The story "The Company of Wolves" written by Angela Carter taunts the reader's imagination by elaborating on their idea and point of view of gender roles.
The story "The Company of Wolves" written by Angela Carter taunts the reader's imagination by elaborating on their idea and point of view of gender roles. Angela Carter's characters portray these roles very similar to the way modern day Americans view gender roles. Males and females are both Collection of grown-up fairy tales. I first read this book in college and it has become one of my all-time favourites. In this collection of short stories, Angela Carter takes the fairytales, nursery rhymes, and the images and themes they contain and perverts/illuminates them. What is most striking about this collection is Carters writing style. Her language is simultaneously poetic and profane. The stories are heavy with her purple language, which is what makes them so satisfying to read. In additon to the exquisite language, Carters re-telling of classic tales such as "Snow White," "Red Riding Hood," "Puss in Boots," etc., never fails to pay off. Carter creates a world in which Red Riding hood is the savvy hunter, not the innocent hunted. These stories make us focus on the overly simplistic (and often slanted) messages we were taught as children when these tales were first presented to us. In particular, Carter makes us question what fairytales have taught us about gender roles, marriage, and sex. For a trip into the fantasic that will make you laugh and make you really THINK, read
Show how Angela Carter presents Saskia and Imogen in the novel
Using the extract as your starting point, show how Angela Carter presents Saskia and Imogen in the novel "Wise Children" "Oh Saskia, Saskia," said the Lady A. "Don't stand in the way of your father's last chance of happiness-" Saskia picked up the birthday cake on its plate and pitched it against an apple tree. It shattered. Crumbs and candles scattered everywhere. Then she started to break the pots, throwing the dessert plates on the ground and stamping on them. Imogen, giggling in a febrile manner, laid about her smashing glasses with her ribboned crook, sparing nothing. When he saw his caterpillars reduced to pulp, Perry gave a piteous whimper. The Lady A., apprehending carnage among her heritage tableware, started to wring her hands and undulate while Saskia's wails approached hysteria, whereupon Melchior smartly smacked her cheek, the way they do in the movies. "Stop that, young lady!" She shut up at once, put her hand to her cheek, stared at him incredulously with her blue Lynde eyes. Then, tears. He took her in his arms, murmuring, "Hush, hush, darling." She shook him off and flounced into the house, slamming the door behind her, followed a minute or two later by Imogen, except that Imogen had to open the door her sister had just slammed before she could slam it herself. The rest of us were left staring at one another across the broken crockery and I
Bloody Chamber - Commentary
It is late evening, the child runs out onto the moonlit green, searching for something in the lean grass, she had only the light of the moon to guide her as she gazes into the ground in melancholy. She swore she had it on her earlier, she swore to look after it, she swore she wouldn't lose it, but, as whenever we promise ourselves something, the worst always seems to happen. It started with a doll, a petite wooden doll her late mother had given her. The feel of it against her skin did nothing to bring back the warm embrace of her. A dress of embroidered orange silk, the stitching on it as fine and golden as a thread of Rapunzels hair or the spun gold of that millers daughter who had given her word in exchange for a name, her tiny painted face relentlessly smiling in sympathy. Since then she had never managed to hold onto anything for long. Each precious gift would go missing in time, no matter how extensively she clung to it, as a spider clings its sticky, furred, legs to a painted wall. Someone had taken it, it had been there and now it was gone, she remembered it clear as day, even though the dim night had already crept in, had muted the daylight. Innocence has flushed from her cheeks into a guilty crimson. There was no end to her excuses. After that it was an antique music box, the lid engraved with her initials in the cursive script of an antique bible or a medieval
"The Company of Wolves" Comprehension.
