angela carter's the bloody chamber

*the bloody chamber is a collection of short stories (rewritten fairy tales) published in 1979 by angela carter —fascinated by the matriarchal, oral, storytelling tradition

"the courtship of mr. lyon" is loosely based on beauty and the beast.  readers never learn why mr. lyon is so leonine (unlike disney version), but some critics think it can serve as a parable for what it means to be human.

-for example, for each fantastical element in the story, there are real elements (mr. lyon is facing what it means to be a man).  the beauty is fascinated by the beast, but horrified and disgusted by him at the same time 

-(laura) "i'm horrified by masculinity [as a woman]" ... traumatized @ age 11 by male aggression ...  "it's a typical reaction to otherness" (to be grossed out).  "destruction is much easier than creation" (learned from her son).  boys and girls are both gendered, and then tamed.  this is a problem.  as laura puts it, "i find the male potential for violence horrifying" (and men do too) ... the male psyche has to come to terms w/ that potential (what mr. lyon struggles to do).

"the snow child"

-the count created girl out of physical desire (she appears at first naked).  the thorn scene towards the end (where she bleeds and dies) can represent the snow child's 1st menstruation (i.e. she is ready for sex w/ the perverted count)

-the countess's hateful attitude towards the abused snow child represents relationships b/t women solely as rivals (didn't try to help out the snow child).  its significant that the snow child never speaks (only screams, once, when she dies).  thus, she along w/ the countess are both powerless (count vetoes all her wishes, clothes and de-clothes her at will) —> all her possessions are really his.  patriarchy wins again.