In Thursday's lesson we were looking at 'The Werewolf' and 'The Company of Wolves'. Both stories, hence their titles, have a common theme of wolves and in particular the connection between wolves and man.
'The Werewolf' is a very short story based on the traditional fairytale Little Red Riding Hood. It tells the story of a girl who "does as her mother bids" and visits her sick grandmother who lives in the forest. This seemingly innocent girl meets a wolf on her way through the forest and "seized the her knife and turned on the beast" without hesitation and "slashed off its right forepaw". On discovering her grandmother with a "bloody stump where her right hand should have been" and finding that the wolf's paw was in fact a hand "chopped off at the wrist" she cries out, alerting the neighbours who subsequently "beat her old carcass as far as the edge of the forest, and pelted her with stones until she fell down dead" for being a witch. The connections between man and wolves is shown her by the grandmother's transformation from a human into a wolf and back again.
'The Company of Wolves', which is also based upon Little Red Riding Hood, has a similar theme and connection between men and wolves and more specifically of men transforming into wolves and, in particular, preying on young women. The strong link between men and a dangerous animal such as a wolf could be Carter's way of showing men as being dangerous displayed by the fact that the girl recognises that her life is in danger; "... it was as red as the blood she must spill".
Friday, 1 April 2011
Friday, 18 March 2011
"and the river seems dreamlike in the daytime..."
The story of 'The Erl-King' is based on the traditional story of a creature who haunts forests and carries off travellers to their deaths.
In 'The Bloody Chamber' collection the story of The Erl-King is written in a more sexual way as the female character is not led to her death by the creature but is instead led her into sex and corruption. The way in which it is written is very dream-like, therefore aiding the ambiguity of the story and allowing the characters and settings to have the qualities associated with dreams. This can be seen in the female character's apparent omnipotence; " I knew at once that all its occupants had been waiting for me" and the way the order of the story seems to jump and repeat itself. The female character/narrator refers to the obscurity of the setting and the illusions that it creates for the reader through her descriptions of the woods; "It is easy to loose yourself in these woods." The opening paragraph of the story sets the scene in a dream-like way by using personification but it helps to create a 'half-belief' as it describes a scenario that could potentially be true; "vertical bars of brass-coloured distillation of light coming down from sulphur-yellow interstices in a sky hunkered with grey clouds that bulge with more rain. It struck the wood with nicotine-stained fingers, the leaves glittered."
In 'The Bloody Chamber' collection the story of The Erl-King is written in a more sexual way as the female character is not led to her death by the creature but is instead led her into sex and corruption. The way in which it is written is very dream-like, therefore aiding the ambiguity of the story and allowing the characters and settings to have the qualities associated with dreams. This can be seen in the female character's apparent omnipotence; " I knew at once that all its occupants had been waiting for me" and the way the order of the story seems to jump and repeat itself. The female character/narrator refers to the obscurity of the setting and the illusions that it creates for the reader through her descriptions of the woods; "It is easy to loose yourself in these woods." The opening paragraph of the story sets the scene in a dream-like way by using personification but it helps to create a 'half-belief' as it describes a scenario that could potentially be true; "vertical bars of brass-coloured distillation of light coming down from sulphur-yellow interstices in a sky hunkered with grey clouds that bulge with more rain. It struck the wood with nicotine-stained fingers, the leaves glittered."
"his daughter is 20 years of snow falling..."
In Thursday's lesson we looked at the shortest story in the collection: 'The Snow Child', a very strange and twisted take on the classic fairytale Snow White. The whole story is very ambiguous in its meanings and there are many ways to interpret what happens within the story.
For example, the Count in the story has 3 wishes relating to the girl that he wishes to have...
1."I wish I had a girl as white as snow"
2."I wish I had a girl as red as blood"
3."I wish I had a girl as black as that bird's feather"
These three wishes all have one thing in common and that is that he is using colours to describe this desired girl and at no point does he describe her personality. This could be suggesting that men only desire women for their appearance.
