How successfully has Carter reimagined a traditional story and increased its appeal to the Modern Audience.

Carter’s version of her fairy-tale is reimagined from the original fairy-tale, as it is untraditional in the sense that experiences within are ‘overt’ – as they explore the dominance/ sexuality of life. This is shown within ‘The Company of Wolves’ as Carter explores the idea that one can benefit from control/ dominance of those around them – as the Girl is said to ‘prosper’ from the murder of her Grandmother. However, this in the sense of the traditional fairy-tale is not necessarily imagined, as it could be suggested to be now created in a more ‘overt’ sense – but that the morals of the tale simply remain the same, as the Girl within ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ too, although not shown, would prosper from leading the Wolf, although not meaning to, to her Grandmother’s House.

Furthermore, Carter too shows that her tale is simply there to make the ideas portrayed with the original fairy-tale more ‘overt’ – as the Gothic is similar, as the young Girl must still contribute, despite now not meaning to, to her Grandmother’s death. Both tales create the sense of the isolation of life, and the idea that one must care for themselves from a young age – which therefore employs the Gothic element of the duality of life, as they young Girl is just that, but yet she must fend for herself. Therefore, the Girl would inherently have two personalities – but cannot show this within ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, meaning that Carter attempts to show this in a more ‘overt’, but not different, way within her enhanced tale.

Within the context of Feminism, Carter does not truly again change the tale to fit into second-wave Feminism, as she, unlike Caroline Duffy in ‘Little Red Cap’, only allows the Girl to partly seduce the Wolf – which means that her tale is not truly differed to fit with the ideas of the period – meaning therefore it cannot truly be ‘modernised’. It is Duffy that truly could be sit to ‘modernise’ the original fairy-tale of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ as she shows the idea that the Woman is inherently powerful – as first of all the Girl in her tale is suggested to sleep with the Wolf, and then to take an ‘axe to the Wolf’ – which shows the all controlling power of the Woman, which links more to second-wave Feminism during the period than Carter’s attempt to show partial power does.

Overall, although Carter partially ‘modernises’ the original fairy-tale, she does not fully create the ‘modern’ fairy-tale, as within the context of the period it does not link to idea’s on Feminism that it should do if completely ‘modern’ – whilst too not being able to fully change the Gothic elements within the original, as Carter simply makes existing ideas ‘overt’, which therefore may be in a sense her ‘modernising’ the text as she attempts to show the fact that the original elements in a fairy-tale used to warn Children of dangers are furthering becoming prominent as time progresses.

'In original Gothic, Women were often presented as trembling victims pursued by predatory Males.' How far is this true of the first narrative in Angela Carter's collection, 'The Bloody Chamber'?

Women, within early Gothic texts, were often portrayed as ‘trembling victims’; this is shown within the Character of Isabella within ‘the Castle of Otranto’, and furthered into later Gothic texts, such as Madeline in ‘the Fall of the House of Usher’. Despite this, Carter does not attempt to express the Character of either the Girl, or her Mother, in ‘the Bloody Chamber’ as a ‘trembling victim’; as both characters express traits of ‘power’ as well acceptance within the first of the short stories in her collection. Simultaneously, Carter may be expressing the Men within her short story as ‘predatory’, as the Marquis seems to prey on the societal view of female weakness as he murders his Wives, whilst Jean-Yves may be seen to exploit  the Girl when she is in her time of need – by doing this Carter may be attempting to present the relationship between Men and Women to the Reader, as from a Feminist perspective although Men appear different from the exterior, they are all ‘predatory’ in a sense when looked at in depth. Carter’s purpose of showing her Female characters as victims, despite not in an overt sense, may be an attempt to explore boundaries from her ‘modern feminist’ perspective – as she attempts to portray Women as stronger than the stock character presented in early Gothic fiction.

Carter shows the Girl within her first short story, ‘the Bloody Chamber’, as a ‘trembling victim’ in the sense that she is shown to be frightful of being left alone with the Marquis from the outset. This is suggested through the lines ‘unguessable country of marriage’, and ‘ceased to be her child in becoming his Wife’; this creates a sense of self-pity from the character as it presents her as ‘isolated’ from all she knows by becoming the Marquis wife. Carter may show her Female characters to be ‘trembling victims’ in this sense as, in the view of Wisker, she is renowned for challenging ‘gendered constructions and representations of power’; by showing the Girl as a ‘trembling victim’ Carter is in essence attempting to portray her Female stereotype as confined by social structures that are seemingly unnoticeable unless made overt through the form of literature.

