The Snow Child Flashcards
“MIDWINTER - INVINCIBLE, IMMACULATE”
Carter immediately subverts the typical fairytale story of “Snow White” and our traditional expectations of the story.
The storys opening, ‘Midwinter’ gives a sense of liminality and prepares readers to expect a cold setting as well as the -mid’ representing the Countesses age - a mid-aged women.
‘Invincible’ is symbolic of the aristocracy and the importance of power of which the Count is a representative of.
‘Immaculate’ highlights the purity and innocence of the snow child. Carter portarys her character as the virginal victim.
With the use of three words, Carter welcomes multiple meanings as a sense of duality and an eleptical brevity which has a huge impact.
“The Count and his wife go riding”
‘Count’ is capitalized and the femme fatale is not introduced as the countess but as ‘his wife’, something that belongs to him. The idea of objectification and class struggle is emphasised.
The Count is a representation of…
A representation of aristrocracy with his aristrocratic power.
“I wish I had _ ____ as white __ _____”
“I wish I had a girl as white as snow”
“I wish I had _ ____ as red __ ______”
“I wish I had a girl as red as blood”
“I wish I had _ ____ as _____ as that _____ feather”
“I wish I had a girl as black as that birds feather”
“White ____, red _____, black ___ and _____ naked”
“White skin, red mouth, black hair and stark naked”
“She was the _____ __ ___ ______ and the Countess hated her”
“She was the child of his desire and the Countess hated her”
“The Countess had only ___ _______: How shall I be ___ __ ___?”
“The Countess had only one thought: How shall I be rid of her?”
“The Countess dropped her ______ in the snow and told the girl to ___ _____ and _____ for it”
“The Countess dropped her glove in the snow and told the girl to getdown and look for it”
“but the Count said; ‘i’ll ___ ___ new _______’.”
“but the Count said; ‘i’ll buy you new gloves’.”
“Then the Countess threw her ________ ______ through the ice of a ______ _____: ‘Dive in and _____ it for me’.”
“Then the Countess threw her diamond brooch through the ice of a frozen pond: ‘Dive in and fetch it for me’.”
“The ____ sprang off the Countesses ___________ and _______ round the ______ girl”
“The furs sprang off the Countesses shoulders and twined round the naked girl”
“Her ______ lept off the Countess’s ____ and on the girls _____”
“Her boots lept off the Countess’s feet and on the girls legs”
“Now the Countess was _____ as a _____ and the girl ______ and ______”
“Now the Countess was bare as a bone and the girl furred and booted”