It could be interpreted that his desire for 'a girl as white as snow' is a desire for innocence and virginity. This contrasts to the Countess as she is dressed all in black, which suggests that she is not pure and is perhaps a bad or sinful character?
His desire for a 'a girl as red as blood' may also be alluding to the desire for a virgin as it could be interpreted as being likened to the breaking of the hymen in sex, this view can be supported the image of "a hole in the snow; this hole is filled with blood".
The Count's third wish is for 'a girl as black as that bird's feather'. This could be seen to be foreshadowing her death as black is stereotypically the colour of death and a raven, the 'bird' to which he refers, is also a symbol of death. However, it could also be seen as a link to the countess as she is dressed all in black, with black fox furs and black boots, perhaps suggesting that he is not satisfied with her as he desires something black though he already has something black.
For example, the Count in the story has 3 wishes relating to the girl that he wishes to have...
1."I wish I had a girl as white as snow"
2."I wish I had a girl as red as blood"
3."I wish I had a girl as black as that bird's feather"
These three wishes all have one thing in common and that is that he is using colours to describe this desired girl and at no point does he describe her personality. This could be suggesting that men only desire women for their appearance.
It could be interpreted that his desire for 'a girl as white as snow' is a desire for innocence and virginity. This contrasts to the Countess as she is dressed all in black, which suggests that she is not pure and is perhaps a bad or sinful character?
His desire for a 'a girl as red as blood' may also be alluding to the desire for a virgin as it could be interpreted as being likened to the breaking of the hymen in sex, this view can be supported the image of "a hole in the snow; this hole is filled with blood".
The Count's third wish is for 'a girl as black as that bird's feather'. This could be seen to be foreshadowing her death as black is stereotypically the colour of death and a raven, the 'bird' to which he refers, is also a symbol of death. However, it could also be seen as a link to the countess as she is dressed all in black, with black fox furs and black boots, perhaps suggesting that he is not satisfied with her as he desires something black though he already has something black.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
"Winter blues no love for you, seasons change in a Gothic way..."
www.litgothic.com
I found a link to a section called 'Sublime Anxiety: The Gothic Family and the Outsider', this then took me to several sections about Gothic content one of which grabbed my attention; 'Women and The Gothic'.
This section refers to the fact that many Gothic authors were women and that "the Gothic marketplace would seem to be one in which women would hold equal sway". It also mention women's roles within Gothic texts suggesting that women were "subject to numerous assaults on their virtue and to the tyranny of fathers, would-be lovers, and husbands".
The page has many references to both the roles of women in Gothic novels and the novels written by female writers. The suggestion is that female characters in Gothic novels are either peering anxiously over someone's shoulder at whatever monster may be lurking in the shadows or they are the monster themselves, such as Ann Ramsey in 'The Witch of Ravensworth' who "drinks blood and cannibalises infants".
The page also contains references to female Gothic authors such as Charlotte Smith and Ann Ward Radcliffe, the latter being the author of 'The Romance of the Forest' a stereotypical Gothic novel with 'mysterious threats, a ruined abbey, and an almost supernatural villain'.
I found a link to a section called 'Sublime Anxiety: The Gothic Family and the Outsider', this then took me to several sections about Gothic content one of which grabbed my attention; 'Women and The Gothic'.
This section refers to the fact that many Gothic authors were women and that "the Gothic marketplace would seem to be one in which women would hold equal sway". It also mention women's roles within Gothic texts suggesting that women were "subject to numerous assaults on their virtue and to the tyranny of fathers, would-be lovers, and husbands".
The page has many references to both the roles of women in Gothic novels and the novels written by female writers. The suggestion is that female characters in Gothic novels are either peering anxiously over someone's shoulder at whatever monster may be lurking in the shadows or they are the monster themselves, such as Ann Ramsey in 'The Witch of Ravensworth' who "drinks blood and cannibalises infants".
The page also contains references to female Gothic authors such as Charlotte Smith and Ann Ward Radcliffe, the latter being the author of 'The Romance of the Forest' a stereotypical Gothic novel with 'mysterious threats, a ruined abbey, and an almost supernatural villain'.
