"The Bloody Chamber" is representing a woman's womb. Carter has used this title because it's a symbol to what women have become, the view that women are only 'useful' for having children and sexual pleasure.
Characters in the story:
The Heroine- A 17 year old pianist who marries a Marquis, she isn't a wealthy person. She is the narrator to the story and is retelling it years later.
The Marquis- A French nobleman who murders his wives. Takes pleasure in challenging his wives to disobey him and then murders them if they do so. His favourite room is his "Bloody chamber" the room where he keeps the corpses of his previous wives in a disturbing museum fashion.
Yean-Yves- Piano tuner who helps the heroine escape the Marquis and in time marries her.
Heroine's mother- She is a brave woman who grew up in Indo-China and married a man who was poorer than her. Her husband had died at war which left her and her daughter alone and penniless.
The opera singer- This is the Marquis' first wife who was strangled to death. Her body lies on a catafalque in the forbidden room.
Evening star walking on the rim of the night- This is the second wife who hangs suspended by cords in the forbidden room.
Romanian Countess- This is the latest wife before the Heroine, she is murdered with the weapon of an Iron Maiden. The Narrator (Heroine) drops the key to the chamber in her blood.
Major Themes:
Bloody Chambers- The room where the violence occurs simultaneously, it is also a room which changes the heroine irrevocably.
Virginity- The Heroine's virginity is a sign of weakness an an invitation to corruption in the eyes of the Marquis. Also an invitation to violence because by taking a girls virginity a man spills her blood. When the Marquis rapes the heroine he is said to "impale" her.
Pornographic image- Picture by Rops of a clothed man sizing up a naked woman as if she is a "lamb chop". Heroine calls this "most pornographic of all confrontations". The Marquis later on then recreates this pornographic image with the Heroine, he does this by undressing her whilst he remains unclothed.
Objectification of Women- The Marquis makes the heroine into a pornographic image and indicates she always wears her collar of rubies like a dog as if he completely owns her. In more extremes, he plans to make her a literal object, a corpse, a decoration almost, in his bloody chamber next to the disturbing display of the other corpses.
Mirrors- The Heroine sees herself as a pornographic image which disturbingly arouses her, realising her complicity in her own destruction.
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
The Snow Child
Key Term:
Allegory- a story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or a political one.
Defiled- overly amorous with a corpse.
How is a feminist message contained within the "Snow Child"?
The Count creates his 'perfect woman' out of snow, and the woman/girl is naked and his daughter. His ideal woman is represented as being a young, pretty and clothe-less girl. Every time the mother of the Snow Child tries to harm her she results in being more clothed and protected, "boots leapt off the Countesses feet"- because the Countess is trying to harm the girl it is showing that she is jealous of her, it also has an element of a mixture of fantasy and reality. The Father sleeps with the Snow Child after she dies, which then adds to the feminist view of men objectifying women as simply sexual objects and possessions. A feminist called also interpret the fact that the reason the Snow Child doesn't have a voice within the story is because she isn't married like the Countess is as she has a voice. Lastly, the creator the child is the Count and not the Countess which enhances the difference between male and female roles and the presentation of men being more "powerful".
Form:
The Snow Child is the shortest of the stories and is written as a vignette, the shortness of which makes it poignant and increases it's impact to disturb the reader.
The Snow Child is very similar, almost a re-making of the fairytale "Snow White", it is similar because:
Allegory- a story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or a political one.
Defiled- overly amorous with a corpse.
How is a feminist message contained within the "Snow Child"?
The Count creates his 'perfect woman' out of snow, and the woman/girl is naked and his daughter. His ideal woman is represented as being a young, pretty and clothe-less girl. Every time the mother of the Snow Child tries to harm her she results in being more clothed and protected, "boots leapt off the Countesses feet"- because the Countess is trying to harm the girl it is showing that she is jealous of her, it also has an element of a mixture of fantasy and reality. The Father sleeps with the Snow Child after she dies, which then adds to the feminist view of men objectifying women as simply sexual objects and possessions. A feminist called also interpret the fact that the reason the Snow Child doesn't have a voice within the story is because she isn't married like the Countess is as she has a voice. Lastly, the creator the child is the Count and not the Countess which enhances the difference between male and female roles and the presentation of men being more "powerful".