Tuesday, 03 December 2002 Jad Salfiti A2 English Literature "The Company of Wolves" Comprehension 'The Company of Wolves' is the retelling of the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Carter's divergence from the original story represents their transformation from girl to women and the wildness within all of us; our connection with nature and the innate biological desires we all have. The story criticises men and their perceptions and makes a critique on their ideas in regard to women. A great theme within 'The Company of Wolves' is the progression from girl to woman. The use of winter acts as an atmospheric device "It is winter and cold weather" in addition the narrator provides a strong sense of location "Step between the portals of the great pine" the world we are entering is a surreal hybrid of everyday reality and a fairy-tale; the story has a bizarre theatrical elements in it. The boundaries between dream, imagination and reality are blurred, just as they are in the mind of the pubescent child. We are told children "do not stay young for long in this savage country". Little Red Riding Hood, being the youngest of her family had been "indulged by her mother and grandmother", who that day had knitted her a red shawl. The two oldest generations of her family are introducing the youngest generation into womanhood, the shawl represents a desire to keep her safe as
Explore the narrative techniques used by Angela Carter to subvert, reverse and challenge the reader's expectations and assumptions, in 'The Bloody Chamber', 'The Company Of Wolves' and 'The Courtship Of Mr.Lyon'.
AS English Essay on 'The Bloody Chamber' by Angela Carter. Explore the narrative techniques used by Angela Carter to subvert, reverse and challenge the reader's expectations and assumptions, in 'The Bloody Chamber', 'The Company Of Wolves' and 'The Courtship Of Mr.Lyon'. 'The Bloody Chamber', 'The Company Of Wolves' and 'The Courtship Of Mr.Lyon' are stories based on fairy tales that would usually have been read to young children. In each story Angela Carter has managed to twist the once innocent fairy tales into short stories with endings and other twists and dramatic turns that are certainly not expected. She challenges the literary structure of the original fairy tale in such a way that it makes the reader think, it leaves you on a cliffhanger. The stories leave you wondering what might happen. Angela Carter subverts, reverses and challenges the reader's expectations and assumptions in each of the three stories. The storyline in each of Angela Carters stories is very much like the original fairytale it is taken from. The endings of each story have been changed; also there are elements of surprise throughout the stories that are varied from the path we as a reader would normally expect the story to take. Because of the fact that the three stories are based on other stories we expect Angela Carter's version to take a more similar path to the story line. There are
Angela Carter essay
Critics have often disagreed about whether The Bloody Chmaber and Other Stories is a rewriting of the Gothic with fairy-tale elements or a rewriting of the Fairy Tale with Gothic elements. In contrast to the French tradition, Carter's attitude towards defining the fairy-tale is inclusive, recalling the Grimm's practice. Her position is stated explicitly in the introduction to her first edited volume of tales, the Old Wives' Fairy Tale Book. There she defuses terminologyby labelling 'fairy tale' as a 'figure of speech' , and thus allowing her to the bri Carter is widely known for her feminist rewriting of fairy tales; the Bloody Chamber can be viewed as a midway between the disquietingly savage analyses of Gothicism and patriarchy and the revolutionary novels of the 1980's and 1990's. The violence in the events of earlier Gothic novel, for instance (the rapes, the physical and mental abuse of women) are used to mock and explode the constrictive cultural stereotypes, and in celebrating the sheer ability of the female protagonist to survive, unscathed by the sexist ideologies. The tales in the Bloody Chamber contain a great deal of what is means to be Gothic; the hidden themes of excess, social transgression , taboo, and forbidden sexualities, but the narrative itself provides a rewriting of the fairy tales that actively engages the reader in a feminist deconstruction. Gothic
Discuss how two of Carter's tales fit in to the tradition of fairy and folk tales
Discuss how two of Carter's tales fit in to the tradition of fairy and folk tales In Angela Carters 'The Bloody Chamber' she interweaves various aspects of retold fairytales and folk tales. Consequently as people may recognise this and have knowledge about these certain fairytales it will manipulate the way in which they think about the adaptation of these stories and the different outcomes possible. Carter therefore plays upon peoples expectations and changes the way in which things happen to what should be expected. The tale 'The Company Of Wolves' is relating to the original fairytale of 'Little Red Riding Hood'. However unlike 'Little Red Riding Hood' where the young girl is defenceless and vulnerable in 'The Company Of Wolves' the girl can look after herself and is wholly competent in fending for herself. In the adaptation of 'The Tiger's Bride' the story has connotations from 'The Beauty and the Beast', as to how the Beast will die after the last petal of the rose falls. Throughout the 'The Company Of Wolves' Carter makes it fairly lucid and clear that men can be very powerful beings, 'her father might forbid her, if her were home'. Thus reinstating that fact that the girl's father has some form of power over her. However the use of the modal verb 'might' accompanied by the ending of the sentence gives the reader the impression that the girl is not scared of her
To what extent are gender stereotypes reinforced or challenged in your chosen story from The Bloody Chamber?
