Feminism
1st
Wave Feminism
- Emerged during the mid-19th Century and lasted through to the early 20th Century.
- It’s main aims were gender equality through access to higher education, voting rights, employment rights and equal laws.
- While it was one big movement there were many different types of feminism with their own political agendas and methods. The biggest example of this is the suffragists and the more radical suffragettes. Each group took a different approach to tackling the problem of getting the governments to listen. For example some behaved ‘unladylike’ while others dressed in their Sunday best to protest, offering no resistance.
- They challenged the stereotypes of women, including the ‘cult of domesticity’ which is the ideology that a woman’s place is in the home.
- The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions’ was modelled on the Declaration of Independence including twelve resolutions, including ‘demand of suffrage, on the control of wages and earnings, one the guardianship of children for women and another the right to divorce.’
- The movements affected both Western and Eastern societies together in a worldwide push.
- It was closely linked to the abolition movements of the 1830’s where slaves were freed and given rights, even though they were still restricted. Therefore evolving a strand of feminism for the ex-slaves.
- A lot was placed on the value of women, I would have girls regard themselves not as adjectives but as nouns. — Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902). This theme appears a lot in Carter where women are often commodities.
- It was marked by many famous female writers such Virginia Woolf and Simone de Belvoir.
- Both World War I and World War II meant a severe backlash for women’s rights, as the focus then became demands of national unity and patriotism.
- Emerged during the mid-19th Century and lasted through to the early 20th Century.
- It’s main aims were gender equality through access to higher education, voting rights, employment rights and equal laws.
- While it was one big movement there were many different types of feminism with their own political agendas and methods. The biggest example of this is the suffragists and the more radical suffragettes. Each group took a different approach to tackling the problem of getting the governments to listen. For example some behaved ‘unladylike’ while others dressed in their Sunday best to protest, offering no resistance.
- They challenged the stereotypes of women, including the ‘cult of domesticity’ which is the ideology that a woman’s place is in the home.
- The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions’ was modelled on the Declaration of Independence including twelve resolutions, including ‘demand of suffrage, on the control of wages and earnings, one the guardianship of children for women and another the right to divorce.’
- The movements affected both Western and Eastern societies together in a worldwide push.
- It was closely linked to the abolition movements of the 1830’s where slaves were freed and given rights, even though they were still restricted. Therefore evolving a strand of feminism for the ex-slaves.
- A lot was placed on the value of women, I would have girls regard themselves not as adjectives but as nouns. — Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902). This theme appears a lot in Carter where women are often commodities.
- It was marked by many famous female writers such Virginia Woolf and Simone de Belvoir.
- Both World War I and World War II meant a severe backlash for women’s rights, as the focus then became demands of national unity and patriotism.
2nd
Wave Feminism
- Refers to the period dominated by more radical feminism between the 60s and 70s although can be traced up to the 90s
- It was deep-seated in the context of the civil rights movement and anti-war protests. After the Second World War people were starting to notice all of the minorities.
- Strongest in America where social change and protests took up a large part of the 60s.
- Focused on sexuality and reproductive rights for women as well as the Equal Rights Act.
- One of the main subjects of Feminism attacks was the Miss America and other beauty pageants. They made statements about how this was a ‘cattle parade’ and even crowned a sheep Miss America in protest. It was also an attack on the beauty culture and many women threw away ‘feminine chains of oppression’ such as bras, lipstick, high heels and false eyelashes.
- The radical feminism drew a lot of its energy out of the other protesting groups at the time joining them in their criticism of capitalism and imperialism. Although sometimes the feminist agenda was eclipsed by these other movements and in response women’s groups such as NOW and the BITCH manifesto were created.
- Ways of thinking had changed a lot since the first wave and the new feminists took to psychoanalytical and neo- Marxist values. Broader critiques of capitalism and patriarchy were created and the woman’s role of the wife and mother. Sex and gender were also split into the definitive biological and gender construct.
- While first wave was world-wide it still mainly concerned white middle class women, whereas due to the greater social changes brought on by the Second World War the second wave of feminism brought in women from different backgrounds to stand for solidarity.
- The Feminine Mystique was a famous book by Betty Friedan in 1963, it talks about women’s identification and values specifically how women fare economically. Famously it states “for women to have full independence and freedom they must have economic independence’.
