"The Bloody Chamber" by Angela Carter - With close reference to one of the tales, discuss how Carter draws upon and subverts conventions of the fairy tale

"The Bloody Chamber" by Angela Carter "With close reference to one of the tales, discuss how Carter draws upon and subverts conventions of the fairy tale" Usually fairy tales are told to children to teach them a moral lesson in life or as is mostly the case, help them tell the difference between good and bad. Angela Carter is someone known to take elements from fairy tales and turn them into well written, exciting, compelling complex dramas of a Gothic nature filled with sexual innuendo, a combination of different narrations (mainly first and third), strong heroic female characters and the evil villain - the male. "The Bloody Chamber" is a modern interpretation of the "Blue Beard" (character below) fairy tale which uses this very formula to create an exciting and dramatic story. In a nutshell both stories are about young women (in their late teens, on the verge of turning into womanhood) who marry a wealthy man and leave a life of modesty behind them. The young women are given a set of keys which allows them to explore every room in the house - except one (the 'bloody' chamber) , if that room is entered, dire consequences shall follow (death). Naturally the young women ignore the advice of their intimidating, menacing and much older husbands to enter the room and fall into the trap set up for them and like every disobedient child, they MUST be punished. With reading the

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Analysis of Italian novel I'm not Scared

The book being titled "I'm not scared" is very appropriate as the common theme of the book is orientated around many characters facing fears and overcoming them or giving in to them. Furthermore the progression of the story is determined by characters not being "scared". The book is based in 1970s Italy. More specifically in an isolated village named Acqua Traverse. Acqua Traverse is typical of southern Italian villages at the time geographically with contact with the outside world being very limited and the villages being of a small scale. This fictional village represents the situation of the majority of typical southern agriculture villages in Italy at the time who suffered financially due to their failure to develop their industry, in which the north had much success. Due to instability in these regions many fled to the north in search of opportunities for wealth. This instability also provoked the regular occurrence of kidnappings in southern Italy. "I'm not scared" also embodies typical culture references throughout, with a society influenced strongly influenced by the males of the village, being present the book. A main character of this thrilling novel is that of Michele, a boy possessing such strong curiosity and strong morals that is unique of a child his age. Also proving to be an influential character is the kidnapped Fillipo who is discovered by Michele

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To what extent can 'The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' be viewed as a 'gothic novel'

To what extent can 'The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' be viewed as a 'gothic novel'? Jekyll and Hyde is a gothic novel. It was written by Robert Louis Stevenson, he got the idea for the story after a dream he had. The word 'Goth' is originally from a German tribe and has come to mean 'barbarian' and later know as 'Gothic'. In Gothic Literature certain features are expected. These are supernatural events, have villains and hero characters, strange weather, horror, mystery and deaths. Older Gothic literature was in castles and deserted buildings. Modern Gothic novels were written is more populated areas. Another text that can be classed as 'Gothic' is the novel 'Frankenstein'. The reason for it being a 'Gothic' novel is the way it has a mutant character. Frankenstein is a mutant and is made by a crazy scientist 'I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion. Frightful must it be, for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world.' Here the crazed scientist is describing his creation coming to life. This quote describes the vision of the scientist looking at the monster he created. The images in this quote evokes some of the key gothic themes, such as the horrific

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'Of Mice and Men' - The killing of candy's old dog foreshadowed Lennie's death. Describe the two killings, pointing out any similarities and differences between the two.

