Bettelheim

Fairy Tales and the Existential Predicament

1. How might Bettelheim's Ideas help us to understand fairy tales?

Betteleheim's interpretations of fairy tales such as Beauty and the Beast suggests that the duality of characters, good and evil, beautiful and beastly creates a simplistic view of moral dilemmas for a child to understand. Fairy Tales are designed to deal with unconscious feelings, expressing them in a safe way that allows the child to comprehend and understand their own feelings. Bettelheim expresses the belief that fairy tales expose a child to the darker sides of life without damaging them and work to prepare them for later conflicts they may have in their psyche by training their imaginations through these tales.

2. How do Bettelheim's ideas help us to understand the purposes of the gothic?

The gothic and its link to romanticism revolves around the forbidden feelings that are ingrained in fairy tales. Bettelheim highlights the issue of duality in fairy tales, the omnipresence of evil and the simulacra of the typical characters all of which are concepts touched by the gothic genre and specifically Angela Carter. The outlines of morality are also important to both forms however in gothic the boundaries are more blurred.

3. Why do you think Angela Carter mixes the fairy tale and gothic genres?

The mix of Gothic and fairy tales allows Carter to subtlety expose the darker conventions of fairy tales by portraying them through the Gothic's warped morality. The mix, creating a sense of magical realism, creates new messages that reveal underlying truths in today's society. Specifically through the magically simularcra which plays on the playfulness of fairy tales but also the disturbing elements of the Gothic genre.   

Analysis of Angela Carter

1. Questions and Answers on the Text
 - Who is Paulina Palmer?
A feminist critic on contemporary women's writing.




2. 5 Sentences


1. Gender roles are challenged through psychic transformations to challenge ideological limitations proposed in society.
2. The simulacra of what we are stems from what society has created of us
3. Woman are warned about the consumption of marriage as something to fear as society believes a sexual liberation is damaging to femininity.
4. The masks hide both what we don't want others to see (the tiger) but what society doesn't want us to see.
5. By exposing men and women as beasts Carter prosposes androgyny


5 Words
- Transformations
- Simulacra
- Femininity
- Masks
- Beasts


Masks imposed by society hide the true nature of humans as beasts.


3. 100 words


Original fairy tale characters and themes allow Carter to explore the interval, dark desires and fears of humans. Female narrators transcend the accepted social view by transforming and highlighting the dominance of patriarchy and social conformity. The polarities created her (man/woman) and those used in fairy tales (good/bad) are questioned by the ambiguity of the characters who wear masks. The unsubtly of the masks exemplify what is hidden, exposing the simulacra of mankind. Carter plays on social fears, the female annihilation by men and narcissistic obsessions which the narrators overcome. It is the deconstruction of these ideas that exposes faults in society.

Tiger's Bride Questions

1. What are ‘the devil’s picture books’?
The devil's picture books is another name for a deck of cards. Named so because gambling was seen as a sin and linked with the devil as well as the extravagant pictures and designs on many decks.

2. What type of language is Carter using when the narrator calls The Beast ‘Milord’?
The narrator is being sarcastic when talking about the master. Carter has created her to be cynical and it highlights the irony the the one place she wants to go to save her father from his gambling addiction is the one placed he must indulge in it.

3. When The Beast gives the girl a white rose. What do white roses symbolise in this collection
and why are they used more than once (also in ‘The Courtship of Mr Lyon’)?
White Rose symbolise the pure and innocent image associated with the perfect woman. In the Tiger's Bride Carter exposes that it is 'unnatural' which was not questioned in The Courtship of Mr Lyon as they focused on its perfect form. However similar to the snow child, the narrator gets pricked by the thorns and let the rose be 'smeared with blood' possibly suggesting her impurity. This could also be a symbol to the father that his objectification of Beauty as a possession he can gamble away makes her suffer.

4. What might be significant about the verb choice ‘fleeced’?
The word 'fleeced' is significant as Carter often refers to her heroines to lambs. In the story the narrator is the lamb who 'must learn to run with tigers'. It also refers back to their social situation where the father 'beggars himself' with gambling. There is also connotations to be covered similar to how the Beast covers his otherness and how Beauty's father is blinded by his own addiction to see how the Beast is playing him.