- Refers to the period dominated by more radical feminism between the 60s and 70s although can be traced up to the 90s
- It was deep-seated in the context of the civil rights movement and anti-war protests. After the Second World War people were starting to notice all of the minorities.
- Strongest in America where social change and protests took up a large part of the 60s.
- Focused on sexuality and reproductive rights for women as well as the Equal Rights Act.
- One of the main subjects of Feminism attacks was the Miss America and other beauty pageants. They made statements about how this was a ‘cattle parade’ and even crowned a sheep Miss America in protest. It was also an attack on the beauty culture and many women threw away ‘feminine chains of oppression’ such as bras, lipstick, high heels and false eyelashes.
- The radical feminism drew a lot of its energy out of the other protesting groups at the time joining them in their criticism of capitalism and imperialism. Although sometimes the feminist agenda was eclipsed by these other movements and in response women’s groups such as NOW and the BITCH manifesto were created.
- Ways of thinking had changed a lot since the first wave and the new feminists took to psychoanalytical and neo- Marxist values. Broader critiques of capitalism and patriarchy were created and the woman’s role of the wife and mother. Sex and gender were also split into the definitive biological and gender construct.
- While first wave was world-wide it still mainly concerned white middle class women, whereas due to the greater social changes brought on by the Second World War the second wave of feminism brought in women from different backgrounds to stand for solidarity.
- The Feminine Mystique was a famous book by Betty Friedan in 1963, it talks about women’s identification and values specifically how women fare economically. Famously it states “for women to have full independence and freedom they must have economic independence’.
3rd
Wave Feminism
- 1990’s feminism that tries to appeal to a younger generation.
- Most famous for adopting the images of the 2nd wave male oppression, makeup, low cut tops, high heels, in a bid to show that they were in control of how they looked. This image they also exaggerated in many cases.
- Tried to create an image of a strong and empowered woman.
- After the fall of communism and the Berlin wall the third wave feminists addressed a new world order with new political ideas.
- Areas addressed mainly by this feminism is violence against women, trafficking, body surgery, self- mutilation and overall objectification in the media.
- They took power away from derogatory terms such as ‘bitch’ and ‘slut’ to subvert the sexist culture.
Additional Types of Feminism
Amazon Feminism- Focuses on the female hero in fiction and in real life and rejects the image of women as passive weak and physically helpless.
Cultural Feminism- Focuses on women’s inherent difference from men, including supposed “natural” kindness, tendencies to nurture, pacifism, relationship focus and concern for others. Opposes an emphasis on equality and instead argues for increased value placed on culturally designated ‘women’s work’. Also known as Difference Feminism.
Ecofeminism- Argues against particarhal tendencies to destroy the environment and tries to stop this. Draws parallels between exploitation of women, and exploitation of the Earth and Mother Nature. Often connected to spirituality and vegetarianism.
Equality Feminism- Focuses on gaining equality for men and women in all domains (work, home, law. Etc.) Argues that women should receive all privileges given to men and that while accepting biological differences believe they do not justify inequality.
Essentialist Feminism- Sees the biological difference between men and women and argue that men and women are ‘separate but equal’.
Forth World Feminism- Argues against the process of colonisation and the stripping of countries native customs, values and traditions.
Individual/libertarian feminism- Focuses on individual autonomy, rights, liberty, independence and diversity.
Lesbian Feminism- Rejects the ideology of the nuclear family and heterosexism. Strives for recognition of lesbianism and works against homophobia.
Liberal feminism- Wants to work within institutions to gain equality for women without changing the entire institution. Works against radical feminism.
Marxist/socialist Feminism- Draws parallels with women and workers placing the blame on the capitalistic superstructure and suggests a collective change rather than individual efforts.
Material Feminism- Part of the feminism movement in the first wave of feminism it strived to liberate women through improving their material conditions through employment, the ability to own property and social stature.
Moderate Feminism- Believes in taking small steps towards gender equality and change within institutions.
Pop Feminism- Media feminism based on caricatures of ‘girl power’ such as Wonder Woman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charlie’s Angels.
Postcolonial Feminism- Rejects Colonial power.
Postmodern Feminism- Critiques the male/female binary and argues against this as the organising force of society. Deconstructs what is socially accepted and blurs the boundaries.