Furthermore, the Girl is shown to be the ‘trembling victim’ within this first narrative of Carter’s collection as she says she is ‘forced to mimic surprise’ – this shows she is, in a sense, the victim of the patriarchal society in which she lives. It is shown that the Girl is forced to keep her place in Society, as was believed when Carter was writing the collection, as Feminism was developing ideas of how Women were portrayed in society through new forms of literature etc. that attempt to show Women as wrongfully portrayed. This point is confirmed by Carter that ‘characters become symbols’ within Gothic literature, as she may attempt to make the Girl be shown as a the binary opposite to the ‘liberated’ Woman – which may be an attempt to provoke the Female Reader as the Girl is shown to do the Man’s bidding, once this is made overt within the text Carter may expect a reaction that goes against this ideology of a patriarchal society being ‘all controlling’.

It is too shown within ‘the Bloody Chamber’ that Carter presents her Women as ‘trembling victims’ as the Marquis dead Wives are described as a ‘gallery of beautiful women” – this shows the way in which Women are objectified in the eyes of the Marquis. They may be described as a ‘gallery’ in order to show the extent of the patriarchal society in which Carter believes she lives, as the Castle is exhibited as ‘his world’, and that the Marquis is the Girl’s ‘purchaser’. It further shows the self-pity that the Girl feels, as she believes she cannot escape the Marquis ‘gallery’, or ‘world’, suggesting the Girl is deemed as helpless as she never seems to attempt to escape the Male dominated society. It is suggested by Atwood that Carter, by attempting to portray the ‘passivity’ of Women overtly, attempts to show the way in which Women must show a sense of ‘tigerishness’ in order to gain a certain amount of power within society/ life. This may be why Carter places this short story at the forefront of her collection, in an attempt to show the nature in which Women are portrayed as ‘trembling victims’ within literature in an overt way; in an attempt to show to the Reader the extent that Women are marginalised within society.

It is too suggested that the Women are shown to be ‘trembling victims’ as the Men within the text are portrayed as ‘predatory’. This is shown as the marquis conforms to the archetypal Man within Gothic fiction, as he is described as ‘leonine’, this may be symbolic of the ‘predatory’ nature that all Men have – as to create animalistic symbols suggests that, although the Women within Carters first narrative are ‘trembling victims’, they have due reason to be so as they are dominated by their Male counterparts. It is suggested by Carter that she may present her Men in this way in order to ‘provoke unease’, this is for differing reasons to the original gothic, as Dracula was used to provoke fright in an ostentatious/ unnatural way, Carter creates idea’s within her text that, although test boundaries of Gothic, create this sense of fear as they do link to inherent Human desires.

However, within ‘the Bloody Chamber’ the Mother, in contrast to her Daughter in many respects, is described as ‘indomitable’.  Carter may be attempting to challenge views on patriarchy within this suggestion, as she presents a need for Women to be ‘powerful’ within life, as she shows the Mother as a key figure through her ability to save her Daughter’s life whilst Men, such as Jean-Yves, cannot. As Carter appears to present the first tale in her collection as one of age, as it conforms to original gothic stereotypes such as the Marquis Castle, it could be proposed that the idea is to show Women as inherently strong – but confined by ideologies that have always existed, as it is suggested by Wisker that as Carter is a ‘contemporary writer’, it is her duty to ‘critique the contemporary world’.

Carter too attempts to reference her Character’s as strong, this is shown through the link created to Catherine de Medici within the short-story, this links to the idea of all tales being adaptations to the past – as Catherine de Medici is viewed as the epitome of Feminism in the sense she battled patriarchal society in order to become the Queen of France. This may create the suggestion that Carter is attempting to show her Characters as inherently strong, but that they have simply been controlled through time to believe that they have no ‘power’ – meaning that Carter attempts to link her Characters to strength through covert means; for example she uses a lack of emotional language, like ‘he kissed me and left me and died’. This suggests that all Women within original Gothic literature are truly ‘strong’, but are portrayed as the ‘trembling victim’ in order to keep up the idea of Male dominance – despite this not being the reality of life.