5. Which fairy tale does ‘gobble you up’ come from and why is it referred to?
The reference is to the Big Bad Wolf in Red Riding Hood and links the story back to its fairy tale roots. The Wolf here is replaced by a Tiger however the predatory nature is constantly referred to through references like this. It could also be a reference to Billy Goats Gruff and the troll under the bridge. At the beginning of the tale he is stopping them from regaining their wealth by insisting on playing cards where he is so obviously cheating. Within the Tiger's Bride it is there to scare the young narrator has while seemingly innocent when taken into the account of the Beast could be used to suggest rape or assault. It is foreboding that something sinister may happen to her when she meets the 'Tiger man' and links to the end where she confronts him and he begins to 'lick' her which, 'ripped off skin' to reveal the tigress.

6. What tells the reader that the inhabitants are not driven by appearances or luxuries?
The narrator points out that 'the beast has brought solitude not luxury with his money' in order to hide his otherness. Later the servant points out that they have 'dispensed with the servants' so no longer have the 'utility and pleasure' but are not at odds without it. These simply things help to isolate the Beast, As for luxuries he offers Beauty a lot of money to see her 'de nuda' as well as gambling, despite cheating, for a 'king's ransom'. These suggest that for the Beast money is not a problem and not really a luxury for him. The only place that appearances matter to the Beast is when he is trying to hide his otherness, his mask is 'too perfect' and he is completely covered from the wig, to the 'chaste silk stock' choker around his neck and his gloves. While this is supposed to cover his true appearance and act as a disguise it is what makes him stand out to Beauty as to her it appears 'two-dimensional'.

7. What is the significance of the fresco ‘where fruit and blossom grew on the bough together’?
The image of a 'wood where fruit and blossom grew on the bough together' inspires thoughts of Eden. This idyllic scene of nature and man in a symbiotic relationship is one that ties into the story as the Tiger cannot find this world in his home and must hide himself behind a 'mask' when with company. The narrator suggests that this scene is too perfect as the 'tiger will never lie down with the lamb' however it is not mythological either and can, with compromise, work as the 'lamb must learn to run with the tigers'. 'Fruit and blossom also seem to connect to women as a sign of beauty and fertility and it suggests it is rare that the two traits most valued in a woman go 'on the bough together'.  On the other side of things the 'fruit' could be symbolic of the fruit of knowledge in the garden of Eden and could be used to forebode the curiosity of the Beast. As it is a fresco and painted into the wall it acts as a constant reminder to the Beast of nature however it could also show an element of control. The Beast is going against nature by living as a man instead of embrace his true self and by trapping nature inside he is exerting his control.

8. What is the description of the soubrette supposed to suggest to the reader?
Carter has used the doll like, soubrette to create an image of the objectification of women and society's ideal view of a woman. The first thing described of the 'maid' is the face, 'rosy cheeks'. 'nut-brown curls' and 'blue, rolling eyes'. These features first give the soubrette a human quality however the narrator is quick to 'recognise her' as a 'clockwork twin' giving the doll a more sinister feeling to it. As the description goes on it reflects society's needs for a woman. She is wearing 'white stockings' and a 'frilled petticoat' and her job is to serve. In one hand she is holding a 'looking glass' and makeup suggesting that appearances are important for a woman. The heroine herself, when indulging in makeup references that she is making herself look more like a doll. Within her heart the 'soubrette' carries 'a musical box' suggesting that woman should sweet and light like music, for example a common simile for a woman's voice is like bells or music. Lastly out of her bodice 'protrudes the handle of a key', the soubrette is under the control of men who wind it up whenever she is needed to perform her duties, A feminist reading of this would say that this demonstrates that women are unable to think and act for themselves. Another view of the soubrette's inhuman qualities and the valet's remark 'nothing human lives here' is a sign of the Beast's otherness and can be traced back in the Courtship of Mr Lyon where the Beast cannot bear to surround himself with those who he differs from.

9. How does the girl compare herself to animals?
The narrator expresses her feelings towards horses, that 'they are better than we are, and in the stables she 'lirruped and hurrumphed' to her horse. This affinity suggests her need to be free but also after seeing how the Beast treats his horses, giving them the 'use of the dining room' and she too wishes for this respect. She also likens herself to a 'lamb' which is a sacrifical symbol and in the end she sacrifices her human nature to be equal with the beast. 