To what extent are gender stereotypes reinforced or challenged in your chosen story from “The Bloody Chamber”? The ‘Lady of the House of Love’ just as a title, creates a very simple image in terms of gender stereotypes; the female role being the obedient, or arguably oppressed, housewife and the male role being the breadwinner and the figure of authority within a patriarchal society. The title thus initiates the notion of the “angel of the house”; in the 1800’s the “angel of the house” was the wife who played a passive role within the household. The timeframe in which “The Lady of The House of Love” is set is ambiguous in the sense that the reader is given little information as to its timeframe. The time in which a story is set has a major influence on the gender roles and whether they’d support or defy the ‘stereotype’ of being male or female. The only evidence we have that suggests it is set in the early 1900’s as there is a mention of World War 1, and the soldier’s fate in “the trenches of France”. However at a glance, the reader may assume that gender roles based from the 1800’s is what the title suggests. However, The Countess or the “Lady of The House” can be shown not to play the classic passive female role, and is more empowered than the title first suggests. The Countess can be interpreted to be symbolic of the trapped
Angela Carter - The Bloody Chamber
Angela Carter Angela Carter believed in the importance of style, as well as ideas. At times this can look 'floral' and she said herself some of her writing did not always succeed as well as she wanted- I think she had doubts about the 'Sadeian Woman'. But at its best it is clear, striking, allusive and powerfully direct: The Bloody Chamber? Angela loved daring stylists such as Ronald Firbank and Peter Greenaway. OK, they can lapse into pretentiousness at worst, but most other art is boring and predictable. Angela's prose is wonderfully fresh and defiantly exhibitionist think you have misinterpreted Carter's unique and often disturbing mastery of language. She is not flowery, elaborate, or extravagant, but fearless and direct in her ability to examine feminist politics and human malice in fairy tales, in relationships, in the world. I question how much you have read of Carter. Do you think it is enough to warrant this assertion against her? Perhaps an example of what you believe to be floral language (with some sort of explication) might help Carter fans at least appreciate and consider your opinon. "The Bloody Chamber", as much for the macabre content as the fact that she massacred our beloved fairytales. However, I can see how a student of English (as I am) could get frustrated by the seeming lack of soul these characters have. Carter takes black and white fairytale
Consider the importance and presentation of Dora in the opening chapter of the novel
Consider the importance and presentation of Dora in the opening chapter of the novel In this essay, I will be discussing the importance and presentation of Dora in the opening chapter. In addition, I will distinguish between the voice of Dora and the voice of the narrator. Dora is important to the novel because she introduces the theme of relationship between the illegitimacy and legitimacy in life; this refers to family and theatre. Dora's family consists of many twins; Dora herself was an identical twin with Nora. They were the biologically illegitimate daughters of Melchior Hazard and 'Pretty Kitty' but they are illegally the daughters of Peregrine Hazard. Peregrine Hazard and Melchior Hazard are fraternal twins. Although Peregrine and Melchior were twins, they were both very different in appearance, attitude, and personality. Dora's illegitimate stepmother, Atlanta Lynde (AKA wheelchair) was a bit of an awkward women, she moaned about what clothes he wore. They also had illegitimate children staying with them because Dora and Nora believed heavily in adoption. They also have the illegitimacy and legitimacy in the aspect of theatre. Dora is very enthusiastic about the theatre and she loves all of the famous plays by Shakespeare. All through the novel there are many references to Shakespeare's plays, for example "A star danced", "how the mighty have fallen", Ranulph