The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter
‘The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories’ is a collection of extraordinary short stories, admired and studied throughout education in the hope to understand and deconstruct the symbolism in Angela Carter’s work. First published in 1979 the powerful literature iscaptivating, well written and is now appreciated by younger generations. The collection is a group of 10 short stories, the first of which is ‘The Bloody Chamber’ that is in excess of double the length of the other stories. Angela Carter found traditional fairy tales as an intriguing starting point to construct the narratives in this publication; rather than reworking pre-existing tales she sought to produce original narratives from their basic qualities.
Angela Carter often found her interest in Gothic literature in her youth translated into her work; whether intentional it influenced the prominence of violence and gore in ‘The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories’. Her interest in the conceptual ideas of terror in the unconscious mind encouraged the daringly violent themes in her stories. The work in this collection often includes symbolic reminders to the violent narrative; in ‘The Bloody Chamber’ the colour red is included throughout the text, for example, the wife is given a ruby choker that she wears continuously.
Feminism is present in ‘The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories,’ shown through the strict gender roles; she openly limits her characters to expected attitudes portrayed in a negative light, including the characters’ distaste to these restrictions. In particular, ‘The Bloody Chamber’ openly portrays the oppression the wife endures, resulting in a fully obedient wife. Angela Carter also goes against the blueprint of the fairy tale in proving women can be the capable heroines of the narratives in the same way as the male roles.
‘I saw myself, pale, pliant as a plant that begs to be trampled underfoot, a dozen vulnerable, appealing girls reflected in as many mirrors, and I saw how he almost failed to resist me.’ [The Bloody Chamber’ p34]
Even though there are numerous retellings of Folk and Fairy tales, they provide narratives as a means to communicate morals, which are shadowed in literary interpretations. Angela Carter’s Feminist views translate into the gender roles of her narratives, providing both extreme restrictions of what is expected from women and men and powerful female roles. The importance of independence in women is often a key message in Angela Carter’s work. When the narratives present traditional roles, of conforming obedient women and controlling powerful men, the opportunity is taken to present her distaste of these expectations, showing it in an ironic manner.
Angela Carter’s use of language in ‘The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories’ collection was received by critiques as lewd and sexually explicit and so is considered highly controversial, further reinforcing her Feminist views. The film of ‘The Company of Wolves’ presents an alternative visualisation of the narrative and a modern interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood, which shows a different style of language in the dialogue verbalising the narrative. The film conforms to Angela Carter’s themes of Feminism, in the independent female role and the Gothic features of gore and death.
Rose Kerbyson 