Erl-King notes 26th/Sept

The Erl-King

-an adaptation of the European tap
-a character depicted in a number of German poems and ballads as a malevolent creature who hunts forests and carries off travellers to their deaths
-the character is most famous as the antagonist in Goethe's poem -Der Erl Konig
-Christian Rossetti's - Goblin Mathet, a tale of Laura and Lizzie, and the dangers of goblins and the power of sisterly love
-Emily Dickinson - 'light is sufficient into itself' ?
-little red riding hood
-the greenman/nature motif
-Shakespeare's Othello - green eyed monster

-opening is magical, overtly verbose

1-how is the Erl-King presented?
'the Erl-King will do you grievous harm' the first mention of him is dangerous, yet she still decided to see him, she is conscious of her actions.
'his eyes are quite green' - reference to the green man
'white pointed teeth' - animalistic, reference to little red riding hood
2-how is the narrator presented?
the woman is the narrator, although the narrative perspective keeps changing, which can be linked to the gothic blurring of boundaries. This also creates the impression of confusion and loss within the forest. Due to the changing perspectives of the narrative, can the narrator be viewed as trapped within the forest of free? This can be linked to the gothic theme of entrapment
3-references to other stories:
-red riding hood 'what big teeth you have
-robin hood/scarlett letter
-green man
-erl-king (urkling - imp in pagan stories)
-dracula - biting on the neck - scandinavia
-werewolf

Why do you think Carter chose the title for this tale? The Erl-King

The Erl-King

Why do you think Carter chose this title for this tale? How appropriate do you think it is and why?

Definition: The Erlking (German: Erlkönig, "Alder King") is depicted in a number of German poems and ballads as a malevolent creature that haunts forests and carries off travelers to their deaths.

The title ‘The Erl-King’ was used in a European folklore persona, as the ‘erlking’. An ‘erlking’ can typically be described in this form as a mischievous sprite or an elf that lures young people with the intent of killing them. Immediately from the beginning of the story we are made aware that the narrator is conscious of the fact that the Erl King offers danger to herself – ‘The Erl-King will do you grievous harm.’ Linkin goes as far as to describe the narrator as ‘a highly sophisticated consciousness.’ It is clear from this quote that the narrator is aware of her subjugation to the ‘green man’ as she responds actively to the birdcall from the Erl King informing the reader that she is aware of the consequences of her actions.  Throughout the other Bloody Chamber tales, specifically the Bloody Chamber, the female narrator can be described as naïve and immature. However, this is not the case of the woman, as she allows him to call her a ‘skinned rabbit’ as he bites her neck.

The narrator of the story becomes aware that the birds entrapped by the Erl King and unable to sing as they ‘cannot find their way out of the woods’. He entraps the women who wonder the forest at their own free will to become suppressed by his status of being a man, and therefore dominant, as they submissively (and perhaps unwittingly) become his servant. This conversely, does not apply to the narrator. The initial description of the woods foreshadows her later entrapment by the Erl King –‘these vertical bars of a brass-coloured distillation of light coming down from sulphur-yellow interstices in a sky hunkered with grey clouds…’ The ‘vertical bars’ can be linked to the gothic theme of entrapment, as the narrator becomes what can typically be described as passive, demure woman trapped and suppressed by the male’s dominant nature.

The adjective ‘sulphur’ is used to describe the colour of the bars envisaged by the narrator. In Blake’s The French Revolution, ‘sulphur’ holds connections with death, which can be identifiable in Carter’s Erl King as it is reflected in the foreshadowing of death of the Erl King as the tale concludes. The Erl King’s role as the dominant character in the tale is reversed in the conclusion of the story as the narrator decides her own fate as the dominant character when the death of the Erl King and the fiddle which is made of the Erl King’s hair calls her ‘mother’ is demonstrative of her as a woman with which the power newly resides.

Conclusively, the title can be called appropriate to the tale as the narrator describes the Erl King as a ‘tender-butcher’. It is the irony within this statement that allows the Erl King to fit with the description of someone who ‘lures young people with the intent of killing them’. Whilst the narrator allows the Erl King to dominate her arouses her, he is also corrupting her status as a free-willed female. Despite the Erl King being her lover, he is also a destroyer of the narrator at the same time. The entrapment that the Erl King offers in the cages he has trapped birds also fits with the description that he ‘lures young people with the intent of killing’ providing an additional reason that the Erl King is a suitable title. 

