Bloody Chamber Context Flashcards
When
1979
Marquis De Sade
Pornographic writer- passivity is never positive is reflected within the BC
‘The Sadeian women’ Carter was influenced by him
Passivity is never positive
Marquis De Sade
Narrative
Uses a variety of narrative strategies to transform the dreamlike imagery of fairytales
First person narrative
- reflective self perception of the protagonist
- multiple tellings (courtship and tigers bride)
She creates
Heroines with courage and multiple desires who struggle in various cultural and historical contexts, rather than the universal archetypes of fairytales
Carter illustrates
Fairytale’s misogynistic uses and exposes the dangerous appeal of their suggestiveness
When published
1979
Height of the woman’s movement
Woman’s movement
Women sought greater political and social equality
Carter perceived herself as
A social feminist and strongly argued against identifying women as ‘innocent victims’
She focused on trying to
Transform psychosexual politics, by exploring the wide ranging desires and strategies of women
Second wave feminism
Late 1960s
Demands for equal rights and equal pay
Matriarchal communities (women are head)
Freud and psychoanalysis
- Freud found fairytales useful for illustrating his theories because they seemed so much like dreams
- symbols to suggest conflict, anxieties and forbidden desires that are repressed in the subconscious