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
"he lost his soul to a woman so heartless..."
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"... I'm sorry young man, I cannot be your friend I don't believe in a fairytale end..."
Is 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' intended to be in the style of a traditional fairytale?
Having read the first story in the collection, 'The Bloody Chamber', we have a certain expectation of what 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' will be like. Looking at the title of the story, in particular the name 'Mr Lyon', we have the expectations of beastial masculinity and therefore a bad masculine figure. Basing our expectations on the previous story we would automatically assume that the 'courtship' in this story will be one of deceit and corruption. However, when we begin to read the story and look at it more in depth it becomes obvious that it is quite a stark contrast to 'The Bloody Chamber'.
'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' is quite obviously based upon the traditional fairytale 'Beauty and The Beast' as it follows the plot and structure of the story very closely. There are many elements of traditional content in the story for example, the idea of the weak paternal figure and the loss of a child. Another example of traditional content is the innocent and virtuous female character; "lovely girl, whose skin possesses that same, inner light..". This contrasts slightly with 'The Bloody Chamber' as, although initially innocent, the young female character seems to desire the thought of corruption.
Though the story has a lot of similarities with traditional fairytales there is one main difference, being the feminist way in which it is written. The feminist content makes the usually strong and imposing male character seem weak and frightened in the presence of the female character; "curious reversal, she frightened him". As in 'Beauty and The Beast' it is the female character that saves the male character, which contradicts the ideas of traditional fairytales. This again shows feminist elements as it makes the woman seem stronger and the male seem weak in comparison. The male character, Mr Lyon, is found at the end of the story in "an attic, with a sloping roof" which somewhat resembles the idea of the traditional 'damsel in distress' at the top of a tall tower, once again perpetuating the idea of a role reversal and feminist content.
The story does have the traditional 'happy ending' as Mr Lyon and Beauty fall in love and, as in the story 'Beauty and The Beast', Mr Lyon transforms into a man; "And then it was no longer a lion in her arms but a man".
I believe that 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' is intended to be in the style of a traditional fairytale and this can be seen in the amount of traditional content that Carter has kept in the story. I think that she may have decided to keep it so traditional to act as a contrast to 'The Bloody Chamber', which contradicted the traditional ideas so much that it bears little resemblance to the fairytale on which it was based. She has, however, very cleverly and subtly kept the idea of the feminist twist on the story, without changing the base plot and structure in 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' which makes it successful as a fairytale.
Having read the first story in the collection, 'The Bloody Chamber', we have a certain expectation of what 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' will be like. Looking at the title of the story, in particular the name 'Mr Lyon', we have the expectations of beastial masculinity and therefore a bad masculine figure. Basing our expectations on the previous story we would automatically assume that the 'courtship' in this story will be one of deceit and corruption. However, when we begin to read the story and look at it more in depth it becomes obvious that it is quite a stark contrast to 'The Bloody Chamber'.
'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' is quite obviously based upon the traditional fairytale 'Beauty and The Beast' as it follows the plot and structure of the story very closely. There are many elements of traditional content in the story for example, the idea of the weak paternal figure and the loss of a child. Another example of traditional content is the innocent and virtuous female character; "lovely girl, whose skin possesses that same, inner light..". This contrasts slightly with 'The Bloody Chamber' as, although initially innocent, the young female character seems to desire the thought of corruption.
Though the story has a lot of similarities with traditional fairytales there is one main difference, being the feminist way in which it is written. The feminist content makes the usually strong and imposing male character seem weak and frightened in the presence of the female character; "curious reversal, she frightened him". As in 'Beauty and The Beast' it is the female character that saves the male character, which contradicts the ideas of traditional fairytales. This again shows feminist elements as it makes the woman seem stronger and the male seem weak in comparison. The male character, Mr Lyon, is found at the end of the story in "an attic, with a sloping roof" which somewhat resembles the idea of the traditional 'damsel in distress' at the top of a tall tower, once again perpetuating the idea of a role reversal and feminist content.