The statement presented may too be suggested to be untrue as the Men within ‘the Bloody Chamber’ could be viewed to be presented as not ‘predatory’. This is shown through the character of Jean-Yves, as he is blind he cannot truly control the Girl, this is shown through the line ‘lover kissed me’ – suggesting that unlike the Girl and the Marquis relationship they are on equal terms, as the Girl finds Jean-Yves as somebody who ‘loves’ her. This links to the idea of ‘the Male Gaze’; as without Jean-Yves’ look she cannot be controlled by him, meaning that they must be on equal terms. By making Jean-Yves blind, Carter subverts the gaze, as she wishes the Man to be the one who is dominated, as although he cannot see the Girl, the Girl can see him for what he is; which means that instead of being a victim, like original Gothic literature would have made her, the Girl is even if only for part of ‘the Bloody Chamber’ viewed as ‘powerful’.

Overall, within the first narrative of Carter’s collection, she does attempt to show the Marquis as ‘predatory’; but simultaneously she attempts to show her Female characters as ‘strong’, as by creating the character of Jean Yves it subverts ‘power’ to the Girl. This is uncommon within original Gothic texts, as the Female is usually portrayed as a melodramatic character that has no ‘power’ within the text – therefore Carter may be attempting to suggest the changing of Feminism throughout time, as she believes that this is the time for Women to show themselves as more dominant within society.  

'The Lady of the House of Love' - Presentation of the Male Character & Interpretations.

Pages 111 - 112 - How is the Young Man presented?

The Young Man is described by Carter as the 'hero' within the text - he is not the natural 'hero' that is described within stereotypical Fairy-Tales, but a figure that represents both a 'hero', as well as a 'natural man'. This is through the Man's ability to be described as 'rational' whilst simultaneously having the 'special quality of virginity' - which symbolises the Man's ability to not fear the supernatural, as he cannot fear what he does not understand.


Page 111 - 112 - What is the significance of the Bicycle?

The Bicycle is a symbol of the Man's rationality, as within 'the Lady of the House of Love' the Man refuses to give the Bicycle to the Governess - which symbolises the Man's inherent belief in 'rational' idea's and his inability to view the 'irrational' as the 'norm'. Carter may be attempting to express the Feminist View whereby Man is, through Social Constructs, unable to perceive the 'irrational' within a Woman as a natural idea - which links to the idea of the 'liberated' Woman forever being dominated by Societal Ideologies, as the Countess, no matter how hard she may try to win over the Man, will never be able to live in coexistence. This is not due to the 'Vampyric' nature of the Woman, but because of Man's inability to accept 'boundaries' within Society as 'norms' - as these views are not in Man's eyes 'rational'.


Page 113 - What might be the significance if 'he gratefully washed his feet and hands' in the village fountain?

The act of washing within the village fountain may symbolise the cleansing of the Human soul in order to be rid of 'imperfections' - as the Man may be cleansing his soul in order to rid himself of the sin of killing within the War. The act of cleansing may too symbolise the idea of Jesus with Holy Water in order to cleanse himself, as Jesus acts as a saviour, the Man may to be a saviour to the Countess as he attempts to cleanse her of her Socially created impurities - through allowing the Countess to die the Man is in essence her saviour as she can live free of stereotypes. However, from a Feminist perspective this may too show Man to be the 'destroyer' of all Woman - as in order to let her live freely he must kill her, which may symbolise the death of a Woman as she becomes involved with a Man as he destroyers her true self in order for her to be accepted within Society through the form of Marriage etc.


Page 114 - 'curiouser and curiouser' - What does this suggest about the Young Man? What Character/s are you reminded of?

This line is used to suggest the idea that due to the Countess the Man is beginning to let go of his 'rational' idea's as he embraces the 'irrational' - it is reminiscent of the Woman within 'the Bloody Chamber' as she begins to search for the Count's secrets she too lets go of her 'rational' idea's, it is the belief in the 'irrational' that leads to the Character's being able to discover the truth - showing that the 'irrational' should be accepted in order to realise the truth of Society etc.


Page 116 - The Crone is described as bringing the Young Man to 'Juliet's Tomb'. What is the significance of the intertextual reference?

This, despite connoting love/ passion between the Man & the Countess through the reference of 'Romeo & Juliet' - too symbolises the sense of 'forbidden love' that the Character's must feel, as they are from two separate Societies/ World's (the 'rational' & 'irrational'). It is, however, because of the Man that they cannot be together as the Countess attempts to be 'perfect' - so is therefore not Human, it is the Stereotype's made by Men that cause Women to strive for the idea of 'perfection'.