Form:
The Snow Child is the shortest of the stories and is written as a vignette, the shortness of which makes it poignant and increases it's impact to disturb the reader.
The Snow Child is very similar, almost a re-making of the fairytale "Snow White", it is similar because:
- A Prince Charming comes and kisses her on her death bed (Count defiles her as she dies)
- The Snow Child's pale skin and dark black hair, similar to the description of Snow White.
Context:
The stories are linked to feminist's wider messages.
- Angela Carter was a feminist herself
- Metamorphoses in the stories also seem to be criticising society's imposition of gender roles through patriarchy
Setting:
- "Midwinter" creating a Gothic setting as it is cold, darker and gloomy. (Exaggerating weather)
- "Invincible, immaculate" this makes it uneasy as the story is the completely the opposite to the pure and innocent beginning. (Exaggerating weather)
- "This hole is filled with blood" blood is a strong Gothic element as people only bleed whilst in pain and discomfort.
- "Hold of blood", from a feminist's perspective this could be interpreted as the place where 'children come from'. An imperfection of a blank canvas, sexual maturity, the menstrual cycle being seen as an imperfection.
- The snow falling on snow symbolises generations of women as purity, being covered up by the next generation when they are no longer pure and worthy.
Feminist theory:
This is a criticism to the feminist view as only taking into account the white middle class women.
Feminist interpretation:
- The Snow Child is born, used for sex, then dies- this represents women's general role in society in the view of a man.
- The Countess never buys any of her belonging (e.g the clothing she loses trying to harm the child). The dependency she has on the Count represents the patriarchal system in society.
- The Countess wanted to get rid of the Snow Child because the Count's money and attention would be spent on her instead.
What do you consider to be the key themes of this short story? Does the story have one or more messages for the reader?
There are many themes within the short story "The Bloody Chamber" by Angela Carter, one of which being, as stated in the title, the theme of bloody chambers. This is the room where violence occurs drastically; "Absolute darkness. And, about me, the instruments of mutilation" and also, almost ironically, the room where the narrator, the heroine, changes immensely. It is ironic that this is the room where the narrator changes because, her fate from discovering this was to die because she is weak-willed and presumed a "fragile woman", which she was at this time, but from discovering the chamber and the corpses her bravery grew unexpectedly- the Marquis' original plan was for her to discover his secret and become even weaker and defenceless
Following on from this, another major theme is virginity. A woman's virginity is connected with the opinion of purity and innocence which instantly attracts a man, however in "The Bloody Chamber" although the virginity of the heroine attracts the Marquis, it attracts him because it's a sign of weakness and an instant invitation to corruption for him and also an invitation to violence and destruction, not because it is an attractive trait which he admires and desires for a woman for the right reasons. This is because by taking a woman's virginity a man will therefore make her bleed and spill her blood, for example when the Marquis rapes the heroine he is described as impaling her "A dozen husbands impaled a dozen brides while the mewing gulls swung on invisible trapezes in the empty air outside".
Objectification of women is also a major theme within this short story, this is because the Marquis transforms the heroine into a pornographic image for his personal gain and demands she always wears her collar of rubies, indicating that she is like a pet to him and he is her master "He made me put on my choker, the family heirloom of one woman had escaped the blade." In a more extreme point of view, the Marquis quite literally plans to make her an actual object of his possession; a corpse in his bloody chamber- another addition to his display of brides within it.
Lastly, 'mirrors' are a key theme to "The Bloody Chamber", this is because the heroine sees herself within the mirrors and sees herself as a pornographic image which oddly and disturbingly arouses her which immediately leads her to the realisation of her complicity in her own destruction "I caught sight of myself in the mirror. And I saw myself, suddenly, as he saw me, my pale face, the way the muscles in my neck stuck out like thin wire. I saw how much that cruel necklace became me. And, for the first time in my innocent and confined life, I sensed in myself a potentiality for corruption that took my breath away"- the way she understands in that moment how much that cruel necklace defines her and her response of pitiful arousal and excitement of this enhances the immaturity and naivety traits of this young girl- and how this almost murders her.
