How Weird "The Executioner's Beautiful Daughter" Is

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If you’re looking for a dark story that is equally weird, “The Executioner’s Beautiful Daughter” is the one to choose. Right off the bat, the title tells us that something strange is afoot. This short story, written by Angela Carter, is filled with beautiful language, dark imagery, and strange themes, such as incest, executioners and hypocrisy.

            The story starts with an executioner executing his own son for an incestuous relationship with the executioner’s sister. The character of the executioner is also weird in his own way. He always wears his executing mask and never (I mean never) takes it off. He also lives his life above the law and doesn’t fear punishment. The executioner partakes in weird and horrific actions, such as having an incestuous relationship with his daughter and eating eggs that were almost ready to hatch, so they are filled with calcified beaks and feathers.

            If it weren’t for Carter’s poetic language, I would have found this story much harder to get through because of it’s disgusting topic. There’s a great juxtaposition between the language of the story and the topic. It’s as if Carter can see the world and she’s both enamored and disgusted by it –like a scientist. It almost makes you think the executioner has no choice, but to be with his daughter once you hear about how horrific everyone else looks and behaves.  

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