Page 117- 'What a grisly picture of a capering skeleton! He covered it up with a happier one - of two young lovers, smiling at one another...'
How is the Young Man presented her? What might Carter's purposes be?

At this point, Carter may be attempting to show the Young Man as naïve, as he is uncomfortable with the thought of death; despite this concept being an integral part of Human existence. It may therefore be an attempt by Carter to switch Gender Roles within Society, whilst presenting these new idea's as the 'norm' - this is because it is the Soldier who would usually connote death due to his profession, whereas it is the Countess who is frequently associated with the thought of death. Moreover, by the Young Man removing the painting of the skeleton from the Wall, he is actually refusing to accept the Countess (as she is the embodiment of all the Painting stands for) therefore further showing that they can never truly be together due to social 'norms' that are only accepted by the 'simple minded'.

Page 119 - 'Can a bird sing only the song it knows, or can it learn a new song?'
                  'One kiss, however, and only one, woke up the Sleeping Beauty'
Carter makes significant use of repetition within this Story. Why might this be? What is the significance of the examples above, both of which are repeated in the course of the Narrative?

Carter may be attempting, through the repetition of lines, to drive an ideology further into the Reader. The line whereby the Countess asks whether a Bird is confined to one song throughout its life, could be symbolic of whether or not the Countess is confined to the life that she does not wish to possess for the rest of her days, that is, the life of a Vampire. As Carter uses the Bird to symbolise the Countess it could create the question of freedom - as the Bird is truly free to be as it wishes, whilst still being confined to constructs that do not allow it to deviate from its purpose within its life. Therefore, Carter may showing the extent to which Women, amongst other things, are objectified within Society; as like the Bird the Countess will never truly be free, due to the superstructure that keeps all in place.
Carter, however, uses the reference of 'Sleeping Beauty' in order to create the suggestion that the Reader should feel sympathy for the Countess, as she, like 'Sleeping Beauty', is isolated in a World given to her. Despite this, the Reader still feels anger towards the Countess, as she is still the murderous villain within the Story - but through the comparison to 'Sleeping Beauty', Carter offers the Reader a chance to challenge their own notions of right/ wrong, which may be an attempt by Carter to blur the boundaries of her Tales in time for the 'transformation' Tales that come at the end of the Narrative Collection.

Page 123 - 'And so he puts his hand to the wound. He will kiss it better for her, as her Mother, had she lived, would have done'.
What is the significance of this quotation?

This is the reversal of Gender Roles within the Tale, as the stereotypical belief is that the Mother cares for Daughter; whereas here it is the Young Man caring for an ailed Vampire - through caring for her he too shows his acceptance of her 'irrational' thought, as he does not wish to harm her, but save her from the curse that her lineage had bestowed upon her. It may be symbolic of Man's eventual acceptance of the 'irrational' if boundaries are blurred that show it to be the 'rational'; from a Feminist perspective it may be an attempt to show the 'simplistic' nature of Man as the character that accepts without thought to consequence/ reason - whilst too showing the most naïve, whilst bravest, of Character's (the Soldier) can accept new ideologies, which bears the question why the rest of Man cannot too accept the figure of the 'liberated' Woman.

Page 125 - 'When he returned from the mess that evening, the heavy fragrance of Count Nosferatu's Roses drifted down the stone corridor of the barracks to greet him, and his Spartan quarters brimmed with the reeling of odour of a glowing, velvet, monstrous flowers whose petals had regained all their former bloom and ecstasy, their corrupt, brilliant, baleful splendour. Next day, his regiment embarked for France.'
How might we interpret this ending?

The ending may be interpreted as a juxtaposition to the 'traditional' Fairy-Tale ending, as it is shown to be a Narrative that connotes death/ sadness instead of the happiness that usually greets the Reader at the end of the Fairy-Tale. Carter exposes this idea through the fact that the Flower comes to life within the Night - as it regains all its Petals in their 'corrupt splendour' as Night falls. It is therefore suggested by Carter that the Role of the Countess will never change due to Social Constructs that make her as she is, just as the Flower blooms, the Countess must be a Vampire.
Carter further attempts to suggest that the ideas of Society are a 'never-ending curse' as the Soldier, despite his naïve/ timid nature, must go off to fight in France the following day - which in essence shows both the Young Man & the Countess as 'victims'; as the Countess is killed by the Soldier as he attempts the save her, the Soldier must then go to fight, and die, for his Nation as patriarchy has forced him into the notion that as he is the Man he must be the 'valiant hero', whereas it would be the Countess that exhibits the strength to be the Character that fights/ kills - which may therefore be Carter suggesting the flaw in Gender Roles that dominate societies views.

