'The Erl-King represents the very essence of man; selfish, unthinking, innocent and destructive'

How far do you agree? 

The Erl-King, as a character, can be described in all of the terms used above; however is it fair to say these are the essences of man? Carter has used a deliberately loathsome approach in her display of men throughout her works, influenced by her anger at the oppression and degradation of females within society, and her practise of feminism. Men however can be kind and gentle, as shown through the Erl-Kings ability to love the women he then traps in cages.

‘How cruel it is, to keep wild birds in cages! But he laughs at me when I say that’ shows the audience that the Erl-King may not fully understand the harm he is doing by keeping the women in cages; he only wants to serve his selfish purposes and doesn’t care about the effects on other  people; making him an unthinking person. His laugh can be taken in a sinister way, showing the malice and spite in which he is fully aware of the harm he is inflicting on the girls.

The Erl-Kings innocence however can be questioned, as an innocent man wouldn’t sleep with various girls and commit acts similar to that of a supernatural being (‘you sink your teeth into my throat’). The ‘innocence’ can be taken in an ironic way, as the ideologies of society mean that women are criticised more than men, for doing similar actions. The Erl-King is not accused by any of the women, there is no character to point out his wrongs; he is allowed to continue until he is killed at the end of the story; bringing about his own destruction. ‘The Erl-King will do you grievous harm’ clearly states the destructive behaviour of the character, and his ability to charm and entice his victims.  

The Erl-King does adhere to these character traits as he is selfish in taking the purity of women, unthinking as to what that might do to their reputation and image, innocent as he is never blamed and destructive because of his actions. In allegorical terms he represents man; the story depicting the power struggle and gender roles within society. The Erl-King can be seen as a villainous character, possibly portraying Carter’s views on men in general. 

'The Erl-King can be read as a journey into the unconscious'

How far do you agree? 

The strong Gothic elements, the strange character of the Erl-King, the location and the storyline all link to the idea that the story is a journey into the unconscious. 'Lucidity' is often a way to describe dreams, as 'lucid dreaming' is a realistic dream that feels like it's truly happening; something that could be happening to the narrator. However since she feels and sees so clearly, how can it be a dream? The blurred lines of reality and trickery is apparent here, as the narrator seems confused of her surroundings, describing things in various tenses, and seeing things that aren't truly there, but feature in her 'illusion' of the forest. This illusion could have been influenced by her slowly losing consciousness, becoming more distorted by the second. It could have, however, been created to describe her unconscious and what can be found there. Because of the oppression and the way women have been treated, their self-worth, confidence and pride may be shattered, adding a melancholy  bleak and dark touch to their minds; something Carter may have wanted to explore to show how the patriarchal society has affected us mentally. 

The monstrous character of the Erl-King, sounds so much like a fairytale villain, that it is hard to believe he is a character of this reality. 'He came alive from the desire of the woods' hints at a supernatural being, as he is not entirely human; supernatural beings concocted from various memories, brought together by the subconscious perhaps. The Gothic character of the Erl-King is described as being part of the forest, therefore part of the girls unconscious mind, showing how inescapable men and the dominating role in society is. 

The ending of the story can be seen as false in relation to reality, as the gender roles have been reversed - something society didn't intend to happen. The act it has happened, and has been described in the book, may link to the narrators wishes; not her actual surroundings. It can be inferred that because this has happened, the story must be a dream or happening in her unconscious mind, because a woman taking control and wielding her power over a male is not the expected action, and could never - in a misogynistic opinion - happen in real life, as women are weak and submissive. 

On the other hand, Carter has used The Erl-King story as an allegory, to show how women are treated in the hands of men - a delicate topic that flows throughout all of society. To make this point however I do not think she meant for the story to be read as a 'journey into unconsciousness' but for the audience to realise how serious and out of control the situation is. Even though in some ways the story can be read in the way suggested (due to the liminal state and blur between the lines of reality created because of the narrative voice), it is more likely a story, based on the fairytale, intended in an allegorical way to portray the dangers of men and Carters feminist views. 

The Erl-King

• Adapted from European tale
• Evil Creature who ensnares people
• Temptation; being drawn to her own death

"What you want will ultimately destroy you" 

Intertextual References: oooh how POMO

• Links to Goblin Market by Rossetti
• Emily Dickinson: "Light is sufficient to itself" + "Perfect Transparency must be impenetrable" 
• Red Riding Hood
• The Green Man, Personified Nature (Pagan)
• Othello: "Green eyed monster" envy, jealousy, etc. 

