The Bloody Chamber

The Bloody Chamber stories can be seen as...

• A tormented child's interpretation of fairy tales.
• A view of aristocrats lives and personalities
• Vanity will make you cruel
• Shows a woman's place in society
• People with power are corrupt

Themes:

• Death
• Love
• Power
• Wealth
• Hierarchy

Frankenstien comparative

Consider the Gothic elements and its key themes . how can they be compared to the other two texts.

Death
love
hate
supernatural
settings/ time

all include murder/love

Frankenstein and Macbeth make their own trouble and cause their own down fall where as Carters characters are all victims of circumstance.

All loose their 'innocence'/'virtue' Frankenstein was a good citizen with a relatively good life but looses everything due to his own curiosity , Macbeth was a honourable soldier with a seemingly happy relationship but also looses everything through his selfishness, weakness and greed, Carters characters live, although not very prosperous, but in would be regular lives yet are taken from this into a cruel area where their virtues are normally stolen.

Frankenstein and Macbeth die whereas Carters characters seem to all survive.

They all have super natural themes, Frankenstein brings life to the dead, Macbeth has witches and Carter includes infamous fairy tales

They are all placed in 'scary' layouts. Frankenstein has a castle Macbeth lives in a castle and Carters are mostly based in castles.

Frankenstein and Macbeth have more in common than the Bloody Chamber.

Notes

Macbeth was a good man, more interesting to study. He was a gleam of hope and now he is incharge of a horrible crime.

Macbeth learnt a lesson for us. Macbeth interprets the riddles of the witches in his own way, thinking about his decision then finally forced to do it by his wife.

it was all for nothing. Macbeth was doing it for them, himself and lady macbeth, and she has ended up dead.

woman in the play are devalued. unless they are bearing an heir like lady macduff they are hideous like the witches or isolated like lady macbeth

Notes: Key ideas

Gothic
Lust- Erotica- Sex
Anthropomorphism
Obsession
Animals
Innocence
Nature
Death
Feminism
Super natural
Flowers as Motifs

Referring to at least two Angela Carter stories, Explore how Anthropomorphism is used to enable the readers to empathise with the characters?

Timed Essay

There are many ways in which Angela Carter could be considered to ‘re-interpret’ gothic conventions. For example, some of the obvious themes of the gothic genre include death and violence; this is proven to be true in two of the many infamous novels ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Macbeth’ as both stories include murder. This is definitely true in one of Angela Carters most profound short stories ‘The Bloody Chamber’.

A section of the novel in particular stands out to me from the rest, it is probably the most notorious part of the novel as it is when she, the main character, enters the marquis’s bloody chamber, hence the title of the book. On her travels towards said destination I personally felt as a reader very tense and fearful of where she was headed. After having been previously warned not to enter the chamber by her evil husband we as an audience know that he is obviously hiding a terrible secret, one which would be better left unknown. There is a strong sense of suspense and dread as she wanders ever closer to the forbidden room and down the ‘long and winding corridor’. ‘And still I felt no fear, no raising of the hairs on the back of the neck’, Ironically it seems that, as she herself is not afraid of her excavations, I am obliged to feel the fear for her.
Upon entering the chamber she finds various torture devices and obscurities. ‘Wheel, Rack and Iron Maiden’, inside this Iron Maiden she finds one of her husbands ex-wives. Blood pools out of the atrocity as she opens it almost as if the wife was ‘newly dead’, she has been pierced with ‘not one but by a hundred spikes’. This makes me feel not only disgust but shear horror at the thought of seeing or experiencing such a dreadful thing. I think it is apparent that gothic novels should include these themes in order for the reader to go on such a rollercoaster of emotions that inevitably bring them closer to the protagonist who is experiencing the same ordeal.