In what ways is this a gothic tale? The Snow Child

In what ways is this a gothic tale? – The Snow Child

-Creation of fear as a narrative priority

In the snow child, fear is created through conventional gothic techniques, the unknown perhaps being the most important. Upon reading the story, at no point is the reader able to predict, in my opinion, that the Count would climb off his horse and rape the girl of his ‘desires’ who is in fact his own daughter. The darkness and uncertainty of the situation creates a feeling of vulnerability within the reader.  The typical fairytale beginning –‘I wish I had…’ repeated several times sees familiarity being placed upon the reader, almost putting them into a false sense of security as it follows that ‘the Count got off his horse and thrust his virile member into the dead girl’.

-A blurring of reality and fantasy

It is clear in the beginning that the Count has a ‘fantasy’ and desire for a girl who holds specific characteristics such as ‘… a girl as red as blood’ and ‘…as white as snow’. Slowly as the story progresses the reader becomes aware that the girl the Count has desired is his own daughter. This is a blurring of reality and fantasy as his ‘fantasy’ for a specific ‘girl’ turns out to be the product of his imagination, and his reproduction is his own daughter.

-Fondness for symbols of darkness and light

The incestuous, defiled nature of this story ultimately fits to the theme of a fondness for darkness metaphorically. Carter has portrayed the terror that women face at the hands of a male-dominated culture in the fiction of the snow child as the incestuous nature of the Count is exposed. The Countess is helpless in the dark situation of rape, although this can suggest that woman have to compete and endure the fickle attention of men.  In regards to light, the colours used within the opening lines can be related to the Count’s dark desires. He wishes for a girl ‘as white as snow’ with the colour white being linked to purity,  it can be seen as demonstrative of the Count’s wish for ‘pure’ girl.

-Significant use of setting

The setting can be described as typically gothic. The ‘midwinter’ opening sets a bleak tone to the story as it establishes a negative connotation connected with the gothic cold and chilling midwinter.  The continuous references to nature can be seen as demonstrative of the force of nature through pathetic fallacy. Despite the typical gothic setting of bleakness, the 'midwinter' 'immaculate' picture that is created can be drawn parallel to a fairytale as all seems 'superficially' pleasant. 

The Snow Child - notes 20th/sept

How does Carter use symbolism within the story?

she is naked in the snow (no description) as women are just merely sexualised objects...

feminist theory:
-aims to understand the nature of gender inequality by examining women's social roles and lived experiences
-there has been criticisms that only white, middle class, well educated perspectives have been created by feminists, with no variation; leading to ethnical and multicultural reforms of feminism
-feminist have also campaigned for women's protection against domestic violence , sexual harassment, sexual assault and reproductive rights for women
-feminists argue that mens liberation is necessary to feminism and they are also harmed by sexism and gender roles

look at the language used to describe the Countess, what does she symbolise?
-'glittering pelts of black foxes' - fierce, wearing something 'glittering' to add attractiveness
-'high, black, shining boots with scarlet heels and spurs' s&m, dominatrix, provocative, overtly sexualised

what does the snow child symbolise and how is this shown?
-she represents both the pure/innocent form of a woman and also the impure/corrupted adult
-she can also be said to be described as a universal character, applicable to all females in society

what does the count symbolise?
-the count symbolises the male gender and the fact that women are merely sexual objects
-his perfect woman is pure, but he impurifies her, where he longer becomes interested in his 'desired' child/young girl

how does the Countess attempt to 'get rid' of the girl and why is this significant?
-she attempts to abandon her and asks her to dive into the frozen pond
-the count protects the girl
-this challenges stereotypes of woman as motherly figures who are generally considered to be maternal and nurturing
-this is also significant as it depicts the envy felt by the mother

'I wish I had a girl' is repeated
-fairy tale - what big eyes you have etc
-girl not woman, possession
-'had' - sexually??
-wish for something you can't have
-girls cannot live up to male expectations
-women associated with nature?
-does a man ignore his wife to focus on the child?

