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