How is the Erl-King presented? 

• Before we even meet him 'The Erl-King will do you grievous harm' foreboding, ominous, first thing we hear about his character is negative, sets us up for the rest of the description, renowned for being monstrous 
• "Quite Green" links to Othello, and 'The Green Man' 
• "White pointed teeth" dangerous, wild animal, hints at carnal activity, sexual being
• "Lays me down on his bed... at the mercy of his hands" uses women for sexual purposes, controlling as he dictates her movements, makes females look vulnerable and victimised, contrast to the polar opposite (kinky, dominatrix, being like the Countess in TSC is hinted at resembling)
• "Birds in cages" keeps women in cages which is cruel, yet feeds and waters them, so obviously cares for them in some form, thinks of them as pets? his to control, shows the duality of his personality that the woman has come to accept about him, acknowledging her love for him, as well as the danger she is in.

How is the narrator presented? 

• Prose verse, flows like poetry at the beginning, over the top; RETROSPECTIVE?
• Addresses reader directly, we are the ones in the story, it's happening to us; shows us it's not just a story, but allegorical too, as Carter makes a point of saying it can happen, and is happening to all of us
• Switches to first person, we see how she sees, her illusion makes her optimistic, yet naive and the cause of her own destruction 
• Changes in narrative voice link to the confusion about where she is and what she feels about the forest, also links to how different the sides of her feelings are, one one side it's beautiful, but no it's full of dark, rotten nature and monsters. She loves and admires the Erl-King, but she understand he will kill her, she can't get away from him, destined for a life kept in a cage, yet she kills him at the end. Her thoughts are unorganised.
• Seen as weak and submissive as she adheres to the Erl-Kings commands etc. Seemingly fallen for his mystical charm, however kills him Porphyria's Lover style

Symbols in the Erl-King

• "Vertical bars" represents being trapped, forest is like a prison, foreshadows and links to the cages the Erl-King keeps the women in 
• "Green" symbolic of jealousy and envy
• "The Forest" symbolises mens mystery, the united view we have of them. 
• "Music" is symbolic of who is in charge; The Erl-King plays the pipe to show his dominance over the females in cages and the animals around him, but then at the end, the narrator - having killed the Erl-King - plays music on the freshly stringed violin, showing her dominant power in the situation now. The violin also cries out 'mother' reiterating the power over him that she has, and how she is now the creator of her own destiny.

Intertextual References 

• Red riding hood; we and the narrator suffer the same 'illusion' that Red Riding Hood gets trapped in, as we both get lost in the forest, thinking it's more magical than it is. The white pointed teeth of the Erl-King closely resemble those of the Wolf in Red Riding Hood.
• Dracula, has also been referred to, as the Erl-King bites the narrator on the neck, to show his control and dominant role over the female. It's quite a predatory thing to do, as the bite mark shows claim over the victim, something which the Erl-King had
• Goblin Market references have also been made, adding to the sexual connotations of the story. It adds the sexual element to the allegory also, proving how men dominate over women in both physical and sexual ways. The references to 'fruit' and 'blackberries' in the story take on a negative persona that also features in Rossetti's poem; the story of oppressed and victimized women 

In what ways is this a Gothic Narrative? 

• Because in the change of narration and the quote 'she will be trapped in her own illusion because everything in the wood is exactly as it seems' the line between reality and dream is blurred, creating the eerie and unknown fear that is commonly found in the Gothic. 
• The first thing we hear about the Erl-King is 'The Erl-King will do you grievous harm' creating our first impressions and hinting to some unknown danger. The fear of the unknown, links to the first bullet point, however the danger and threat of the Erl-King creates something physical to be afraid of. 
• 'Vertical bars of brass-coloured distillation' creates the image of a prison, showing the narrator cannot escape what will happen. This creates the Gothic theme of entrapment and also links to the girls being kept in cages.
• Gothic imagery has been used at the beginning of the story to create negative connotations of the forest, something that first looks and sounds beautiful. 'Tangled mist in the thickets' and ' haunting sense of the imminent cessation' both create a dark and bleak atmosphere most associated with the Gothic genre. The inescapable 'end' also adds to the feeling of entrapment and the psychological terror found in the Gothic. 
• The duality of the Erl-King's personality is another Gothic Feature. The fact he traps women in cages to show who's in charge and is capable of killing and ripping hearts out of living creatures shows his violent and commanding side, yet he still takes care of the women when in the cages; like a human would take care of their pet. This shows the duality of his character and actions, a duality that the narrator has come to accept, acknowledging the fact he both loves her and wishes to kill and entrap her. 
• The character of the Erl-King himself isn't human, adding the supernatural element to the story, as he derives from nature, and isn't described as an average man. 

