The Bloody Chamber

The narrator talks about his many ‘encounters’ with girls, singling out ‘Briony Nevis’ as a particular highlight whom he kissed once at a party and is ‘flat out beautiful with long black hair like some kind of Indian’. There is a definite male domination that is alluded to throughout the story. The introduction of the character Meg again displays poor treatment or women, describing her as ‘thick as a box of hammers’.

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 attacking male versions of the world to exploring the nature of the female world and outlook, and reconstructing the lost or supressed records of female experience’. This is what Angela Carter explores in her novels. The Courtship of Mr Lyon is a reconstruction of a traditional patriarchal story to highlight female independence.

Events in history have influenced writers’ style, and the importance in their stories. Alice Walker wrote a novel which was very much subjective by the time period of the 1940’s. There was a great deal of bigotry and tyranny during that time, particularly for Women of color. Women were mentally and physically abused and belittled by man purely because of their race and femininity. Women were considered as ignorant individuals that simply knew how to handle housework and care for the children.

There are many female writers, some known better than other. Female writes most of the time focused their stories in experiences or personal point of view on what is going on around them. Other women write fiction of unusual worlds and character that people can relate to with the struggle or experiences. Margaret Atwood the “Canadian nationalist poetess is a prominebt figure concerned with the need for a new language to explore relations between subjects and society“ (Omid, Pyeaam 1). Atwood wrote her first novel called, “The Edible Woman”; this first novel categorized her as feminist, based on the main character of a strong woman. In an interview with Emma Brockes, Atwood affirms, "First of all, what is feminism? Second, which branch of

A wealthy aristocrat man, had the misfortune to having a blue beard, which made women run away from Bluebeard’s ugliness. He had many wives disappear, until he once again remarried. One day, curiosity took over his current wife, to enter a room off-limits. She discovers the dead bodies of Bluebeard’s past wives killed by him. He learns of his wife’s discovery and intent of killing her, until her brothers appeared and killed Bluebeard, leaving her the sole heir of his fortune.

Barbara Kingsolver’s modern romance, The Bean Trees, tells the story of a young woman named Taylor Greer. Taylor is born in a small rural town and “gets away” so she can do bigger and better things. While driving cross-country, a woman leaves her a small child. Taylor raises names and raises this child, Turtle. She moves in with another single mom and works for Mattie, a woman who smuggles refugees. Taylor has multiple moments of lost innocence as she learns the true evils of the world, and she uses this to grow into a stronger person. In her novel, The Bean Trees, Kingsolver juxtaposes characters and settings that uphold gender stereotypes and that challenge them in order to convey the notion that those who break traditional gender roles

In the three short stories “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, and “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, each author provides insight into the complexity of human nature through the internal struggles faced by a main character within each story. In “The Chrysanthemums” Steinbeck paints Elisa in a way that displays her lack of feminine identity, highlighting her personal sexual views of herself and ¬¬the internal struggle it creates, then in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Oates also presents a female who struggles with her sexual view of herself which we see throughout the story as Connie hides her sexuality at home but lets it run wild for the rest of the world, ultimately leading to her demise, and lastly in “Sonny’s Blues”, Baldwin introduces Sonny and the complex issues he goes through as his brother doubts his

The Blithedale Romance, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story of a twisted utopia. This perfect world is twisted in that the roles of gender have a traditional utopian representation, only with a more contemporary take. Of course, this is interesting because this book was written and published in the 19th century when such ideas were beginning to establish a form for the genre of writing. Hawthorne combines fantasy, philosophy, mystery, gothic, and even [what would be called today] science fiction. This novel illustrates the early break from even fresh ideas. The writing style allows for the "genderizing degenderizing" affect as well as nature of the self.

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 inscribe 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.

“I’ve got more than enough money for my daughter. What I need is honour. I intend to make her a marquise” (226).

On the other end, Capellanus views the trophy of virginity as futile and counters that while you know “some other man is enjoying the embraces of your beloved, this will make you begin to value her solaces all the more” (2.2, 3). Furthermore, he makes the argument against adultery, again opposing the views of Ovid. Capellanus explains his argument in detail by stating that a man in love is adorned “with the virtue of chastity, because he who shines with the light of one love can hardly think of embracing another woman, even a beautiful one” (1.4, 2).

The stories of The Bloody Chamber reveal the importance of gaining independence through experience from the protagonists’ curiosity and desire to explore the world, especially where there is no guidance to lead them; in order for them to become women, they need to learn how to be on their own rather than simply taking cues from others. In the story of “The Bloody Chamber,” the heroine’s desire is shown as she made the decision to marry the Marquis for the reason of wealth rather than love due to her impoverished life; as such, the story suggests that, in order to be independent, an experience must take place. In the beginning of the story, the mother is described as a character with strength and courage; shooting a man-eating tiger with her own hand and holding all the traits of

It is impossible to discuss the role of women in literature without mentioning the influence of feminism. The later in the timeline one reads, the more prominent it becomes. Each new wave of feminism brings with it its own goals, yet it also continues to strive for some of the same goals as past generations because not everything is accomplished all at once. Although “The Well of Loneliness” by Radclyffe Hall and “Rubyfruit Jungle” by Rita Mae Brown, are two starkly different texts that strongly reflect the feminist eras in which they were written, they have some similarities as well.

In the story of The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter attacks the conventional gender roles of women. The conventional Gothic plot revolves around pursuit. A young heroine’s virtuous virginity, purity and innocence is sexually threatened. Thus, what Carter does in “The Bloody Chamber” is redefine female desire and sexuality which are rendered passive and repressed through traditional Gothic texts. Where the mother exemplifies the heroic woman, the “girl” is the traditional damsel in distress. Maria Makinen’s assessment of Carters feminine characters is both truthful and incorrect. Carter uses traditional female stereotypes as well as her unique women to make a contrast between these perceptions of women.

Within these four pages, Carter uses their sexual encounter to explore patriotic views on men through the characteristics of the Marquis and his treatment of the girl. This encounter foreshadows the outcome of