Wise Children (1991) was the last novel written by Angela Carter. The novel follows the fate of twin choir girls Dora and Nora Chance and their quirky theatrical family. It explores the subversive nature of fatherhood, the denial of which leads Nora and Dora to frivolous "illegal" debauchery. The novel plays on Carter's admiration for Shakespeare and her love of fairy tales and the surreal, including large amounts of magical realism and carnivalesque elements. The book uses many symbols to illustrate themes. Carter often uses objects and places that take on meaning beyond the literal and begin to develop ideas about society.