The Tiger's Bride- A3 Questions.

Who has the Power in this Text and who is Disempowered? What is the Source of Power within the Text?
It is the Beast who controls the Power within this Text, as he can do with as he wishes with his newly acquired 'possession'. This is due to the Beast's Stereotype being one of Fear/ Dread as he is portrayed as more Powerful than a Woman, as the Source of Power within this Text could be believed to be Self-Realisation, as the Beast knows that a Beast is exactly what he is- whereas it is not until the Final Paragraph where Beauty transforms into a Tigress therefore exposing her true self. As until this Stage Beauty is alienated, as the Automaton allows Beauty to view herself as inferior to what she should be- as the Automaton is there to symbolise the idea that as Society constantly develops it is hard to keep up with the continuous improvement, meaning as Beauty becomes a Tigress it is the Self-Realisation of Beauty that makes her content with being as she truly is, as she peels back the layers that Society has uncontrollably placed upon her.





How far does the Text present a struggle for Power between different Social Classes?
The Text portrays the fact that it is hard to become something that you may not be, this may be due to the Superstructure of Society that does not allow movement between the Classes- as the Lower Classes are Disempowered to the extent they have no option but to risk all in order to gain what they desire, which is most cases is Wealth. This is shown through Beauty's Opening Line of " MY FATHER LOST me to The Beast at cards"- as the only way in which the Proletariat can become the Bourgeoisie is through blind-luck, as the idea of Economic Determinism is simply an idealist view of the Lower Classes.





To what extent are the choices Character's make in the Text 'free' or 'determined'?
It could be suggested from a Marxist perspective that all actions that Character's take within 'The Tiger's Bride' are pre-determined by the Society in which they are part of. As the Father of Beauty is disempowered within Society to the extent he must risk all to become a Man which he is not, this means that despite the fact it is Beauty's Father's free will to Gamble his Money away- it is Society that makes him choose this this option as if he does not then he can never give the Life to his Daughter that she deserves- meaning that if he cannot give her this Life himself then she is better off without him.



In what ways do Character's in the Text seem to be locked into Social Roles - and does the Text Question the fairness of this?
In this Text all Character's do seem to be locked into a Social Role that has been created for them by Society, as the Beast is a Beast in Society's View. The fact that the Character's are locked into these Role's is portrayed through the fact that Beauty's Father must Win his Wealth instead of Earn it, as it is impossible for each Character to develop within Society- as there is the Superstructure within Society that means it is impossible for anybody to move past their Class. The Character's are too shown to be forced into their Social Role's through the fact that Beauty cannot change until she is taken away from the Materialistic Society in which she lives and moved into the Beast's Castle, as it is easier here for the Beast to show Beauty how she is controlled by the Society in which she Lives- until the Stage whereby she is able to transform into her Natural Self as a Tigress, meaning that until a Person is taken away from their Position in Society they are unable to see the way in which they are controlled into decisions by the Structure of Society.





How are different Social Classes presented in the Text - and why?
Different Social Classes are presented differently within the Text- as the Beast although a Higher Social Class is shown to be less obsessed with Materialistic Views of the Lower Classes in Society. This may be Carter attempting to represent the idea that the struggle that the Lower Classes go through in order to reach the heights of Society is in a sense a waste of time- as the Materialism that a Person seeks is not all to Life, as those who have the Power to own whatever they want soon find that what they have is tedious so therefore attempt to find more and more as Society must constantly improve. This is shown through the Automaton, as this symbolises the fact that Society must constantly develop in order to satisfy the needs of those who control it- but that those such as the Beast that are at the height of Society understand that once you are in the position of Power it is not necessarily over, as there is like Society always a continuous improvement to be made.





To what extent is one Social Class exploited by another, resulting in alienation?
It is shown within 'The Tiger's Bride' that the Proletariat are in many senses exploited by the Bourgeoisie as they are made to believe that the higher you are in the Social Structure the better your Life will become- which means that those Lower Classes will work harder in order to get where they want to be, despite the Base of Society making it impossible for the Structure to truly change. This results in alienation as it makes the Lower Classes feel left out of the Society they want to be in, as hard work seems to get People nowhere- therefore it in a sense creates two alternate Societies whereby there is a constant struggle to get into the higher class, as it is perceived as a better Life for those in it.