Radical Feminism- Cutting-edge branch of feminism concentrating of a swift reform, social change and revolution. Argues against superstructures such as patriarchy, heterosexism and racism and emphasizes gender as a social construct, denouncing biological roots of gender difference.
Separatist Feminism- Denounce men and separation. Sometimes uses the word ‘womyn’ instead.
Socialist feminism- Blend of Marxism and more radical approaches.
Third World Feminism- Emphasises women’s needs outside of the First world context. Suggests that male oppression of women is similar to the first world domination of third world countries.
First World Feminism- Feminism directed to the Westernised and First World culture and often overlooks more world-wide social issues.
- 1990’s feminism that tries to appeal to a younger generation.
- Most famous for adopting the images of the 2nd wave male oppression, makeup, low cut tops, high heels, in a bid to show that they were in control of how they looked. This image they also exaggerated in many cases.
- Tried to create an image of a strong and empowered woman.
- After the fall of communism and the Berlin wall the third wave feminists addressed a new world order with new political ideas.
- Areas addressed mainly by this feminism is violence against women, trafficking, body surgery, self- mutilation and overall objectification in the media.
- They took power away from derogatory terms such as ‘bitch’ and ‘slut’ to subvert the sexist culture.
Additional Types of Feminism
Amazon Feminism- Focuses on the female hero in fiction and in real life and rejects the image of women as passive weak and physically helpless.
Cultural Feminism- Focuses on women’s inherent difference from men, including supposed “natural” kindness, tendencies to nurture, pacifism, relationship focus and concern for others. Opposes an emphasis on equality and instead argues for increased value placed on culturally designated ‘women’s work’. Also known as Difference Feminism.
Ecofeminism- Argues against particarhal tendencies to destroy the environment and tries to stop this. Draws parallels between exploitation of women, and exploitation of the Earth and Mother Nature. Often connected to spirituality and vegetarianism.
Equality Feminism- Focuses on gaining equality for men and women in all domains (work, home, law. Etc.) Argues that women should receive all privileges given to men and that while accepting biological differences believe they do not justify inequality.
Essentialist Feminism- Sees the biological difference between men and women and argue that men and women are ‘separate but equal’.
Forth World Feminism- Argues against the process of colonisation and the stripping of countries native customs, values and traditions.
Individual/libertarian feminism- Focuses on individual autonomy, rights, liberty, independence and diversity.
Lesbian Feminism- Rejects the ideology of the nuclear family and heterosexism. Strives for recognition of lesbianism and works against homophobia.
Liberal feminism- Wants to work within institutions to gain equality for women without changing the entire institution. Works against radical feminism.
Marxist/socialist Feminism- Draws parallels with women and workers placing the blame on the capitalistic superstructure and suggests a collective change rather than individual efforts.
Material Feminism- Part of the feminism movement in the first wave of feminism it strived to liberate women through improving their material conditions through employment, the ability to own property and social stature.
Moderate Feminism- Believes in taking small steps towards gender equality and change within institutions.
Pop Feminism- Media feminism based on caricatures of ‘girl power’ such as Wonder Woman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charlie’s Angels.
Postcolonial Feminism- Rejects Colonial power.
Postmodern Feminism- Critiques the male/female binary and argues against this as the organising force of society. Deconstructs what is socially accepted and blurs the boundaries.
Radical Feminism- Cutting-edge branch of feminism concentrating of a swift reform, social change and revolution. Argues against superstructures such as patriarchy, heterosexism and racism and emphasizes gender as a social construct, denouncing biological roots of gender difference.
Separatist Feminism- Denounce men and separation. Sometimes uses the word ‘womyn’ instead.
Socialist feminism- Blend of Marxism and more radical approaches.
Third World Feminism- Emphasises women’s needs outside of the First world context. Suggests that male oppression of women is similar to the first world domination of third world countries.
First World Feminism- Feminism directed to the Westernised and First World culture and often overlooks more world-wide social issues.
Marxism
- Marxism was an ideology created by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the middle of the 19th Century.
- It gathered many followers in the 20th Century including Vladimir Lenin, who changed it to suit his Soviet Union.