Declan Maguire 'Of Mice and Men' The killing of candy's old dog foreshadowed Lennie's death. Describe the two killings, pointing out any similarities and differences between the two. Two of the main events in the novel 'of mice and men', are the killing of Candy's dog and the killing of Lennie. Candy's dog was often talked about by the other ranch hands. All the other men in the bunk house would complain about the dogs smell. There was only one person who loved and valued the dog, Carlson considered the dog a nuisance and often would say it irritated him for example, "he stinks to bet hell!" This suggests that he wanted rid of the dog and in a further conversation with Carlson Reveals that he has no emotional feelings for the dog. Carlson proceeds to describe to candy how he will kill the dog, "shoot him right in the back of the head" this shows the brutality in how he wants to kill the dog, Carlson does not realise how much what he is saying was hurting candy. Carlson can not understand the love the candy has for his dog. Candy does not put up much of a fight and the dog is lead away by Carlson. Tension is created in the bunk house before the dog is shot. The men are all waiting in silence for the moment that the gun shoot will end the life of the dog and fully start the beginning of candy's grievance! The shot of the gun is described as "the little snapping noise" this

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Duty and desire in Jane Eyre

How is the conflict between duty and desire explored in these texts? Desire is a term conveying a longing for a certain object, person or outcome. It is an emotion from the heart and is unaffected by social opinion. Duty, in contrast, is a moral obligation to an act, which is perceived to be selfless. The decisions made regarding these emotions are significant throughout 'Jane Eyre' and 'Wide Sargasso Sea'. However, these definitions were more extreme during the time that Brontë and Rhy's texts were written. In the 19th century, it was considered a completely selfish act for women to show desire, it was a vulgar emotion that women were expected to control and conceal. The female role during the 1800's was limited; they were expected to be passive and were passed from father to husband, similar to a possession. To perform one's duty to society was regarded as an unspoken rule imposed on all women, therefore, women never truly had the chance to express their true identity or gain real independence. The 19th century conflict between duty and desire was a key topic written about by many authors, predominately women, who illustrated personal experiences and beliefs through the characters and their decisions. In both Bronte's and Rhy's novels the authors illustrate the limitations imposed on women, society's views and expectations concerning the conflict, and the importance of

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Critical Analysis, Snow Child (Angela Carter). Angela Carter brings to plain sight many issues, within modern day human relationships, within the extended metaphor of The Snow Child;

The Snow Child Angela Carter Doug Turner Angela Carter brings to plain sight many issues, within modern day human relationships, within the extended metaphor of 'The Snow Child'; a story built on the basis of the classic fairy tale 'Snow White'. The story starts of with a great sense of danger, the first three words "MIDWINTER - INVINCIBLE, IMMACULATE." Create the picture of a cold, powerful and barren land. The use of capitals further enforces the image of the power of the nature surrounding the characters. Carter uses this dangerous atmosphere to aid the creation of the character of the dominatrix-esque Countess, who wore "high, black shining boots with scarlet heels", the black leather links to fetishes, and the scarlet hints to the reader of the woman's role and therefore superiority, of sexual domination and quite possible causes of pain. Angela Carter immediately forms an air of danger, merged with one of sexual desires. Almost as a hint as to what will transpire as the story progresses. In the story the count wishes for "the child of his desires", a girl "as white as snow", "as red as blood" and "as black as that [raven's] feather". The colours used in this definition are very powerful and are of great importance of the message Carter tries to project. 'White and snow' suggests that the count wants a sexually pure plaything, as white is the purist colour, also

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To what extent can Lord of the Flies be considered a Marxist piece?

To what extent can Lord of the Flies be considered a Marxist piece? Lord of the Flies centres on a group of boys stranded on a tropical island when their plane crashes en route from England to Australia as part of an evacuation during an atomic war (hypothetical war.) The story is essentially an allegorical tale of the innate evil of man - good versus evil. Of the book, Golding said that he wrote it to illustrate how political systems cannot govern society effectively unless they take into consideration the inherent defects of human nature. Marxism is seen as the development from an oppressive capitalist society to an equal and classless society. Golding tries to set a utopian world within the island devoid of adult, societal constraints but in the end the innate animal characteristics of man come to the fore. Golding based his story on the 19th century novel 'The Coral Island' written by R M Ballantyne. Whereas Ballantyne's novel, an adventure story of three boys stranded on a desert island, was optimistic, Golding's is terrifyingly pessimistic. The novel was written shortly after World War II , in the early days of the Cold War when paranoia about communism was at its height. In the early 1950s many people were accused, often falsely, of being communists (the McCarthy era in the USA at this time is a good example of this.) It is within this context that Golding wrote

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It is ridiculous to argue that McEwan makes Jed Parry anything other than terrifying. What do you think of this view?

