she used to be in order to move on with her life �End: resolute, free, no longer afraid of her past Lady Oracle 21

Reflected in Stalked by Love �Characters �Redmond: Arthur �Charlotte: the old Joan/the virtuous woman Joan has tried to be �Felicia: the new Joan/the real Joan �Tom: Fraser Buchanan �Otterly: Chuck �Ending Lady Oracle 22

Analysis of Chapter 37 �Overall tone seems much more carefree �Usage of “well, ” “though, ” “nice, ” “good, ” etc. �Freely admitting her life is a mess �Moving away from Costume Gothics for good Lady Oracle 23

It ain’t over until the Fat Lady sings �Why I thought of this colloquialism when I came across “Fat Lady” repeatedly Lady Oracle 24

Interesting Quotes Lady Oracle 25

From chapter 28 �“At that moment it seemed to me impossible that anyone could ever really love anyone, or if they could, that anything lasting or fine ould come of it. Love was the pursuit of shadows…I was not the same as my phantom. ” �Is it? Can true love exist? Or is Joan merely fixated on the wrong form of love all along? Lady Oracle 26

From chapter 30 �“you could sing and dance or you could be happy, but not both. ” �Why not? Lady Oracle 27

From chapter 30 �“I pretended to die so I could live, so I could have another life. ” �Would doing so be simpler than trying to fix what went wrong instead? Lady Oracle 28

From chapter 36 �“Back? We have all tried to go back. That was our mistake. �“The only way out, is through that door. ” �Symbolic – Joan has walked out of her own maze, with her answer ahead of her Lady Oracle 29

Questions? Lady Oracle 30

Thank you! Lady Oracle 31