- Marxism deals with the class struggles, suggesting that the workers and lower classes are oppressed by the individual ideology of capitalism and the upper classes.
- It believes in the self- emancipation of the working class from this system of oppression.
- It is a radical belief in revolution against the superstructure.
- Holds an end goal of destroying class divides into a more equal and fair society.
- Marxism was an ideology created by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the middle of the 19th Century.
- It gathered many followers in the 20th Century including Vladimir Lenin, who changed it to suit his Soviet Union.
- Marxism deals with the class struggles, suggesting that the workers and lower classes are oppressed by the individual ideology of capitalism and the upper classes.
- It believes in the self- emancipation of the working class from this system of oppression.
- It is a radical belief in revolution against the superstructure.
- Holds an end goal of destroying class divides into a more equal and fair society.
Carter’s Previous Work
Angela Carter has wrote many novels, short stories and
dramatic works in many different genres for example gothic, non-fiction,
children’s and more. Many of her stories
are centred on female narrators, such as The Bloody Chamber, The Magic Toyshop,
Heroes and Villains, Love, Night at the circus and Wise children to name but
some.
Excerpt- Heroes and Villains
Marianne had sharp, cold eyes and she was spiteful[Caitlin E1] but her father loved her. He was a Professor of History; he owned a clock which he wound every morning and kept in the family dining-room upon a sideboard full of heirlooms of stainless steel such as dishes and cutlery. Marianne thought of the clock as her father’s pet, something like her own pet rabbit, but the rabbit soon died and was handed over to the Professor of Biology to be eviscerated while the clock continued to tick inscrutably on. She therefore concluded the clock must be immortal but this did not impress her. Marianne sat at the table, eating; she watched dispassionately as the hands of the clock went round but she never felt that time was passing for time was frozen around her in this secluded place[Caitlin E2] where a pastoral quiet possessed everything and the busy clock carved the hours into sculptures of ice[Caitlin E3] .
Marianne lived in a white tower made of steel and concrete[Caitlin E4] . She looked out of her window and, in autumn, she saw a blazing hill of corn and orchards where the trees creaked with crimson apples; in the spring the fields unfurled like various flags, first brown, then green. Beyond the farmland was nothing but marshes and indifferent acreage of tumbled stone and some distant imitations of the surrounding forest which, in certain stormy lights of late August, seemed to encroach on and menace the community[Caitlin E5] though, most of the time, the villagers conspired to ignore it.
Marianne’s tower stood among some other steel and concrete blocks that, surviving the blast now functioned as barracks, museums and school, a number of wide streets of rectangular wooden houses and some stables and market gardens. The community grew corn, flax, vegetables and fruit. It tended cattle for meat and milk besides sheep for wool and chickens for eggs. It was self-supporting at the simplest level [Caitlin E6] and exported its agricultural surplus in return for drugs and other medical supplies, books, ammunition, spare parts for machinery, weapons and tools. The sounds of Marianne’s childhood were cries of animals and creaking of carts, crowing of cocks and the bugles of the Soldiers drilling in the barracks. In February and March, wailing gulls blew in from the sea across freshly ploughed fields, but Marianne had never seen the sea.
She was not allowed to go outside the outer wire fence away from the community. Sheep sometimes wandered away, leaping briary hillocks above abandoned habitations, and sometimes a shepherd followed them though he would go reluctantly and heavily armed. The Soldiers kept the roads when they drove away lorries full of produce but, even so, the Barbarians occasionally hijacked the convoys and killed all the Soldiers[Caitlin E7] .
‘If you’re not a good little girl, the Barbarians will eat you[Caitlin E8] ,’ said Marianne’s nurse, a Worker woman[Caitlin E9] with six fingers on each hand, which puzzled Marianne for she herself only had five.
‘Why?’ asked Marianne.
‘Because that is the nature of the Barbarians’ said her nurse. ‘They wrap little girls in clay like they do with hedgehogs, wrap them in clay, bake them in the fire and gobble them up with salt. They relish tender little girls.’
‘Then I’d be too tough for them,’ said Marianne truculently. But she saw the woman honestly believed what she said and wondered vaguely if it were true.
