Essay on The Bloody Chamber - 3593 Words

‘The role of women in the gothic genre is as victims always subjected to male authority’, compare and contrast to which this interpretation is relevant to your three chosen texts. By Kristina Addis Within My Last Duchess, The Bloody Chamber and Dracula, there is evidence to suggest that women within the gothic genre as portrayed as victims of male authority, as well as evidence to disprove this argument, instead suggesting that it is the women within the Gothic genre which makes themselves victims. ‘Angela Carter is particularly interested in the portrayal of women as victims of male aggression as a limiting factor in the feminist perspective of the time’[i] Carter, with her modern twist on traditional fairytales places a†¦show more content†¦At this point she simply finds no other way but to accept the stereotypical view of a young innocent girl in a relationship with an experienced man, another example of women being victims of male authority. The key to the bloody chamber is the key to her selfhood and subjugation that will ultimately kill her. ‘The protagonist’s husband clearly considers her an object of exchange and plans to inscri be upon her his continuing tale of punishment for wives’ disobedience’[viii] again showing how women make themselves victims of their own behaviour, Helen Simpson’s interpretation is that ‘I really cant see what’s wrong with finding out about what the great male fantasies about women are’ [ix] The heroine fights against the victimisation, and indeed reverses role with the male in the story, as it is Marquis who dies and it is the female who leaves this chamber and finds happiness. The Snow Child, another short story within The Bloody Chamber, is ambiguous. In this small story there are two victims, both of them women, in this case the bloody chamber could relate to the hole in the snow that the countess and count ride past, or it could relate to the vagina and virginity of the girl. This expresses how the role of the women within the gothic genre is ultimately as victims, sometimes through their naivety and innocence and sometimes through mal e authority. The count sees both of the bloody chambers present as objects for his pleasure, thereforeShow MoreRelatedThe Bloody Chamber, By Angela Carter1386 Words   |  6 PagesHowever, in The Bloody Chamber, this is not necessarily the case. Although there are several feminist messages in the stories’ resolutions, these messages are not always presented in the way one would expect, and not every female protagonist is presented as a feminist character. By taking the roles of typically Gothic women and toying with the presentation of female characters, many of Carter’s feminist messages are not as one would expect. The eponymous story The Bloody Chamber ends with a senseRead MoreEssay on The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter2054 Words   |  9 PagesThere is plenty of opportunity for interpretation in Carter’s writing, particularly in her book ‘The Bloody Chamber’ which is commonly considered to be her masterwork, brimming with intertextualities and ambiguities. Some may find her work to be excessively violent or savage, perhaps even alienating. Yet others may have found this no-holds-barred approach to be exhilarating and refreshing in comparison to other authors of her time. In her re-writing of Perrault and Beaumont’s classic tales, CarterRead MoreAnalysis Of Angela Carter s The Bloody Chamber 1756 Words   |  8 PagesMost of Angela Carter’s work revolves around democratic feminism and her representation of the patriarchal roles subjugated to women. (Evangelou, 2013) ‘The Bloody Chamber’ by Angela Carter suggests many substitutions to infamous depictions of femininity. Angela Carter manipulates old-fashioned fairy tales in order to subvert conformist gender roles like submissive wives and male dominance. (Makinen, 1992) While Carter receives commendation for her work, Patricia Duncker critiques her as well, forRead More A CRITIQUE OF THE SNOW CHILD, TAKEN FROM ANGELA CARTER’S THE BLOODY CHAMBER.1214 Words   |  5 PagesA CRITIQUE OF THE SNOW CHILD, TAKEN FROM ANGELA CARTER’S THE BLOODY CHAMBER. Throughout ’The Bloody Chamber’, Angela Carter takes the highly successful conventions that belong to once innocent fairy tales, and rips them unremorsefully from their seemingly sound foundations to create a variety of dark, seductive, sensual stories, altering the landscapes beyond all recognition and rewarding the heroines with the freedom of speech thus giving them license to grab hold of the reigns of the storyRead MoreIn the short stories in ‘The Bloody Chamber’, Carter is excessively interested in violent instincts’. How far do you agree with this view?967 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿In the short stories in ‘The Bloody Chamber’, Carter is excessively interested in violent instincts’. How far do you agree with this view? In the short stories in ‘The Bloody Chamber’, Carter is excessively interested in violent instincts, this viewpoint is correct to an extent but Carter has a feministic approach to her stories, which at some points more apparent. I find that her stories are in a literal sense driven by violent instincts but optimistic outlook of Carter that humans are capableRead MoreThe Bloody Chamber By Angela Carter1565 Words   |  7 PagesThe Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter was published in 1979, a time when distinct patriarchal roles were present, and women were treated as objects in society. Carter demonstrates these gender roles in her collection, which undoubtedly deals with dark themes of sexuality and violence. Carter does not exhibit the patriarchal representations of gender in a black and white method; rather it is quite ambiguous. This essay will argue that Carter has failed to provide a valid critique of patriarchal representationsRead MoreThe Bloody Chamber : Critical Cou rsework1289 Words   |  6 Pages The Bloody Chamber – Critical Coursework How does Carter represent gender and explore gender issues to create meaning in either ‘The Tiger’s Bride’, ‘The Courtship of Mr Lyon’ or ‘The Bloody Chamber’? To study the gender issues in The Bloody Chamber we have to first look at the motivations behind the writings. Carter’s feminist agenda creates the feminist tones in this novel which are overtly represented. An excerpt from an English anthology writes on the feminist switch of focus, {A} ‘from attackingRead MoreGoblin Market and Bloody Chamber1213 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Nicole Broeke Professor C. Brady English 201 4 December 2014 Female Heroism In both Goblin Market and â€Å"The Bloody Chamber†, women face objectification as pornographic objects whose solitary purpose is to be a man’s appealing possession. Evidently, the objectification of women impacted the way each author constructed their texts. Feminist movements aiming to undermine these rigid female and male roles are prominent in the time period of both literary works. Both Christina Rossetti and Angela CarterRead MoreAngela Carter - The bloody Chamber1283 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿How does Carter present the experience of the girl in The Bloody Chamber? Carter has directed the narrative mostly, although not completely, from the older woman in the text, speaking back on the past (therefore past tense) as a first person narrative. There is interjections of dialogue throughout the text, although it is mostly constructed as a written text, as if the older women is writing in a diary, but has interjections of dialogue, possibly showing her memory traveling back and replayingRead MoreAngela Carter’s The Bood Chamber Essay1774 Words   |  8 PagesIn Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber, the theme of transformation appears throughout the short story cycle. The hero/heroine’s virginity acts as a source of strength that protects them from harm. Their lack of fear also saves them from death. Virginity acts as power of potentia, either literally or symbolically and results in a release of an observed transformative power. The bloody chamber serves a different symbolic purpose of transformation for Beauty in â€Å"The Court ship of Mr Lyon†, the heroine