The story does have the traditional 'happy ending' as Mr Lyon and Beauty fall in love and, as in the story 'Beauty and The Beast', Mr Lyon transforms into a man; "And then it was no longer a lion in her arms but a man".
I believe that 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' is intended to be in the style of a traditional fairytale and this can be seen in the amount of traditional content that Carter has kept in the story. I think that she may have decided to keep it so traditional to act as a contrast to 'The Bloody Chamber', which contradicted the traditional ideas so much that it bears little resemblance to the fairytale on which it was based. She has, however, very cleverly and subtly kept the idea of the feminist twist on the story, without changing the base plot and structure in 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' which makes it successful as a fairytale.
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
"And I know that she is wise, and she's the apple of my eye..."
There are two main female characters in The Bloody Chamber; the narrator (the new wife of the Marquis) and her widowed mother. Like the to male characters in the book, they are quite different from each other in both appearance and personality.
The narrator is young and naive and describes herself as "the poor widow's child with my mouse-coloured hair.... my bony hips, my my nervous, pianist's fingers". She is the quite the opposite of her mother who she describes as being a strong woman whose "adventurous girlhood in Indo-China" had led her to outfacing "a junkful of Chinese pirates" and shooting a man-eating tiger before the age of 17. The contrasts between the two female characters are referred to many times throughout the story and perpetuates our narrator's innocence and vulnerability, through having a stronger and more active female character to compare her to. The mother's strength is shown by the fact that she keeps her deceased husband's 'antique service revolver' in her handbag, and guns are very masculine objects which denote power. She later uses this gun to kill her daughter's sadistic husband.
The end of the story really shows the differences between mother and daughter. When our narrators realises her new husband's true nature she continues with her passive nature and does not seem to make any attempt to leave the castle and escape her impending fate; "then I went to my dressing room and put on that white muslin shift..." Her passive nature would have lead to her demise; "I've done nothing; but that may be sufficient reason for condemning me" unless her mother had not come to her rescue.
Her mother's "maternal telepathy" had caused her to sense that something was wrong with her daughter and she had travelled to the castle to arrive just in time to save her; "her hair was her white mane, her black lisle legs exposed to the thigh, her skirts tucked round her waist..." In traditional fairytales it is the man who saves the 'damsel in distress' but Angela Carter has twisted the structure of traditional tales to give them feminist themes, therefore it is the strong maternal figure who is the hero, or should I say heroine, of the story.
The narrator is young and naive and describes herself as "the poor widow's child with my mouse-coloured hair.... my bony hips, my my nervous, pianist's fingers". She is the quite the opposite of her mother who she describes as being a strong woman whose "adventurous girlhood in Indo-China" had led her to outfacing "a junkful of Chinese pirates" and shooting a man-eating tiger before the age of 17. The contrasts between the two female characters are referred to many times throughout the story and perpetuates our narrator's innocence and vulnerability, through having a stronger and more active female character to compare her to. The mother's strength is shown by the fact that she keeps her deceased husband's 'antique service revolver' in her handbag, and guns are very masculine objects which denote power. She later uses this gun to kill her daughter's sadistic husband.
The end of the story really shows the differences between mother and daughter. When our narrators realises her new husband's true nature she continues with her passive nature and does not seem to make any attempt to leave the castle and escape her impending fate; "then I went to my dressing room and put on that white muslin shift..." Her passive nature would have lead to her demise; "I've done nothing; but that may be sufficient reason for condemning me" unless her mother had not come to her rescue.
Her mother's "maternal telepathy" had caused her to sense that something was wrong with her daughter and she had travelled to the castle to arrive just in time to save her; "her hair was her white mane, her black lisle legs exposed to the thigh, her skirts tucked round her waist..." In traditional fairytales it is the man who saves the 'damsel in distress' but Angela Carter has twisted the structure of traditional tales to give them feminist themes, therefore it is the strong maternal figure who is the hero, or should I say heroine, of the story.
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