Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber

According to Patricia Duncker, The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter manifests an “identity” which is “defined by role”, - “a shifting perspective from the impersonal voice of an anonymous third person narrator to the inner confessional narrative”. (Patricia Duncker 1984: 73) Angela Carter’s postmodern set of short stories include the thrilling, yet enchanting fairy-tales, “The Werewolf” and “The Company of Wolves”. A uniquely redefined structure of these two short stories sets the theme of the essay, which will represent how the female erotic engages with the human psyche and the power of free will. Thus in this essay I will argue the true nature of the female characters’ disposition, which will consider whether or not the female erotic which

Contradictory to virgin youth is a description of an older woman, which is introduced through two characters, the witch and the grandmother. The grandmother is a werewolf, which means that she is part human, part wolf. In the original telling of the story the wolf always conveyed his gender to be male, yet Angela Carter undermines this by making the grandmother the wolf in this thrilling tale, thus bestowing a role of female identity. A sense of resentment is bestowed upon the female erotic, which conveys itself through the character of the old and mysterious witch. In folklore a witch is predicted to possess magical powers, commonly portrayed as an old woman with warts on their hands, by which Carter portrays a “supernumerary nipple her familiar sucks” (126) - a third nipple. The refusal to practice witchcraft amongst women places them in a subservient position, a position which causes their death - a death by stoning. The witch empowers sexuality through her perplexing

The bestowment of female agency is created through various images that carter manifests into the story which allures the representation of the young girl’s sexuality and the theme of the female erotic. Little Red Riding Hood is a combination of beauty, desire and internal youth, yet “children do not stay young for long in this savage country” (133). This “flaxen haired girl” (133) is conveyed to be inexperienced by a beauteous sexual image Carter portrays. Red Riding Hood “is an unbroken egg, she is a sealed vessel; she has inside of her a magic space, the entrance to which is shut tight with a plug of membrane, she is a closed system” (Angela Carter 2006:133). Kimberly J. Lau argues that “Carter's description plays up Little Red Riding Hood's childlike desirability, and her virginity is fundamental to that desirability.” (Kimberly J. Lau. 2008:85) She is conveyed to be the pinnacle of a man’s true desire which also depicts the huntsman’s intentions are far from fine as he manipulates her innocence through his passionate desire for her – her flesh. In contrast to “The Werewolf” Angela Carter portrays the werewolf to be a “dashing huntsman”, and a “fine fellow” (134) far from a ferocious and cunning beast. A manifestation of gender roles are depicted as the men are shown to be more