Marianne had sharp, cold eyes and she was spiteful[Caitlin E1] but her father loved her. He was a Professor of History; he owned a clock which he wound every morning and kept in the family dining-room upon a sideboard full of heirlooms of stainless steel such as dishes and cutlery. Marianne thought of the clock as her father’s pet, something like her own pet rabbit, but the rabbit soon died and was handed over to the Professor of Biology to be eviscerated while the clock continued to tick inscrutably on. She therefore concluded the clock must be immortal but this did not impress her. Marianne sat at the table, eating; she watched dispassionately as the hands of the clock went round but she never felt that time was passing for time was frozen around her in this secluded place[Caitlin E2] where a pastoral quiet possessed everything and the busy clock carved the hours into sculptures of ice[Caitlin E3] .
Marianne lived in a white tower made of steel and concrete[Caitlin E4] . She looked out of her window and, in autumn, she saw a blazing hill of corn and orchards where the trees creaked with crimson apples; in the spring the fields unfurled like various flags, first brown, then green. Beyond the farmland was nothing but marshes and indifferent acreage of tumbled stone and some distant imitations of the surrounding forest which, in certain stormy lights of late August, seemed to encroach on and menace the community[Caitlin E5] though, most of the time, the villagers conspired to ignore it.
Marianne’s tower stood among some other steel and concrete blocks that, surviving the blast now functioned as barracks, museums and school, a number of wide streets of rectangular wooden houses and some stables and market gardens. The community grew corn, flax, vegetables and fruit. It tended cattle for meat and milk besides sheep for wool and chickens for eggs. It was self-supporting at the simplest level [Caitlin E6] and exported its agricultural surplus in return for drugs and other medical supplies, books, ammunition, spare parts for machinery, weapons and tools. The sounds of Marianne’s childhood were cries of animals and creaking of carts, crowing of cocks and the bugles of the Soldiers drilling in the barracks. In February and March, wailing gulls blew in from the sea across freshly ploughed fields, but Marianne had never seen the sea.
She was not allowed to go outside the outer wire fence away from the community. Sheep sometimes wandered away, leaping briary hillocks above abandoned habitations, and sometimes a shepherd followed them though he would go reluctantly and heavily armed. The Soldiers kept the roads when they drove away lorries full of produce but, even so, the Barbarians occasionally hijacked the convoys and killed all the Soldiers[Caitlin E7] .
‘If you’re not a good little girl, the Barbarians will eat you[Caitlin E8] ,’ said Marianne’s nurse, a Worker woman[Caitlin E9] with six fingers on each hand, which puzzled Marianne for she herself only had five.
‘Why?’ asked Marianne.
‘Because that is the nature of the Barbarians’ said her nurse. ‘They wrap little girls in clay like they do with hedgehogs, wrap them in clay, bake them in the fire and gobble them up with salt. They relish tender little girls.’
‘Then I’d be too tough for them,’ said Marianne truculently. But she saw the woman honestly believed what she said and wondered vaguely if it were true.
[Caitlin E1]Not the traditional Gothic Female who is pure, trusting and naïve.
[Caitlin E2]Isolation and entrapment
[Caitlin E3]Contrasts the later fire of the passion and tribes. Duality and contrast of settings.
[Caitlin E4]Opulence, wealth, security. Marxism. Also contrasts the natural world.
[Caitlin E5]Power and destructiveness of Nature.
The heroine is drawn to it later. Gothic/Feminism
‘Erl King’- the women are drawn to the dangerous forest.
[Caitlin E6]Capitalism. Marxism,
[Caitlin E8]Fairy-tale- esque
[Caitlin E9]Marxism. Workers and Professors. Workers physically marked with differences/
Society of
the Time
The Bloody Chamber was published in 1979 after a decade of lots of different news stories and changes. Below are just a few.
The Bloody Chamber was published in 1979 after a decade of lots of different news stories and changes. Below are just a few.
Continuation of the Cold War
- Started after the Second World War there was still high tension between the Communist state of Russia and the Democratic USA and other Western Powers. The war had already seen the world brought to the brink of nuclear war and the Berlin wall was still standing and the Allied Armies tried to keep the peace in West Germany.
- Started after the Second World War there was still high tension between the Communist state of Russia and the Democratic USA and other Western Powers. The war had already seen the world brought to the brink of nuclear war and the Berlin wall was still standing and the Allied Armies tried to keep the peace in West Germany.