To what extent are Character's reified?
Within 'The Tiger's Bride' Characters are treated as if they are 'possessions' as Beauty can be Won/ Lost at Cards like Wealth- suggesting that every Person has a value to someone that can be exchanged for Money etc. It is suggested that Character's are reified in order to show the extent to which Materialism plays a Role in Society as in order to succeed it is viewed that risks need to be taken- but that the risks taken outweigh the rewards, but Beauty's Father cannot see this as he is blinded by Society and his overwhelming ambition to move up in an unwinnable Social Structure.

Fairy-Tales And The Existential Predicament- Bruno Bettelheim 1977- Questions-

1. How might Bettelheim's ideas help us to understand the purposes of Fairy-Tales?

Bettelheim's understanding/ idea's surrounding Fairy-Tales suggest that they are used in order to give further understanding to a Child's Life, as "a Child needs to understand what is going on within his conscious self so that he can also cope with that which goes on in his conscious".
This suggests that Bettelheim's Theory is that if a Child wants to understand the inherent fears/ desires with Life, they must see how to act upon these circumstances. It is Bettelheim's belief that a Fairy-Tale offers an original view point that can allow the growth of a Child, to the extent they are able to further understand the way in which Life can create situations beyond the control of any Human.
Therefore, this allows the suggestion to be created that to be kept from Society will in fact cause naivety for any Child- as it is better for any Child to be shown the danger's of Reality through the Fairy-Tale, than for said Child to live without any true knowledge to how the World works- to the extent that they are forever isolated from the truth of Reality/ Society.
Bettelheim to attempts to show how the triumph of Good over Evil is too a fundamental part of Society, as the Fairy-Tale is too there to show how the victory of the Protagonist over any Evil force outweighs any feelings that a Person may get as the 'Bad Guy' within Life.
It is Bettelheim's belief that as a Parent to in a sense attempt to protect a Child from the truth's of the World at a young age will in fact have an adverse effect on the growth of the Child- as if a Child is unable to see how Cinderella can 'rise above' her Step-Sisters in order to seek a better Life for herself then a Child may become, in a sense, without the boundaries of Right/ Wrong within their Life. This is because if a Child is unable to see at a young age how the triumph of Good over Evil is not without its hardships- but it is these hardships that mould the Person they will become- then said Child will attempt to glide through Life under the assumption that Good is natural- whereas in Reality it has to be worked at, as "Real Life is not all sunny".

2. How do Bettelheim's idea's help us to understand the purpose of the Gothic?

Bettelheim's idea's regarding Fairy-Tales allow the Gothic to be explored, as Bettelheim suggest that the darker side of Life needs to be explored in order to raise a Child in the correct way. This is shown as Rapunzel is locked in a Tower due to her Father's defiance of the law, meaning that for a Child to grow they will need to understand how Life is unfair in many situations- but it is how these situations are dealt with that defines the Character of a Person- as the more malevolent aspects of Life must be portrayed in order to provide an understanding to a Child, despite the opinion that suggests Violence in any form should not be shown to Children as Parents want them to believe that "all Men are good".
This links to the idea of the Gothic Genre as, like Bettelheim, the Gothic attempts to explore the duality of Life- as not all Men are Good, but that the battle of Good vs. Evil must be shown in order for the more Evil side of Human nature to be expressed within a text.

3. Why do you think Angela Carter mixes the Fairy-Tale and Gothic Genres in 'The Bloody Chamber'?

This allow Carter to employ the overt and the covert within her texts- as the Fairy-Tale brings out what is seen on the surface of the text, as something that is not harmful/ has no singular deeper meaning but through employing the Gothic Carter is able to show sinister meanings within a Fairy-Tale that may not been seen if not placed in more overt Gothic situation.
This is shown through the Simulacra in 'The Tiger's Bride'- as it allows the child-like idea of a mimic to be brought into the Fairy-Tale, whilst simultaneously creating a deeper meaning that every Man/ Woman is simply a copy of the stereotype they are perceived to be- as the Simulacra is a symbol for the materialistic Society that is never content, so therefore must continuously develop until they become something they are not.

