Read for: Short story challenge
Whether or not Angela Carter’s stories are indeed retellings/reworkings of fairy tales or fresh stories containing familiar elements of fairy tales seems to be a point of some conjecture amongst literary circles. Whatever you decide them to be, these interpretations vary a great deal in tone and length, with the title story being half the length of the entire book. Carter’s work is notably sexual and subversive in nature, with dramatic and gothic overtones that permeate every facet of her storytelling. Though more adult in tone, and certainly not suitable for younger readers, Carter’s work should not be dismissed as mere erotic fairy tales. There is so much more to these stories, emotionally and culturally. The descriptions alone are sumptuous and palpable.
The Bloody Chamber is based on the tale of Bluebeard. A teenage girl marries an older, wealthy French Marquis and is whisked away to live in his castle. When he is called away, he leaves the keys to the castle with his young wife, with strict instructions not to unlock one particular door. But the young woman cannot resist taking a look, only to discover the true extent of her husbands sadistic and perverse nature. Typical of Carter, this tale is more sexual in nature, revolving around the sadistic Marquis, and his infatuation with his previous wives. Shocking and gruesome, yet one of the most powerful stories in this collection.
A beautiful tale of love and loss, The Courtship of Mr Lyon is a relatively familar adaptation of the story of Beauty and the Beast. After his car breaks down, Beauty's penniless father is given aid by a stranger who becomes angry when he steals a perfect white rose for his daughter. He is allowed to leave with the rose but ordered to send Beauty for dinner. The stranger, revealed as a leonine beast falls in love with her and allows her to leave but when she does not return he begins to succumb to heartbreak and only Beauty's love can save his life and humanity.
The Tiger's Bride also contains elemens of Beauty and the Beast, but with a very different ending, a reversal of any I have read or seen in the past. This is not Disney!
Puss-in-Boots is an elaborate and garish tale of a cat named Figaro who lives a life of freedom and debaunchery with his young human companion. But when the young man falls in love, it is left to Figaro to factor their union and extricate the girl from her unhappy marriage. Gloriously over the top, this story had me smiling.
Possibly my favourite story due to my love of folklore and nature, The Erl-King is based on many a folk tale of the man of the woods. A young woman is lured to the mysterious Erl-Kings's home deep in the woods, where she discovers his true plan for her and is forced to escape by any means. Dark and sinister, Carter's writing practically had me drooling.
An interesting spin on the tale of Snow White, The Snow Child especially intrigued me as I have recently read Neil Gaiman's adaptation. In this story however, it is the Count who wishs for a young girl as white as snow, quickly becoming obsessed with his creation, much to the dismay of his wife. This story is short and brutal and left me feeling quite cold. No pun intended.
The Werewolf is a slightly twisted tale of a girl (Red Riding Hood) who visits her grandmother, only to make a horrifying discovery. But what the girl does was most suprising to me!
The Company of Wolves is a slightly closer adaptation of the Red Riding Hood fable, with the girl meeting a young man in the woods on route to her grandmother's cabin, only to discover that he has beaten her to it and is not what he seems. With words straight from the fairy tale itself, this story put a big grin on my face. Delightful.
The third wolf story in this collection, Wolf-Alice creeped me out. Perhaps because Carter's descriptions of a feral little girl were so realistic, I could almost imagine this child ripping apart chunks of flesh with her teeth!
Carter’s use of language is sophisticated and intoxicating, I found myself in utter awe of her powerfully descriptive writing through which she has masterfully twisted these predominantly patriarchal stories into tales of feminine power, liberation and sexuality. These stories are not for the faint-hearted though; they are dark, cruel and often violent. Carter once described herself as drawn to “Gothic tales, cruel tales, tales of wonder, tales of terror, fabulous narratives that deal directly with the imagery of the unconscious”. But perhaps most of all, the stories in The Bloody Chamber are about desire, both feminine and masculine and altogether inescapable. I cannot express how much I admire what Angela Carter has achieved and created here, I will certainly be reading more. Highly recommended.
Other blog reviews:
A Striped Armchair
Stainless Steel Droppings
Tripping Towards Lucidity
The Written Word
(let me know if I've missed yours!)
Guardian review (certainly worth a read)