It is ridiculous to argue that McEwan makes Jed Parry anything other than terrifying. What do you think of this view? Jed Parry as a character raises key questions and ideas in ' Enduring Love' as well as upbringing contrasting emotions amongst the readers. The actions , such as kidnapping Clarissa are evidently seen and are able to form an image of a terrifying human being which we lack sympathy for.Although this is true, there are many factors which I believe are able to reflect on the vulnerability of his character. The whole novel is written from Joe's point of view which could mean that it is an interpretation that is exaggerated. The way McEwan cleverly structures the letters , evidently confirms Joe's opinion of him. However the gaps in between the letters we are readers can only assume mostly in Joe's favor ; due to McEwan's clear attempt of manipulation. Instead of seeing Parry as a person with a serious illness, we see him as a problem for Joe. Therefore there is a lack of sympathy and a 'terrifying' image as we are tricked into sympathizing for Joe. Although Jed is noticeably ill , there is a sense of pity and sorry which Parry feels for Clarissa as he believes that Joe loves him and it will surely hurt her. This is shown on page 68 when he delicately suggests they should break the news to Clarissa. He says it very simply ' The only way is for the three of us to

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How far do you agree that Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice is no more than an entertaining study of the surface of polite society and its trivial doings?

How far do you agree that Jane Austen's novel 'Pride and Prejudice' is 'no more than an entertaining study of the surface of polite society and its trivial doings'? In 'Pride and Prejudice there certainly is a great deal of comedy, and will appeal to many readers for what Claire Tomalin calls 'its good-humoured comedy, its sunny heroine, its dream denouement'. The two main characters appear to be part of what Vivien Jones calls a typical 'rags-to-riches love story', maintaining happiness after a series of vicissitudes, which might incline readers to think it rather superficial. The critic talks about the surface trivia of Austen's society, which seems to comprise only of balls, scarlet coats and Muslin gowns, but she probes beneath the surface of her society, and concerns herself with the real confinement of the lives of women in her period. Jane Austen explores how women were victims of a patriarchal society, by presenting the unfairness of the entail. She presents Mr. Collins as a fool, by bluntly stating through the critical objective narrative that he 'was not a sensible man'. By this we see that it is ridiculous that such an imbecile should be able to turn out the two rational sisters Jane and Elizabeth from their own home, since should they not be married they could be facing the same options as Jane Fairfax in Austen's 'Emma', left to 'the governess trade', with it's

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HOW DOES FITZGERALD TELL THE STORY IN CHAPTER 1 OF THE GREAT GATSBY?

"HOW DOES FITZGERALD TELL THE STORY IN CHAPTER 1 OF 'THE GREAT GATSBY'?" The opening chapter of any novel is fundamental in setting the tone for that which follows it: Fitzgerald therefore ensures that the first chapter of the 'The Great Gatsby' firmly imprints certain key themes into the mind of the reader, using a variety of devices to do so. The very first thing that Fitzgerald makes clear to the reader is the perspective from which the novel will be presented. From the first sentence, it is plain that there is a first person narrator, meaning that the narration will opinionated and cannot be taken as fact. The narrator is a man called Nick Carraway, and the first thing the reader learns about him is something which his father told him when he was younger, which he has been "turning over in (his) mind ever since" (i.e. something essential to our understanding of his views and actions: a core part of his psyche). This turns out be his father telling him that "all the people in the world haven't had the advantages that (he has) had". As a consequence of this advice, Nick tells is, he has always been "inclined to reserve all judgements", showing the reader that he will not tend to present his views on a person before he has had a chance to learn more about them. This appears to make him an ideal narrator for a story, because all of his views will be given after

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