This iconic book of feminist retellings has been praised for its daring prose and macabreGruesome or ghastly. imagery. First published in 1979, the collection of short tales takes classic fairy stories and subverts their gendered tropesRepeated themes, images, metaphors and narratives. For instance, the "damsel in distress" is a trope in fairy tales and romantic novels., featuring female protagonists who often take agency over their own narratives. Including GothicCharacterised by gloom, mystery and horror. reimaginings of childhood staples like Bluebeard, Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty, in Carter’s hands these classic stories become powerful tools for exploring power, gender and psychology in the modern age. The Bloody Chamber turned Angela Carter from an obscure — if prolificProducing a large amount of something. — writer into a household name, shocking and impressing contemporary readers in equal measure.
The Bloody Chamber
Glossary
Macabre - Gruesome or ghastly.
Tropes - Repeated themes, images, metaphors and narratives. For instance, the "damsel in distress" is a trope in fairy tales and romantic novels.
Gothic - Characterised by gloom, mystery and horror.
Prolific - Producing a large amount of something.
Patriarchy - A system of society where men hold power and women are excluded.
Anthropomorphic - Anthropomorphism is when humans ascribe human-like traits, for instance personalities and emotions, to non-human things (including animals).
Sentient - Able to perceive or feel things.
Monolith - A single big stone, often standing upright. Also used to describe large political, social or corporate structures that are slow to move or change.