The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
• Angela Carter (7 May 1940 – 16 February 1992) was an English novelist and journalist
About the Author
The Bloody Chamber
• Anthology of ten short stories all based on fairy tales
• First published in the UK in 1979
Characters
• All except one are female protagonists
• Sexually liberated • The heroines become
indistinguishable
Themes
• Female identity• Coming of age• ‘Oppressed female
seeking liberation’
Context
• No clear social or historical context as there is a mix of old folk tales in a modern setting
Critical Response
• The Bloody Chamber has received heavy praise and attention from numerous critics
• The anthology is also frequently taught and studied in university literature courses
Archetype• a very typical model or perfect example of a certain
person or thing.
Ingénue ‘Bad boy’
Proxemics
• studying distances between actors on stage, which indicate the relationships between characters.
A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
Hamlet by William Shakespeare