Vietnam War
The War against America and North Vietnam officially ended in 1975 when all American troops were withdrawn. The War, which at the start had been in America’s favour, seemed lost as North Vietnam overran the South. It shocked the world, both with the horrendous images of war (as it was televised around the world) and the power of the Vietnamese peasants with guerrilla warfare as well as the loss of life. From a Marxist perspective this was a win for the workers.
The War against America and North Vietnam officially ended in 1975 when all American troops were withdrawn. The War, which at the start had been in America’s favour, seemed lost as North Vietnam overran the South. It shocked the world, both with the horrendous images of war (as it was televised around the world) and the power of the Vietnamese peasants with guerrilla warfare as well as the loss of life. From a Marxist perspective this was a win for the workers.
Pol Pot’s Year Zero
In Cambodia the Dictator Pol Pot gained power and implements his Year Zero. This meant community farms where many people starved and those who were not workers or had signs such as wearing glasses or calloused hands were killed.
In Cambodia the Dictator Pol Pot gained power and implements his Year Zero. This meant community farms where many people starved and those who were not workers or had signs such as wearing glasses or calloused hands were killed.
Recessions
Economic growth rates fell and in Britain this lead to many workers strikes.
Economic growth rates fell and in Britain this lead to many workers strikes.
Decline of the British Empire
The British Empire had been decaying slowly over the 20th Century however by the 70’s it was in its last phases of dissolution. With this came a large change in British attitudes.
The British Empire had been decaying slowly over the 20th Century however by the 70’s it was in its last phases of dissolution. With this came a large change in British attitudes.
Social
- 1970s the first face lift were attempted, this shows an inherent focus on appearance.
- 1978 the first IVF child was born
- 1970s the first face lift were attempted, this shows an inherent focus on appearance.
- 1978 the first IVF child was born
Women
- Rise in women in government roles e.g. Margaret Thatcher 1979, first female Prime minister in the UK
- Aftermath of Second Wave Feminism
- Debates on abortion and women’s rights over their bodies were brought to the political spotlight
- Rise in women in government roles e.g. Margaret Thatcher 1979, first female Prime minister in the UK
- Aftermath of Second Wave Feminism
- Debates on abortion and women’s rights over their bodies were brought to the political spotlight
Civil
Rights
1965- the Civil Rights movement signed the Equal rights bill.
However the struggle for completely equal rights continued.
1965- the Civil Rights movement signed the Equal rights bill.
However the struggle for completely equal rights continued.
Youth
Suffrage
- Due to the Vietnamese War there was a great surge in the push to lower voting age.
- Due to the Vietnamese War there was a great surge in the push to lower voting age.
Popular
Culture
- Many controversial films were made such as ‘one flew over the cuckoo’s nest’ which shines a different light on mental illness and institutions.
- Other films like Grease which involved sexually promiscuous high school girls and Olivia Newton John, who’s character changes from her innocent and pure self into a tight jumpsuit and publically smoking. The iconic images were also influenced the ‘male gaze’.
- Many controversial films were made such as ‘one flew over the cuckoo’s nest’ which shines a different light on mental illness and institutions.
- Other films like Grease which involved sexually promiscuous high school girls and Olivia Newton John, who’s character changes from her innocent and pure self into a tight jumpsuit and publically smoking. The iconic images were also influenced the ‘male gaze’.
-Cult
classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, subverted the usual story of
Frankenstein with cross dressing and promiscuity.
-
Whereas films like the Exorcist subvert supernatural religion into a horror
genre that inspired many more.
-
Fiction in the early 70s were reminiscent of old fashion story telling.
-
Racism was a key literary subject of the decade, the main aim to highlight the
change in attitudes.
-
Stephan King became the most popular genre- novelist
-
Punk Subculture emerged during the later years
Critics
Negative-
Patricia Duncker- ‘Carter envisages women’s sensuality simply as a response to male arousal’
Robert Clark (Company of Wolves) when the girl strips in front of the werewolf, ‘the point of view is that of the male voyeur, the implication may be that the girl has her own sexual power, but his meaning lies perilously close to the idea that all women want it really, and only need forcing to overcome their scruples’
Lucie Armitt- one of the major problems facing the reader of these ten stories is that they seem always to be dissolving into each other.