Overall Analysis of The Courtship of Mr Lyon and The Tiger's Bride, Angela Carter and the Gothic for the AQA A2 Lit B Exam.

Task One-


Perpetuate- To make something indefinite.


Who is Freud- Australian Neurologist/ Later became Founder of Psychoanalysis.


What is a 'Reflexive Narrator'- A Narrator that retells a Story that happened to themselves in the Past.

Polarity- The State of continuously having Two Opposing/ Contradictory Opinions.


Oedipus Complex- Important Point in Sexual Development- the Point at which a Boy feels a Desire for his Mother as a replacement to his Father.
Defloration- The taking of a Woman's Virginity.


Voyeurism- The Pleasure/ Gratification a Person gets through Viewing another's Sexual Acts.






Task Two- Key Sentences-


1. The Patriarchal System makes Women conform, through differing means, to their Stereotype.




2. Carter is shown to renounce the Idea that Women are One-Dimensional- that they must be their Stereotype- she does this through the exploration of a Woman's Primitive Desire's e.g. Sexual Desire.




3. The Idea of Gender Identity are that a Male is a intellectual/ whereas a Female is irrational- Carter attempts to prove this Ideology to have simply been created through Stereotype- as through the Transformations within 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' and 'The Tiger's Bride'- it is suggested that their 'New Selves'/ 'Original Selves' are in fact Constructs of Society.




4. The Idea of Deconstruction within this Collection of Short-Stories- links to the suggestion that everyone is built, like the Automaton, to move with Society around them, therefore allowing Carter to link to Marxism as it is as if the Society creates the Person, instead of the Person creating the Society.




5. Carter's Intertextuality develops meaning to her Text- as through Heightened Intertextuality it becomes apparent that all Fairy-Tales are constructs of the Masculine Ideology- therefore furthering Carter's attempt to rid Ideologies out of Literature- through exposing their Irrational Nature.



1. Conformity.



2. Complexity.



3. Ridiculous Ideologies.



4. Deconstruction shows Truth.



5. Intertextuality furthers Feminist Practice.




Key Phrase/ Idea- People are Created, not Born.


100 Word Summary-


This Extract suggests that there are many differing Gender Stereotypes that are conformed to within Fairy-Tales, as Carter attempts to show within ‘The Bloody Chamber’ that not all of the Gender Stereotypes are true- but instead products of the Society in which they were created. As Carter attempts show the truth behind the Fairy-Tale’ s nature these views in order to portray new idea’s she explores multiple boundaries linking to Gender Identity that come up within Fairy-Tale’s- e.g. Physical Transformation, Femininity/ Masculinity, Destruction/ Construction, Mirroring (Simulacra), Sexual Dominance, Patriarchal Society, Language etc. In order to portray the extent to which "Parameters of Domination and Obedience" are actually used/ hidden within the average Fairy Tale.

The Tiger's Bride- Task 3.

1. What are 'the devil's picture books'?
The 'Devil's Picture Book's' are shown to be 'Playing Card's' within 'The Tiger's Bride'- as it is suggested that The Narrator's Father is consumed by the act of gambling, having his and his Daughter's lives taken away by addiction- therefore it is suggested that the 'Playing Card's' used by the Father of Beauty are made by the devil, as nothing could be crueller within her life.

2. What type of language is Carter using when The Narrator calls The Beast 'Milord'?
The language used by Carter when The Narrator calls The Beast 'Milord' suggests a sense of condescension/ sarcasm- as The Narrator is seemingly mocking the suggestion that her ownership can simply be moved for her Father to an unknown Beast. It too suggests that The Narrator is being portrayed by Carter as contempt within the Short-Story due to her Father's actions becoming so well-known to The Narrator that the only way she can get through is by portraying everything as 'below her'- as she becomes increasingly disillusioned with her Father's action's she treats everything as it is not worthy of her presence.

3. When The Beast gives the Girl a White Rose. What do White Roses symbolise in this collection and why are they used more than once (also in 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon')?
Carter's continuous use of the symbol the Rose is used to represent the ideological Woman- the use of the White Rose within 'The Tiger's Bride' and 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' represents the idea that the ideological Woman can blossom in the harshest of weather- and that irrespective of the situation The Narrator/ Beauty must remain this perfect vision of Womanhood- as she is objectified as a White Rose.