Rachel's Feminist Speech

• Women do two thirds of the work
• Women own/earn 10% of the money
• Women own 1% of property 

It's totally equal!!!

Men and women have misogynistic views without knowing it because of the ideologies of society, we are taught from a young age to think certain things. 

Rape Culture is huge thing 

It's not seen as a big of a deal anymore; some tabloids or people sometimes say the girl was asking for it because of the way she was dressed

We are judged unfairly because of the media

Women are seen as objects to look at because of things like Page 3 Glamour models, it's not news... why is it in a newspaper??

Every 2 minutes sexual abuse occurs

Links To The Snow Child: 

• Snow child is born for sexual purposes to pleasure the man only 
• Countess can't control anything her husband does; patriarchal society 
• "I can replace the items" Count owns everything (including the Countess) and controls what the money is spent on. He can replace anything he wants to... Countess is next to go. 
• Countess needs to get rid of the Snow Child in order to be the Count's number one, self-reliance isn't a thing she is capable of, she must depend on a man to take care of her. 

Links to The Bloody Chamber:

• Everything is his, nothing is shared, the protagonist is only invited in and given his keys to look after, she has no possessions of her own. Him saying she cannot go into one room demonstrates how even though he's giving her the keys, he has the power, the money, the property and the control over her actions. 
• Cannot depend on herself, goes from marrying the Count to then being with the piano tuner, she is saved by a phallic symbol belonging to her father, needs a man to survive. 

2. Setting: The Train

 Choose one setting Carter uses and discuss how it is significant in the telling of the story.

The first setting introduced in The Bloody Chamber is the carriage she occupies on the train. This is significant as it shows us she is embarking on a journey (we later find out that journey is marriage) and travelling from her old life into her new one.

"Lit in a tender, delicious ecstasy of excitement has been used to describe the atmosphere of the cabin, adding a hint of sexual promiscuity to both the character and the location. "Impeccable linen" links to the richness associated with the upper class, giving us an insight into the lavish lifestyle the Marquis and his new wife will lead, taking the protagonist "away from girlhood" and into the world of marriage. The tone of sexuality is continued with the quote, "great pistons ceaselessly thrusting" creating a phallic symbol, linking to the couple consummating their marriage. Choosing to represent the male form instead of the female form, hints at it being the man's choice to engage in sexual relations so soon into their relationship, as "ceaselessly" doesn't sound like she has much choice in the matter; symbolising the patriarchal society of the victorian era, linking to the oppression of women and their feelings. This then also links to the protagonist "ceasing to be her (mothers) child" as losing your virginity is seen as the transformation from a girl into a woman.
 

The train can be seen as taking her to her "destination and destiny" which, when reading the rest of the story, we can see the destiny is one the Marquis has created for her, planning her demise in advance, just like the deaths of his previous wives. It also seems like her destiny is inescapable, as the train is used as a method of taking her from her previous life, into her new one. "Syncopated roar" can be described as 'a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm', which foreshadows how their relationship isn't as smooth and easy as some marriages can be. From these words we can see there is something not right with this picture from the beginning, as we can infer that the Marquis does not conform to the natural 'beat' of things, and has something twisted in his nature. This "roar" also links to the description of the Marquis, who is often depicted as a Lion; reinforcing the control he has over the protagonist.
 

"The train slowed, shuddered to a halt" has negative connotations as the train is almost personified; feeling dejected and afraid of its arrival instead of happy. This personification is then continued in the simile, "the train began to throb again as if in delighted anticipation". "Clank of metal" and "Silence of the night" are two juxtaposing sentences within close proximity of each other, creating a disjointed and eerie feel. The clanking of metal could be a reference to the decapitation that the Marquis intends to perform later on in the story, followed by the still silence of his latest wife's corpse. 

 

 

The gothic genre is then shown fully by the "cold window that misted over" and the "dark platform" she sees out of the window - highlighting the negative tones within the journey and her desitination, of which she then arrives at. It links to the gothic through the references to "cold" and "dark", which create an eerie atmosphere in a realistic place, adding to the psychologial terror found in the story.