The Snow Child - notes 18th/sept

allegory: a story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political message
defiled: necrophilia

how is a feminist message contained within the snow child?
1-creation of fear → not expecting the male to climb off his horse and have sex with his own daughter  → disturbing
2-the snow child is the fathers daughter → naked → his ideal of a woman (young) → mother is envious
3-father has sex with his own daughter → she is dying → blurring of reality/fantasy 
4-father has sex with his daughter → gives life (as in to reproduce) → the giving of life by the father is an unsuccessful 

gothic conventions in the snow child:
-fondess for the symbols of darkness and light → literally and metaphorically
-significant use of the setting
-creation of fear as a narrative priority
-a fascination with the influence of the past
-a difference between male and female roles, which themselves often follow particular conventions
-a blurring of reality and fantasy, being awake and dreaming within roles
-a tendency for certain psychological traits to occur within the main character (??????)

form:
-bloody chamber is a series of short stories
-snow child is a vignette, the shortness of which makes it poignant and increases the impact to disturb
-new stories, not a 'version'
-can be linked to a feminist message
-Angela Carter was a feminist 
-the metamorphoses in the stories is also seen to be criticising society's imposition of gender roles through patriarchy

setting:
-mid-winter → gothic → bleak 
-white
-invisible, immaculate 
-begins as a typical fairytale fascination by locating the story in time but it is uninviting 'mid-winter'
→ power of nature through pathetic fallacy 

Bloody Chamber - notes 5th/sept

The Bloody Chamber/representative of the womb

patriarchy: a social system that is organised to award prestige and power to men
postmodernism: uncertainty, plurality (more beliefs than one) multiplicity

conventions of the gothic relatable to the bloody chamber:
-men are predatory
-similarities to the castle of otranto
-women play the temptress or victim
-rational vs. irrational

key concepts of the story:
-fairy tales are introduced when young, so therefore are well known/identified within the short story of the bloody chamber as a version of 'bluebeard'; not a version but a 'new story'

→'old lies based on which new lies have been built'
-demythologising business → 'all for putting new wine in an old bottle' → radical 

'One is not born a woman but becomes one' - Simone de Beavoir 

How does Carter create her characters?

Jean-Yves

The male characters throughout the story are far from fairy tale-esque.(?) The narrators father is non existent, her husband is without humanity and Jean-Yves is no exception; he is blind and lacks the overwhelming power possessed by the Marquis. Jean-Yves can be described as the typical portrayal of a person with a sensory impediment.  His outstanding hearing and his ability to tune pianos over compensate his lack of vision. Although his character plays a diminished role in the story, his actions contribute to the fairy-tale ending for the narrator.

Jean-Yves’ character provides a direct contrast between him and the Marquis. He is first introduced by Carter with much less importance than the marquis –‘he was a blacksmith’s son from the village across the causeway… All most satisfactory.’ Immediately it is obvious that the character is far from owning excessive wealth like the Marquis but has earned a living through piano tuning although he still manages to engage the narrator despite his social position. (Contrary to the Marquis as she recognized and married him for his wealth) Through Jean-Yves’ lack of opulence, it may be suggested that his lower social status than the Marquis and narrator enables him to not outrank the narrator.

Carter has portrayed Jean-Yves’ character as caring, considerate and interested in the narrators’ musical talent; unlike the Marquis. His tentative approach and his polite nature are noted by the narrator –‘He seemed to know that I had smiled… He had the most touchingly ingenuous smile.’ It is clear his nature affects the narrator as she comments on his physical appearance regardless of his disability. This is significant as the sole reason she married the marquis was for his wealth, whilst comparably, it is not until she converses with Jean-Yves that she realizes his true capabilities; disregarding his social position.

The narrator describes Jean-Yves as ‘lovely, blind humanity’. This juxtaposes the stereotypical ideal of the perfect man by Carter as his descriptions can be said to be more feminine than masculine. However, in the end, the marriage of Jean-Yves and the narrator means that due to his attentive, accommodating characteristics-‘no bride should suffer so much…’- can hold an equal, balanced marriage, unlike dominated relationship the narrator previously experienced.

In conclusion, Carter has created a character that initially can be perceived as minor and irrelevant. This can be disregarded once his physical shortfall and lack of wealth is overlooked by the narrator to become an opportune hero.