4. What might be significant of the verb choice 'fleeced'?
The use of the verb 'fleeced' is suggestive that The Narrator is in a Man's view a helpless animal- as she is shown to be symbolised as a lamb- and that to stay with the Beast she is conforming to the idea that she will be slaughtered due to his overwhelming force/ power. Therefore, Carter's use of the line 'Lion lies down with the Lamb'- backs up this concept- as it is viewed that for The Narrator to stay with the Beast would mean that she- like the proverbial 'Lamb'- would too be dominated for a certain purpose- as the 'Lamb' is 'fleeced'- The Narrator is sexually exploited and killed by the Beast.

5. Which Fairy-Tale does 'gobble you up' come from and why is it referred to?
Carter's use of intertextuality here is from the Fairy-Tale 'Little Red Riding Hood'- it is used to suggest that Beauty is mislead within the Short-Story- as she relies on her Father's actions but is continuously 'let down'. Within 'Little Red Riding Hood' it is the Girl's Mother who allows her to visit her Grandma despite clear danger within the Forest- Carter attempts to show that The Narrator's Father here mirrors The Mother within this Fairy-Tale. Furthermore, the use of 'gobble you up' connotes the idea that the Beast will harm The Narrator- linking to the fear that The Narrator must feel within 'The Tiger's Bride'- as she is truly scared that the Beast will murder her due to her Father's lack of morals.

6. What tells the Reader that the inhabitants are not driven by appearances or luxuries?
As the Reader we are told that the Beast is not driven by materialistic desires/ luxuries as it is stated that the Beast- "bought solitude, not luxury". Therefore, it is shown that the Beast is searching for a deeper understanding/ meaning to life than what he can possess- as he attempts to look for a more substantial meaning to isolated life. This is shown through his 'acquisition' of The Narrator/ Woman- as the Beast needs love/ company in order to have a meaningful life.

7. What is significant of the fresco- 'where fruit and blossom grew on the bough together'?
This Fresco links to the idealised Society that the Beast wishes to be a part of, as it is suggestive that the Beast wishes to live in harmony with other species- as they can see the true nature of his form- and that Human's are more like him than they believe (shown through the transformation at the end of the Short-Story).

8. What is the description of the soubrette supposed to suggest to the Reader?
Carter's description of the soubrette suggests to the Reader that The Narrator is not without her own faults- as it is suggested the stereotypical soubrette is viewed as 'coy'- therefore it could be suggested that The Narrator in a sense could lead to her own downfall. This is shown through the suggestion that The Narrator knew that the Beast could see her Father's Card's- but did nothing to stop her Father's idiotic decision.

9. How does the Girl compare herself to Animals?
The comparison of Characters to Animals is used through this Collection of Short-Stories- in this case it is used to portray The Narrator as innocent. This is shown through the suggestion she is a 'Lamb'- as this links to the Gender Identity- that The Narrator could be perceived as weak due to the belief she is a Female as this is in coordination with her appearance- when in reality The Narrator is possibly the most dominant Character within 'The Tiger's Bride'.

10. In light of the end of this story, analyse the phrase- 'The Tiger will never lie down with the Lamb; he acknowledges no pact that is not reciprocal'.
In light of the Ending to 'The Tiger's Bride' it could be suggested that this phrase does not mean as it was first thought- as it could be believed that the Beast is not truly a Tiger- but a Cat- due to the use of "purr". Therefore, this suggests that The Narrator is the true Tiger- as the Beast is hesitant when approaching The Narrator- reinforcing the phrase 'The Tiger will never lie down with the Lamb; it acknowledges no pact that is not reciprocal'. This links to the idea of Gender Identity within 'The Tiger's Bride'- as it is believed that the Beast/ Tiger is always the Man- and that through this form of stereotype the Woman/ The Narrator is shown to be weak. Therefore, through the ending of 'The Tiger's Bride' it could be suggested that The Narrator has in a sense become herself/ been reborn- as she too becomes a Tiger in form, linking to the idea that The Narrator is not in fact that Lamb- and that she is a like the Beast- in the sense they were both waiting until a certain point to shown their true emotions. Overall, this may be Carter suggesting that the Woman can too hide her true self from Society- as the Marquis does in 'The Bloody Chamber'- and that Women are perceived to be the Lamb (Innocent/ Weak) within Society, and that due to the Gender Identity they must keep up this appearance- whilst leaving the Man unable to show his true feelings due to the same factor.