The Snow Child (continued)

Fetishism: 
Liking certain parts of a womans body, compartmentalising their appearance

Patriarchy - Natural order of things 
Feminism - fight for quality
Radical Feminist - Overthrow patriarchy and reverse gender roles  


WHO ARE WE?
WHAT DO WE RUN?
WE RUN THE WORLD
WHO RUNS THE WORLD? GIRLS (GIRLS) 

• Feminist theory focuses on the nature of gender inequality through the construction of sex and gender roles, in white middle class society
• Feminist activists campaign for women's rights, gender equality, reproductive rights and the protection of women. Some claim mens liberation is a necessary part of feminism, as they too are harmed by sexism and gender roles

Feminists oppress other people as they only focus on white middle class women, but are racist towards other countries and races. 

Ideal woman in the snow child is perfectly white; racist towards non-middle class non-white people. 

The Countess: 

• "Black" - dark connotations, contrasts with the whiteness of the snow child, un-pure colour due to marriage, symbolic of harshness she treats the snow child with
• "High, black, shining boots, with scarlet heels and spurs" - described as a provocative being, we can infer she is not wearing anything underneath her "black fox pelt" coat, decadent, dressed for her husband

The Snow Child: 

• "White skin" - described as perfect woman, british view
• "Red mouth" - depiction of beauty, connotations of love, however also blood and death 
• "Stark naked" - perfect woman is seen as a sex object, only there for mens' pleasure and desires 
• She isn't explained in great detail, showing men don't particularly care about what women look like, they're only with them for sex

The Count:

• "Grey mare" - white horse, untarnished reputation as man can do no wrong; women are the ones blamed and accused
• Ominous figure, not described physically 
• "I wish I had a girl" - possessive, sexually 'had', no romance, instant gratification. 
• 'Girl' - implies child, not woman; younger child is the more masculine thing to have. 
• 'Wish' - we can never live up to their expectations, makes women feel worthless, gives them masculine power

The Snow Child

Allegory: 

A story that can be interpreted t reveal a hidden meaning, usually a moral or political one 

Feminist in 'The Snow Child': 

• Count creates the perfect woman - "stark naked" ideal woman
• Events within the story happen because it is the Count's wishes, not the Countesses - Patriarchal society
• Constructed of what society tells us - Daughter has sex, the mother hates her, father sleeps with daughter, daughter dies. 
• The mother is jealous of her own child; is it jealousy or is it trying to shield her from the same fate she suffers from? 
• The child has no voice because she is not married, women need a husband in order to be taken seriously and have some form of wealth and role in society
• By completing the act that is associated with giving life, her father kills her - ironic, yet could also symbolise how women lose their freedom, self-worth etc when completing this act of passion

Other Components: 

• Darkness Vs. Light - The black mare and the grey one, contrast between the girls black hair and white skin 
• Setting - falling snow, forest, pool of blood, 
• Creation of fear 
• Influence of the past - Links to ideologies of the victorian times, links to fairytale
• Male and female roles - Patriarchal society 
• Blurring of fantasy and reality - unrealistic things do not cause any problems for the characters in believability (see TBC and the protagonists reaction to finding the room full of dead bodies, instead of instantly screaming or breaking down in tears, she appears curious and touches the embalmed wife)
• Psychological traits

"THESE ARE MY OWN STORIES, THEY ARE NOT MY VERSION OF THE FAIRYTALE"

Angela Carter was a feminist herself 

Even though the gender roles are the way they are due to patriarchy - the man goes out to work, the woman provides children and stays at home - the Count in this story is the one who controls reproduction and the production of the story. 

Gothic setting: 

• "Midwinter - Invincible, immaculate" - cold, dark harsh, can't be banished or defeated, alliteration 
• Fresh snow - metamorphosis, changing the scenery, could symbolise generations of fallen women (just like the snow child) loss of their purity, influence of the past
• Juxtaposition between a typical christmas scene and terror 
• "Hole filled with blood" represents birth (ew)
• Imperfection of the blood on snow, imperfect natural cycle, men tell you the cycle is a weakness, foreshadows the pool of blood in the death of the snow child

Possible allegory of marriage, wander off into the world of marriage and become someones wife, coldness greets you; there is no love in marriage, younger beauty is found, defilement, loss of virginity, the husband has found his new ideal woman. 

Links to Bluebeard

The Tale of Bluebeard:

"There was once a man who had fine houses, both in town and in country" - AKA the Marquis in TBC with his castle, links also to trips to larger cities in America

"A deal of Silver" - Shows the wealth of both Bluebeard and The Marquis  

"Gold plate, embroidered furniture, and coaches gilded all over with gold" - The extravagance within Bluebeard life, as well as The Marquis' who has 'Impeccable Linens" and various paintings, jewels, gold bath taps and large chambers.  