10. In light of the end of this story, analyse the phrase, ‘The tiger will never lie down with the
lamb; he acknowledges no pact that is not reciprocal’.
This suggests that the no matter how much the Tiger wishes he cannot change his nature to 'lie down with the lamb'. In a similar way the Beast couldn't change his nature and be a man, such as in the Courtship of Mr Lyons. Despite his disguises he is not quite human in company and on his own he reverted to his animal nature as he sits 'imprisoned between gnawed and bloody bones'. It can be suggested that in this story it is not just the narrator but the beast also that comes to terms with their animal nature. It is because of his unchanging nature that she must change for him, becoming a tigeress and making their pact reciprocal.

The Tiger's Bride- Vocab

Assuage- "To assuage your loneliness, madame ..."
to dull the effect of an unpleasant feeling making it less intense. Or to satisfy a desire or appetite. 

Awry- 'He throws .our human aspirations to the godlike sadly awry'

askew or off the intended or expected course.

Axiom- 'Or, should I be prepared to accept it as proof of the axiom my father had drummed into me'

A proposition or statement that is either accepted, established or self evidently true.

Capisco-  Capisco? So shocked was I that I scarcely did 'capisco'

Italian for Understand

Ciliate- the willows flourished their ciliate heads

Covered in small hairs resembling the cilia on cells.

Civet- far too potent a reek of purplish civet

A nocturnal, carnivorous weasel like animal found in Africa and Asia.

Desnuda- Desnuda--

Italian for naked

Excoriating- his excoriating claws

The damage or removal of part of the skin.

Expostulating- the valet danced backwards...expostulating, wordlessly pleading

Strong disapproval or disagreement

Eyrie- Milord has his eyrie high above the house

The nest of a bird of prey, usually built up high.

Gavotte- letting out a rippling fart of gavotte

A popular French dance of the 18th Century

Gracile- a dozen gracile muzzles

Slender or thin build

Megalomaniac- the megalomaniac citadel of his palazzo.
Obsessions with power

Metaphysical- I privately engaged in metaphysical speculation

Relating to the philosophy of first principles and abstract thoughts.

Minuet- her bowels churning out a settecento minuet

A slow ballroom dance

Molto Agitato- Agitato, molto agitato

Translation from italian : Very Rough

Nascent- left behind a nascent patina of shining hairs

Newly existing with signs of future development and potential.

Obsequiousness- The valet crouched...with a strange kind of unflattering obsequiousness

Exhibiting an endearing or fawning attentiveness

Ostlers- her belly swelled amid the cruel mockery of the ostlers

People employed at inns to take care of the horses of the tenants

Patina- left behind a nascent patina of shining hairs

The brown sheen of oxidisation that covers metals such as bronze

Preternatural- He sprang down with preternatural agility to place them

Beyond what is normal or natural

Profligate- Not my profligate father

A recklessly extravagant or wasteful person. Usually someone who overindulges. 

Settecento- her bowels churning out a settecento minuet

18th century, specifically the in Italy.

Shagreen- took from it a little shagreen box

Sharkskin or untanned leather used as a decorative material and known for the rough texture

Simian- the simian retainer and the master for whom he spoke

Relating to an ape or monkey,

Simulacra- We surround ourselves, instead, for utility and pleasure, with simulacra and find it no less convenient

An image or representation of something. An imitation or replacement.

Soubrette- the door swings open and out glides a soubrette from an operetta

A minority female role in a comedy e.g a maid servant, often portayed vain and girlish with a strong flirtatious or sexual nature. 

Spar- No natural horseman he; he clung to her mane like a shipwrecked sailor to a spar

The thick, strong pole used as a mast on a ship

Spurious- how bereft the dead season of this spurious Eden

False or Fake

Tantivy- 'Tantivy! tantivy! a-hunting we will go!'

A hunting cry which can also mean to gallop

Tintinnabulation- tintinnabulation of cut-glass chandeliers

a delicate ringing sound, tinkling

Viscera- a veritable cell, windowless, airless, lightless, in the viscera of the palace

Internal organs, specifically in the main cavity of the torso.

The Tiger's Bride- Context

The Tiger's BrideA Gothic rewriting of Beauty and the Beast


 "his Mantegnas, his Giulio Romanos, his Cellini salt cellars"

Andrea Mantegna

A renaissance painter in Italy during the 15th century. He is most famous for his work of saints and biblical images such as Saint Sebastian and the Lamination over the dead Christ.

Guilio Romana
Famed Italian painter and architect who helped define mannerism. He was a pupil of Raphael and deviated from the traditional Renaissance art in masterpieces such as The Stoning of St. Stephen, Madonna and Child and Romano Triumph of Titus and Vespasian.