Following on from this, another major theme is virginity. A woman's virginity is connected with the opinion of purity and innocence which instantly attracts a man, however in "The Bloody Chamber" although the virginity of the heroine attracts the Marquis, it attracts him because it's a sign of weakness and an instant invitation to corruption for him and also an invitation to violence and destruction, not because it is an attractive trait which he admires and desires for a woman for the right reasons. This is because by taking a woman's virginity a man will therefore make her bleed and spill her blood, for example when the Marquis rapes the heroine he is described as impaling her "A dozen husbands impaled a dozen brides while the mewing gulls swung on invisible trapezes in the empty air outside".
Objectification of women is also a major theme within this short story, this is because the Marquis transforms the heroine into a pornographic image for his personal gain and demands she always wears her collar of rubies, indicating that she is like a pet to him and he is her master "He made me put on my choker, the family heirloom of one woman had escaped the blade." In a more extreme point of view, the Marquis quite literally plans to make her an actual object of his possession; a corpse in his bloody chamber- another addition to his display of brides within it.
Lastly, 'mirrors' are a key theme to "The Bloody Chamber", this is because the heroine sees herself within the mirrors and sees herself as a pornographic image which oddly and disturbingly arouses her which immediately leads her to the realisation of her complicity in her own destruction "I caught sight of myself in the mirror. And I saw myself, suddenly, as he saw me, my pale face, the way the muscles in my neck stuck out like thin wire. I saw how much that cruel necklace became me. And, for the first time in my innocent and confined life, I sensed in myself a potentiality for corruption that took my breath away"- the way she understands in that moment how much that cruel necklace defines her and her response of pitiful arousal and excitement of this enhances the immaturity and naivety traits of this young girl- and how this almost murders her.
What is significant or interesting about the way in which Carter uses language in this story? Choose two aspects of Carter's language and explain their significance.
The use of Carter's language is significant because it enhances the atmosphere of the story even further, one particular skill of language Carter has used in "The Bloody Chamber" is the way she is descriptive about all of the characters and events, for example with the Marquis she describes his eyes as being an "absolute absence of light", she describes the Marquis as being so emotionless and secretive which she compares to a lily. She also is extremely descriptive about the wedding gift she received from her new husband, she describes the gift as "a choker of rubies, two inches wide, like an extraordinarily precious slit throat" it's important that she describes this jewellery this way because it then foreshadows the events of the book, and later on reveals the importance of this gift. The gift represents her planned upcoming death by the Marquis, this choker is represented as the Marquis "owning" the Heroine, however it could also be interpreted as the Marquis giving her this gift as a symbol of her death. The night before the Heroine's and the Marquis' wedding she recalls having the thought that the Marquis looked upon her as if she was "horseflesh", as he looks at her as an object- an object purely for sexual desire, this outrageously excites the Heroine, she thinks, "for the first time in my innocent and confined life, I sensed in myself a potentiality for corruption that took my breath away" this is significant that Carter uses such descriptive language because Carter aimed for her short stories to be clear in their meaning and she does this by being so extreme to capture the reader's attention.
Another interesting way in which Carter uses language in this story is the way she combines French within the story. Firstly by having the narrator's husband being a "Marquis", this is a French nobleman. She also uses language such as "enfer" meaning hell- it's important that the reader gets the message that negative words such as this are in French to represent the danger and cruelty of the French nobleman, The Marquis. She also uses other foreign words however such as "piazza" which is an Italian word for "public square." She includes other languages within her text as a way of possibly showing her view that all men are "evil" and "cruel" throughout the world.
Another interesting way in which Carter uses language in this story is the way she combines French within the story. Firstly by having the narrator's husband being a "Marquis", this is a French nobleman. She also uses language such as "enfer" meaning hell- it's important that the reader gets the message that negative words such as this are in French to represent the danger and cruelty of the French nobleman, The Marquis. She also uses other foreign words however such as "piazza" which is an Italian word for "public square." She includes other languages within her text as a way of possibly showing her view that all men are "evil" and "cruel" throughout the world.