"He had already been married to several wives, and nobody knew what had become of them" - The Marquis has three previous wives, none of which the bodies were ever found after their deaths, the daughters of Bluebeards neighbours don't want to marry him for this fact; something the female protagonist in TBC thinks about, and almost obsesses over at the beginning of the story.  

In TBC the protagonist "ceased to be her (mothers) child in becoming his wife" a reality that the two daughters in Bluebeards story didn't want to face.

Marxism and Feminism

Define Marxism:

Karl Marx - German Philosopher

"The point of philosophy was not to understand the world, but to change it"

1. History depicts the struggle of class, society is not fair, those without power are oppressed by the powerful. Struggling for justice and freedom.

2. History is the actions of men in pursuit of their own ends, not in circumstances of their own choosing. No god or fate. We have the power to change both the society and environment

3. SOCIETY CREATES OUR THOUGHTS AND IDEOLOGIES. LITERATURE IS A PRODUCT OF SOCIETY, REFLECTS THE STRUGGLES AND CONFLICTS WITHIN IT. IT WILL USUALLY REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF THE DOMINANT GROUP IN SOCIETY AS NATURAL.

#3 links directly to the Bloody Chamber, as the story depicts the patriarchal society of the Victorian Era. The Marquis interests of killing, gathering wives and storing them in a room is presented as normal, due to the way the protagonist does appear shocked. The way he treats her and oppresses any freedom she has left also links to the dominant group in society being males.

Define Feminism:

A fight for equality.

Feminist literature will often look at the way women are portrayed and highlight flaws in the relationship between men and women.

Narrative voice of the text, female P.O.V

Feminist critics will reads texts 'as a woman' challenging the patriarchal masculinity portrayed by the way the text is written.

Men are usually shown as strong leaders, whereas females are portrayed as weak, emotional, frantic etc

What's Wrong with the happy family?

Marxism:

Maintained status of wealth; no movement in inherited money
Parents work to support family
Brainwashing children to believe certain ideologies
Having a family encourages more jobs, cycle of retirement and employment within the family

Feminism:

 

Patriarchal
Mother is the bearer, her purpose is to give him children

1. Creating Characters: The Marquis

How does Carter create her characters? Choose one character we have not discussed in class and explain how this character is presented. 

By basing her story on the tale of Bluebeard, Carter is essentially reprising the role in the form of the Marquis, as like Bluebeard he entices, then murders his wives. The basic ideas of the character had already been formed, but this chilling role highlights the patriarchal society and the oppression of women. 

We are given little detail about the Marquis; we do not know his name or specific details about what he looks like, only about his "strange, heavy, waxen face" and "his dark mane". These vague descriptions of the character highlights his mysterious nature, showing that there is more to discover; foreshadowing his secret. His "even, steady breathing" and the unstirring muscles in his face, contrast with the vile murders he commits, emphasising the psychotic behaviour of a sociopath, as no reaction or sign of a guilty conscience occurs. 

Links to animalistic traits such as "cobra-headed" and "shriek" add to the carnal activity and nature of the Marquis. He looks at the protagonist like a piece of "lamb", connoting the impulse to kill her, murdering her like a lamb being slaughtered. The Marquis is presented as carnally driven, as killing is a very raw and animalistic thing to do, linking back to the connotations of the "mane" that the Marquis was described as having. The mane, linking to the lion, is renowned for being the "king of the jungle", highlighting the commanding nature of the Marquis, showing the audience that everything about him signals he is in charge. 

His wealth, class, looks and demeanor displays the power he possess, particularly over females. His possession over the protagonist is further developed in his punishment for her disobedience; sentencing her to death. The power he has over her is represented through the mark of blood he transfers to her forehead, signalling her deviation from the patriarchal society, in which she is supposed to do everything he says. This "shameful mark" links with the bloodied sheets that signal her loss of virginity and purity, which is also a shameful thing. He takes her purity, her freedom and he planned to take her life at the end of the story to ultimately show her who is in charge.

The character of the Marquis has been created by Carter to portray feminine values and expose the way in which men treat their wives or women in general. Her exaggeration of murder and captivity may not have been the case in Victorian times, yet his behaviour shows him in a negative light - a character not liked by the audience - meaning they sympathise with the protagonist, realising what horrors women have to go through, increasing the theme of feminism within the story. He is a tool to show how women are oppressed and made to feel like possessions, which is a point Carter wanted to make.