However, Angela carter also authors another short story titled’ Wolf-Alice’. I feel that although this story comes under the gothic jurisdiction it is very different to most common gothic tales thus proving exactly how capable she is of ‘re-interpreting’ gothic conventions.
For instance, most gothic stories start of relatively well, the protagonist is happy and content so you as a reader are waiting for the unfortunate events to start taking place; this once again is proven in Frankenstein. Victor is happy until the dreadful day he creates the Monster and from then on commences a terrible domino effect of disasters.
However Carters ‘Wolf-Alice’ starts off in terrible circumstances. The girl has not only been raised by wolves but her ‘foster’ parents have now been killed and she has been taken custody into the ‘human’ world. Because she cannot live in a society of mankind due to her believing she is a wolf, she is discarded to live with ‘The Duke’ a horrific man that replicates the actions of what can only be described as a ‘Were wolf’. Due to the tale starting so ‘terribly’, we as an audience can only expect things to grow happier in time which is quite out of the norm for most gothic novels as I have already said.
Another thing that is relatively different about this story compared to other stories of its kind is that once again there is a lack of fear provided. Wolf-Alice is not afraid of the terrible being that is the Duke even though he prowls the night ‘a corpse eater’ and ‘body snatcher’. I would even go as far to say that I felt pity for the Duke by the end of the story, similar to how I felt compassion for the monster in ‘Frankenstein’. I think that this is due to the fact that Alice cares for him towards the ending by ‘licking‘ his wounds once he has been injured by frightened individuals; this is quite unlike my feelings towards the Marquis at the end of the Bloody Chamber who I was more than happy to see get what he deserved.
So, after looking at the various ways Angela Carter captivates the audience and gets them involved with the story I think it is a safe presumption to say that she is very capable of creating re interpretations of the regular themes explored in gothic literature successfully. People may even go as far as to say that some of her stories are not quite what they would call ‘gothic’ due to the many forms that her themes shape, however I am comfortable in saying that, because of her dark elements of mutilation, loneliness and despair, she makes very strong and interesting concepts that are equally as interestingly played out in the beautiful language that is her writing.

The Snow Child

After reading the story for the first time I was left stumped, unaware of what to think about it. Generally the story seemed pointless and crude. However, after thinking more on the story and having a group discussion I feel that I understand my own interpretation of the story much better.
Personally I think that the girl perhaps represented everything that the wife didn’t want to be anymore or perhaps everything that the husband wanted his wife to be. It’s almost as though it could have been created to be a very brief summary of the Count and Countesses relationship. He wanted her to be something she wasn’t and in the end she wanted to change.
He desired the girl, therefore she was created. The Countess desired to kill the girl and that’s why the rose bush appeared.
The final line of the story, the wife saying ‘It bites!’ (Meaning the rose), could possibly mean ‘be careful what you wish for’. I think this because the Count and Countess both obtained what they desired but possibly at a cost.
At the end of it all, it’s as though the wife has become what she used to be, the girls death symbolizing the death of everything fake that she or her husband had wanted the Countess to become and now the husband can let go of his ‘farfetched’ desires and love his wife for what she really is, the stripped woman he felt sorry for previously in the book.

Frankenstein

Chapter 5: The Monster is created after two years of work. Victor flees from the Monster and has a nightmare about Elizabeth, she dies in the dream and turns into his mothers corpse. When he wakes the monster is at his bed side. Victor escapes the house leaving the Monster behind. He stumbles across Clerval the following day and takes him back to his house. The Monster has vanished. Frankenstein becaomes ill and has a mental break down; Henry Clerval takes care of him whilst he recovers.

Chapter 6: A letter arrives from Elizabeth. She informs him of his families concern and hopes he gets well soon. Victor gets better and things seem to be taking a good turn.

Chapter 7: Victor's younger brother William dies. He then returns home where Frankenstein discovers that it was the Monster that murdered him. He meets the monster on a dark stormy night for the first time since he had been brought to life.

Frankenstein Locations

Mont Blanc -

Both Frankenstein and the Monster meet in the snowy mountains of Mont Blanc, they both go there to initially be alone. I think that Shelley used this cold and desolate scenary because it reflects the way the characters are feeling; Victor feels guilty and alone after loosing so many family members and friends and the Monster feels alone because he is rejected by humanity simply because of his appearance. This shows that although Frankenstein and the Monster are clearly different in appearance, on the inside they are quite the same.


http://img11.imageshack.us/i/dsc00242resize7sw.jpg/

Frankenstein notes

Science



Playing God - Religion



Loneliness



Tragedy



Love



Gothis horror



Ambition/ Obsession



Revenge



Alienation/ Supernatural







Mary Shelley married Percy Shelley- 3 miss carrages, fourth child survived - Husband drowned at sea - her mother died when she was eleven days old - she died of a brain tumour.