Benvenuto Cellini
Italian sculptor most notable for his salt cellar piece. The piece is a small gold table sculpture depicting the naked figures of a man and woman who represent sea and earth. It also holds salt and pepper. It has a old and noble history starting off in the hands of Francis I then moving on to the Habsburg family

The Courtship of Mr Lyons Questions-

1.Use your own words to describe Mr. Lyons' property. Look carefully at the way it is described, and particularly the adjectives used. Why is it described in this way? What is the overall impression of this? (no.7)

The property is very isolated at the end of a 'short, snowy, drive' highlighted by Carter's sibilance which extenuates the soft sounds that are associated with quietness and calm but also loneliness. Further portrayed through personification, as it 'seemed to hide', the house and grounds reflect a trait shared with Mr Lyon who tries to hide his otherness through avoidance of humans. Despite the surrounding the house itself is grand, described as 'perfect, Palladian' and old fashioned, it is linked with 'melancholic grace' suggesting old wealth and loneliness. The description of the house takes a deathly tone, suggesting a 'deserted', 'antique' and 'faded' feel to the house surrounded by the 'ghost of a tangle of thorn' all of which have connotations of abandonment and death. Although it appears well kept, the grand and rich 'mahogany door' is furnished with a 'solid gold' lion's head knocker while contrasting the growing dark which the man is stranded in the house is bright and full of life as the light from the 'great chandelier' falls on 'many flowers' which enrich the air with perfume.

2. Now, research a building in a traditional fairy story. This may be the castle of a prince, a gingerbread house, the home of the three bears. A) Compare the language used to describe the house and gardens of Mr Lyon with those used in the traditional fairy story. What do you observe about the language, used in each story? (Remember to give detail of the text you are using, including page references and quotations which will support the points you make) (no. 8)

In many fairy tales the language and tone of the description is very matter of fact. In Hansel and Gretel the house is 'made of pieces of bread and cake. The windows were clear sugar' as it is for children and only the interesting parts are highlighted. In the original telling of Beauty and the Beast the castle is said to be 'bathed in light' in 'the middle of the woods' however does not go into detail. Carter has used the 3rd person narrator to describe the house similar to that of the fairy tale and has highlighted key areas of it such as its grandeur, 'perfect, Palladian house' and isolation, 'withered ghost of tangled thorns'. The use of shadows and light, in contrast to the original story, helps to create an aura of danger and fear aided by the pathetic fallacy of the snow storm. Carter has dimmed the 'bright light' to one that 'flickered' and was 'so vague it could have been the reflection of a star' to show that the father is desperate and that the house hides secrets.


3. Look closely at the description of the Beast and analyse the linguistic techniques used. These should include the use of repetition, adjectives, nouns, verbs and imagery. What effect does the description have on the reader? How do you feel about the Beast and what has made you feel like this? (no. 9)

A semantic field surrounding animals, specifically lions, is used to describe the Beast. Similar to the Marquis from the first story he is also 'leonine' with a 'mane' however Beauty dispels this connection by explicitly saying 'a lion is a lion and a man is a man' showing that while the Marquis was always the man the Beast is an 'angry lion' pretending to be a man. There is a lot of repetition of the word 'lion' which contrasts with his clothes and status. His size is emphasised through Carter's description is him as a 'great bulk' and is perceived as 'vaster than the house itself' however this could show his power over the father due to his social position and wealth in comparison. The Beast's image is also one of wealth and status, he is wearing a 'smoking jacket of dull red brocade' as he tries to appear more human but is unable to cover his otherness. His voice is a 'dark, rumbling growl' which gives the character a more fearsome persona, growls are very animalistic and usually warning sounds of an attack however he later purrs showing that he too, like humans, can be gentle and warming. It is also described as a 'cave of echos', a technique Carter uses throughout the different stories in the book where she makes the men unspecific to any man and every man.


4. Look at the way the story is narrated? Is it 1st Person? 3rd Person? How does the narrative perspective affect the impact of the story on the reader?

Carter has used a shifting perspectives in the book as well as different voices to disorientate the reader and build up a world, in the Beast's home, of confusion, where normal rules do not apply. This is most apparent when the father sees the Beast's dog. The narrative changes from a third person to a new stream of consciousness, '(how amusing)' which seems incongruous to story and which is instantly discarded. It reinforces the image that in a rich man's house 'all the laws of the world... need not necessarily apply'. It also allows Carter to not just look at everything the heroine sees but to see her as part of the story.