Susanne Kappeler- ‘Carter's use of Sade's misogynist works did little other than reinforce degrading patriarchal representations of women’
Jenny Fabian- Whatever masquerades and metamorphoses take place within Carter’s fictional world, there is no escape from the notion that language is a male construct of control http://londongrip.co.uk/2010/10/love-terror-emancipation/
Patricia Duncker- ‘Carter envisages women’s sensuality simply as a response to male arousal’
Robert Clark (Company of Wolves) when the girl strips in front of the werewolf, ‘the point of view is that of the male voyeur, the implication may be that the girl has her own sexual power, but his meaning lies perilously close to the idea that all women want it really, and only need forcing to overcome their scruples’
Lucie Armitt- one of the major problems facing the reader of these ten stories is that they seem always to be dissolving into each other.
Susanne Kappeler- ‘Carter's use of Sade's misogynist works did little other than reinforce degrading patriarchal representations of women’
Jenny Fabian- Whatever masquerades and metamorphoses take place within Carter’s fictional world, there is no escape from the notion that language is a male construct of control http://londongrip.co.uk/2010/10/love-terror-emancipation/
Positive-
Cristina Bacchilega, Postmodern Fairy Tales: Gender and Narrative Strategies, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997
‘The narrator’s sensual style both uses and exposes seduction as a trap’,
‘the Bloody Chamber’s unnamed first person narrator, focalizer, and main agent is also a “virtuous” yet “willing victim,”
‘In patriarchal economies, women- who represent these “blood reserves”- are exploited because both profit and pleasure require the spilling of their blood (Irigary 125). Carter’s stories expose such an economy as a voracious preying on human life, and especially on lower-class or otherwise marginalized women’s lives.’
http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RwAbsnP8F5sC&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&dq=Cristina+Bacchilega,+Postmodern+Fairy+Tales:+Gender+and+Narrative+Strategies,+University+of+Pennsylvania+Press,+1997&ots=XxRhd4j1Zs&sig=0wB64RX_iiKUnO33BI5X8wg2pEk#v=onepage&q=company%20of%20wolves&f=false
Cristina Bacchilega, Postmodern Fairy Tales: Gender and Narrative Strategies, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997
‘The narrator’s sensual style both uses and exposes seduction as a trap’,
‘the Bloody Chamber’s unnamed first person narrator, focalizer, and main agent is also a “virtuous” yet “willing victim,”
‘In patriarchal economies, women- who represent these “blood reserves”- are exploited because both profit and pleasure require the spilling of their blood (Irigary 125). Carter’s stories expose such an economy as a voracious preying on human life, and especially on lower-class or otherwise marginalized women’s lives.’
http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RwAbsnP8F5sC&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&dq=Cristina+Bacchilega,+Postmodern+Fairy+Tales:+Gender+and+Narrative+Strategies,+University+of+Pennsylvania+Press,+1997&ots=XxRhd4j1Zs&sig=0wB64RX_iiKUnO33BI5X8wg2pEk#v=onepage&q=company%20of%20wolves&f=false
Robert
Clark- ‘reversal of stereotypical power relations
Stephen Benson, contemporary fiction and the fairy tale
the notion that the male protagonists are all-powerful simply by virtue of their sex is rendered an untenable position
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3ptZ3O5XORoC&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=Patricia+Duncker,+%27Re-Imagining+the+Fairy+Tales:+Angela+Carter%27s+Bloody+Chambers%27,+Literature+and+History,+10:1,+1984,+pp.+3%E2%80%9314&source=bl&ots=zNk_83hFtd&sig=wntIt_dgkBwMYVQIPu-twhahHYs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=CZiyVOfIKcTqaPrHgdAI&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=the%20bloody%20chamber&f=false
Stephen Benson, contemporary fiction and the fairy tale
the notion that the male protagonists are all-powerful simply by virtue of their sex is rendered an untenable position
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3ptZ3O5XORoC&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=Patricia+Duncker,+%27Re-Imagining+the+Fairy+Tales:+Angela+Carter%27s+Bloody+Chambers%27,+Literature+and+History,+10:1,+1984,+pp.+3%E2%80%9314&source=bl&ots=zNk_83hFtd&sig=wntIt_dgkBwMYVQIPu-twhahHYs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=CZiyVOfIKcTqaPrHgdAI&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=the%20bloody%20chamber&f=false
Helen Simpson- The
stories in The Bloody Chamber are fired by the conviction that human nature is
not immutable, that human beings are capable of change.