Litery referencess - paradise lost milton, goerthe, romantisicm , first science fiction novel (mary shelley), shelley's background, locations of novel, science at the time



geneva mont blanc







Both Frankenstein and the Monster meet in the snowy mountains of Mont Blanc, they both go there to initially be alone. I think that Shelley used this cold and desolate scenary because it reflects the way the characters are feeling; Victor feels guilty and alone after loosing so many family members and friends and the Monster feels alone because he is rejected by humanity simply because of his appearance. This shows that although Frankenstein and the Monster are clearly different in appearance, on the inside they are quite the same.

Macbeth act 5

V.I



Doctor and Gentle woman are speaking in a room about Lady Macbeth. The Gentle woman explains that Lady Macbeth has been walking and speaking in her sleep; on cue, she enters doing exactly what the Gentle woman said she had been. She walks around professing about Banqou's death, confessing to sins she shouldnt know 'she has spoke what she should not'.



Lady Macbeth continues to scrub 'blood' off her hands but she can't seem to get it off' 'Out damned spot: out I say'.







V.2



The scene opens with Mentieth, Caithness, Angus, Lennox and some soldiers. Although this act is short it has a strong significance, they curse Macbeth and basicaly say that they are going to war. It is the beginning of the end.





V.3





Macbeth is talking to a doctor and a friend named Seyton. I believe that this man is called Seyton as some kind of pun; ironic that Macbeth is plotting and confessing with a man whose name is incredibly close to Satan. Macbeth asks for his armour to be brought to him and proclaimes that he 'will not be afraid of death and bane'.



V.4

My thoughts on the witches

I think that the witches hold a very strong significance in Macbeth. I believe that if they had never encountered Macbeth the whole plot would never have taken place. For example, when they tell Macbeth he will become king he initially believes it will happen in time, there for deciding to kill King Duncan to shorten the wait and begin the story plot. However, I think that when the witches told him he would become king they meant because he would kill Duncan after them telling him his prophecy, he would not have become king otherwise.
Because of this, it is as though they were informed by a hierarchy to tell Macbeth in the first place, so that everything would fall in place. Someone more powerful than the witches and Hecat that saw it would all happen and that is why they ordered the witches, consciously or subconsciously to tell Macbeth his fortune on that dreary day.

This is possibly why Hecat is surprised when she finds out that the three witches have been working without her order, someone else could have already given them a task unbeknownst to Hecat.

Macbeth Act 3

Act three of Macbeth is were Banquo's death takes place.
The scene opens with Macbeth speaking to Banquo, Macbeth asks him to come to dinner but Banquo declines. Macbeth asks 'Ride you this afternoon?' to which Banquo replies 'Ay my good Lord.'
However, shortly after this scene Macbeth is seen conversing with to Murderers he has hired to kill Banquo. He says he can't kill Banquo himself because 'certain friends that are both his, and mine, whose loves I may not drop.' I think that this is just an excuse because Macbeth knows he can't personally kill Banquo because he is his friend.
Things do not go as planned because, although the murderers were told to kill both Banquo and his son Fleance, Fleance manages to escape hearing his fathers bloodied cries behind him 'O treachery! Fly good Fleance fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge. O slave!'

I think this will have strong significance later in the plot, it could possibly lead up to Macbeth's death.
I think that Banquo's words 'fly' have a very strong yet subtle meaning. For instance it could relate back to the old mans words in act two about an owl slaying the hawk. At the time, those words were meant to represent Macbeth, the owl, slaying the King, the mighty hawk. However this time I believe the meaning has slightly differed. Fleance is now the owl and Macbeth has become the Hawk.

The lead witch, Hecat, makes an appearance amongst the other witches. She moans at them for meddling with out consulting her first but other than that accepts what has happened and decides to let things fall in place.

Later there is a dinner scene with Macbeth and guests. Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo although no one else can see it. I believe this is because the guilt of knowing Banquo is dead because of him becomes to much. It is also the first time Macbeth shows his unwell state of mind in front of someone other than Lady Macbeth.

Act II of Macbeth

II.1
Banquo, Fleance and Macbeth are having a conversation. Banqou mentions that he dreamt of the witches last night, ‘I dreamt last night of the three Weird Sisters’. They leave and Macbeth has a soliloquy whilst he makes his way to Duncan’s chamber. He seems jumpy and frightened about everything including himself. He envisions an imaginary dagger, ‘I have thee not yet I still thee still’ proving how unsound he is.