Wednesday, 18 September 2013
How does Carter create her characters? Choose one character we have not discussed in class and explain how this character is presented.
Carter's story "The Bloody Chamber" is almost a retelling of the story of "Bluebeard", which is a French tale. The Marquis in Carter's story is a reflection of Bluebeard and almost repeats his actions exactly. The Marquis murders his wives, he murders them when they disobey him and enter the room he forbids them to see, therefore responds in 'punishing' them which could be viewed as an act of dominance over the women. The disturbing feature to this character is that he has no remorse for what he is doing and feels no guilt, he believes he is acting in a way of love "There is a striking resemblance between the act of love and the ministrations of a torturer". The Marquis is repeatedly having a controlling affect over the narrator in the story, for example he gives her jewellery as a gift which is similar to a dog collar which makes her appear to belong to him as a possession/pet, "His wedding gift, clasped around my throat. A choker of rubies, two inches wide, like an extraordinarily precious slit throat." this ruby choker is immensely Gothic and symbolises and foreshadows the Marquis' violent and murderous nature.
The Marquis is also described in an extremely animalised manner "his dark, silver mane", describing his beard as a "mane" is relating him to a lion, which again foreshadows the violent nature of the Marquis and how much dominance matters to the man, it also plays a role in making him seem like a predator and making the narrator appear even more fragile and destructible- like the lion's prey. Despite of this, the Marquis isn't described often and is a mystery to the reader- his appearance neither his past are discusses greatly which conveniently make him a very suspicious character; which fits his role as the villain. The Marquis' favourite room in his castle is the "bloody chamber" which he keeps his corpses, the room is dark and gloomy yet he treats it like a museum for his 'prizes' almost.
Towards the ending of the story the Marquis presses the chamber's key against the narrator's forehead which results in leaving her with a blood mark shaped as a heart, this symbolises men's controlling behaviour towards women and degrading women into objects and possessions- the mark upon her head is a mark of the Marquis' property. Carter includes this to show the readers men in a light where they are cruel and irrational in taking a woman's independence and therefore, takes control of their lives. Carter purposely makes the Marquis' actions extreme to enhance her view on women's unfair treatment in society from men, she uses the Marquis to get this opinion across by using him as a representation of all men so in return the readers/audience will almost feel sorry for the women and the narrator in the story which therefore results in the feminist element of the story being fully noticed and acknowledged.
In conclusion, The Marquis is presented as a psychotic character who commits murders only upon his wives, practically identical to Bluebeard, and finds disturbing pleasure from doing so. He is a symbol for all men in Victorian times for men's treatment of women.
The Marquis is also described in an extremely animalised manner "his dark, silver mane", describing his beard as a "mane" is relating him to a lion, which again foreshadows the violent nature of the Marquis and how much dominance matters to the man, it also plays a role in making him seem like a predator and making the narrator appear even more fragile and destructible- like the lion's prey. Despite of this, the Marquis isn't described often and is a mystery to the reader- his appearance neither his past are discusses greatly which conveniently make him a very suspicious character; which fits his role as the villain. The Marquis' favourite room in his castle is the "bloody chamber" which he keeps his corpses, the room is dark and gloomy yet he treats it like a museum for his 'prizes' almost.
Towards the ending of the story the Marquis presses the chamber's key against the narrator's forehead which results in leaving her with a blood mark shaped as a heart, this symbolises men's controlling behaviour towards women and degrading women into objects and possessions- the mark upon her head is a mark of the Marquis' property. Carter includes this to show the readers men in a light where they are cruel and irrational in taking a woman's independence and therefore, takes control of their lives. Carter purposely makes the Marquis' actions extreme to enhance her view on women's unfair treatment in society from men, she uses the Marquis to get this opinion across by using him as a representation of all men so in return the readers/audience will almost feel sorry for the women and the narrator in the story which therefore results in the feminist element of the story being fully noticed and acknowledged.
In conclusion, The Marquis is presented as a psychotic character who commits murders only upon his wives, practically identical to Bluebeard, and finds disturbing pleasure from doing so. He is a symbol for all men in Victorian times for men's treatment of women.
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