The Bloody Chamber Essay

Angela Carter was a prolific feminist writer in the twentieth century. She was not very well known until after she passed, but her works are still being debated over in topics of feminism, gender, and political correctness. She was an important writer who was able to critique many topics of male dominance, while developing a stronger sense of femininity in the twentieth century. She had a wide range of influences, including elements of Gothic, magic realism, surrealism, folktale, science fiction, and the mischievous. (Spooner 1). Carter’s short story ‘The Bloody Chamber’ was influenced by folktale, because of its connection to the fairy tale of Bluebeard. Angela Carter was born 1940 in Eastbourne, England, soon after World War II had begun.

311). ‘The Bloody Chamber’ and the other short stories featured in The Bloody Chamber do show violence and abuse which generally can conflict with the feminist writing style of the twentieth century. Some find ‘The Bloody Chamber’ to be disturbing because of its violence and sexual content, but “Carter, however, uses the language of the story not to lull the reader into ignoring the dangers posed by Bluebeard but instead to heighten the readers awareness of the threat posed by the sadomasochistic underpinnings of much of decadent culture, which created a dangerously passive and readily victimized feminine ideal.” (Kaiser 32). Since the collection of short stories in The Bloody Chamber are rewrites of fairy-tales, it draws critics to its irony. “Carter argued that Bloody Chamber was ‘a book of stories about fairy tales.’” (Makinen 22). Feminist critics use this to argue that Carter gets pulled into using sexism without