II.2
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth console each other after Macbeth has murdered the king. Macbeth is deeply disturbed by what he has done although the Lady seems unfazed by it all. She goes to smear the blood over the other slain guards in order to frame them for the murder, yet even after her hands are covered with blood just like Macbeth's she still doesn't care, 'My hands are of your colour: but I shame to wear a heart so white'. They both retire to their chamber as there is a knocking coming from the door. 'I hear a knocking at the south entry: retire we to our chamber'





II.3


A porter enters the room followed by Macduff and Lennox, they have a fairly comical conversation. Macbeth enters. Macduff asks him about his day and then Macbeth shows him to the kings chamber. Lennox and Macbeth continue to have a conversation until Macduff re-enters after finding the King murdered, 'O horror, horror, horror'

Macbeth acts oblivious and ventures to see what is wrong with Lennox who is also horror stricken.

Directors Blog

After acting out act 1 scene 4 I feel I have a much better interpretation of what is happening. Macbeth and Banquo enter the Kings court after Malcolm informs the King of their trials and conquests in battle.
The king entitles Malcom as the Prince of Cumberland which Macbeth does not seem very enthralled about. After he says his farewells he plots aside about how he must 'o'erleap' the Prince because ' In his way it lies'. He tells the audience that he has 'black and deep desires', foreshadowing that something bad is going to happen.

I imagined that the scene took place in the royal palace, the Kings quarters. Every one was well dressed in usual rich old fashion and all of the cast bowed before the king, possibly kissing a ring on his hand whilst doing so.

Notes on Macbeth

One of the most obvious gothic elements throughout Macbeth is the strong sense of death. The surroundings of the play are very dark and dreary which is a classic way of portraying that something bad is going to happen.

I.1
Introduction. Witches set the scene with a song.

I.2
Soldiers return injured from war and tell us of Macbeth and Banquo and their heroic deeds.

I.3
Witches tell Macbeth that they have forseen his future and him as king. Part of their premonition comes true as Macbeth is made Thane of Cawdor.

I.4
Macbeth meets the King who congratulates him on his impressive work on the battle field.

I.5
Lady Macbeth reads a letter that Macbeth has sent about the witches and their proficies. She has a monologue about how she wishes to have more power like the men are recognised to have 'unsex me here'. She plots on how they shall kill King Duncan.

What Is Literature?

I believe that literature is whatever somebody interprets it to be, as long as it's some form of writing. Whether it is a novel, report or diary entry I think that it still counts as literature because someone has put thought or purpose behind the piece of writing and after all, isn't that all that literature is? A thought that has been written down in order for someone to read and think about themselves.

Marxism

‘The Vampire Lestat’ is a novel that I feel Marxism can be applied to frequently. For example, there is a part in the novel were Lestat has yet to become a vampire. He is a mortal man going about his regular business when he is stolen away by a strange vampiric figure. All though Lestat fights against this stranger he obviously lacks the strength of the vampire and inevitably is taken away.
This Vampire – Magnus, intends on making Lestat into one of his own kind and takes him back to his lair were he asks Lestat if he wants ‘ the dark gift’. Although death is a petrifying thought Lestat would rather it then turn into the unknown and therefore denies the Vampire.
However, Magnus has other ideas and bites Lestat despite his best endeavours, turning him to the creature that he is through out the rest of the novel. I think that Marxism can be applied here because a strong factor of Marxism is power; or rather who holds the most.
Clearly Magnus holds the most power in this situation, however I feel that although Magnus has the initial strength it is other characters of the story that have the most control. Magnus used to be part of an organisation, a cult of vampires. However he was chased out of this group due to his beliefs. These vampires turned him into what he is by suppressing him and controlling his actions; this being the only reason he attacked Lestat as brutally as he did.
I think that there is always a reason something happens in a particular way, such as how, although Magnus felt like he was in control it could be perceived that the other group of vampires where in fact the cause of the situation. On the other hand Lestat felt that he himself was in control because he had made the decision to ‘be brave’ and chose death, in his mind he had the power.

Sorry if this is wrong, I’m still trying to understand exactly what Marxism is :3

Progress Report

I have concluded that the two books I will be working with are 'American Psycho' by Bret Easton Ellis and 'The Vampire Lestat' by Anne Rice. I am hoping to base my question either around the two main characters 'Lestat' and 'Patrick Bateman' and their similarities and differences or to base it around the prospect of good and evil and how it can be viewed. I have read both novels and intend now to put alot of thought into my essay question.

I have decided that my rough title will be 'In the novels 'The Vampire Lestat' and American Psycho' the authors portray evil in very different ways'.`