The heroines of these stories are struggling out of the straitjackets of history and ideology and biological essentialism.
There are a myriad such musical echoes in this collection - herbivores and carnivores, death and the maiden, the image of a system of Chinese boxes opening one into another - while certain phrases like "pentacle of virginity" or indeed "the bloody chamber" crop up repeatedly from story to story. Images of meat, naked flesh, fur, snow, menstruation, mirrors and roses (fanged or otherwise) recur fugue-like throughout, giving these stories an unmistakable family resemblance, different though they are from each other in approach and register.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/jun/24/classics.angelacarter
The heroines of these stories are struggling out of the straitjackets of history and ideology and biological essentialism.
There are a myriad such musical echoes in this collection - herbivores and carnivores, death and the maiden, the image of a system of Chinese boxes opening one into another - while certain phrases like "pentacle of virginity" or indeed "the bloody chamber" crop up repeatedly from story to story. Images of meat, naked flesh, fur, snow, menstruation, mirrors and roses (fanged or otherwise) recur fugue-like throughout, giving these stories an unmistakable family resemblance, different though they are from each other in approach and register.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/jun/24/classics.angelacarter
Aytül Özüm The
problematized issue in the story is not focused on the young woman’s sexual
arousal, but it is on the fact that women can be as inclined as men for evil. Carter’s
means to affiliate this woman with sexuality or pornography is through the
creation of potential for evil and corruption.
Carter’s tales fabricate new cultural and literary realities in which sexuality and free will in women replace the patriarchal traits of innocence and morality in traditional fairy tales.
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/ati/Evil/Evil%208/ozum%20paper.pdf
Carter’s tales fabricate new cultural and literary realities in which sexuality and free will in women replace the patriarchal traits of innocence and morality in traditional fairy tales.
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/ati/Evil/Evil%208/ozum%20paper.pdf
Problems
Marxism
- ‘Politicisation of literary forms’, the idea that literary forms are inherently determined by political circumstances and is part of the capitalist indoctrination process. Therefore by avoiding reading you can avoid indoctrination however by not reading it you are limiting yourself to your own ideas.
Marxism
- ‘Politicisation of literary forms’, the idea that literary forms are inherently determined by political circumstances and is part of the capitalist indoctrination process. Therefore by avoiding reading you can avoid indoctrination however by not reading it you are limiting yourself to your own ideas.
Feminism
- Language. Most languages are male dominated therefore even when trying to make a point on femininity it is still confined to masculine words.
- Heavy Western Culture Bias
- Language. Most languages are male dominated therefore even when trying to make a point on femininity it is still confined to masculine words.
- Heavy Western Culture Bias
News Articles
Marxism
London bus drivers
begin 24-hour strike action
The Story: Bus drivers in
London have gone on strike as a campaign for a single pay agreement. This is
because among the 18 companies walking out there are over 80 different pay
rates for bus drivers. Most of them feel that their wages can’t support them in
the high London economy and due to the changing shifts the same amount of money
is not guaranteed every week. This can be viewed from a Marxist perspective
because the worker are taking action against the rich companies.
Feminsim
Transgender teenager, 17, leaves heartbreaking suicide note blaming her
Christian parents before walking in front of tractor trailer on highwayThe Story: Leelah Alcorn, born Joshua, committed suicide before Christmas when her parents wouldn’t accept her chosen gender. In the note she left on social media she blamed gender constructs and her parents for not accepting her for who she was and wanted to be. She believed that society needed to be changed and Gender to be taught at schools. The 17 year old had identified as a girl since the age of 4 but was constantly beaten down by her parents who even after her death refused to accept her and called her a ‘good boy’.
From a Feminist perspective this can be seen as old gender constructs and patriarchy damaging what is now a changing society as well as the emphasis that as a women she had less power against her parents. It also links in with the feeling of male and female identity which the media has picked up on, using the correct pronouns for her rather than the patriarchal constructs that would traditionally be used in a story like this which would be use the language for the sex.
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