Final Thoughts On 'The Bloody Chamber'

Nice creepy little picture there.

So, we have finished The Bloody Chamber, so here are my thoughts about it overall, and my thoughts about then ending of the short story.

First of all; the ending. I thought that when the Marquise was told that she was going to be punished through decapitation, she was very calm about it. She is a very passive character, she doesn't protest against him, and when she's waiting, she doesn't try to escape. This could be for many reasons, she may find the attempt fruitless, because she knows how cunning her husband can be, or she herself may feel like she needs to be punished, though she;s not actually done anything incredibly wrong, so she just accepts her head needs to come off.

I do believe in female intuition, but I think that the whole thing about her mother knowing to come and save her daughter is a little far fetched.

Major themes in The Bloody Chamber

Punishment

These Gothics and their punishment. The Marquis thinks that she is the one that's done wrong by him disobeying his 'rule'. By her disobeying him, it allows him to justify his own sin, it's a bit of a vicious circle, because as the wife disobeys, she dies then the next wife will disobey, then she dies etc. I watched a film once (I think it was a film) about this guy, his motive behind murder was that he was banishing sinful women from the world. A bit like 'doing God's work' only it wasn't gods work, he just did it for the lols I assume.

Sexual Connotations

What's a Gothic tale without a bit of sex. There's plenty of it in The Bloody Chamber. At the very beginning she's on a train, which according to Freud, the train is a phallic symbol and the movement of the train (it's rhythmic...thing) symbolises sex. It continues like this; "12 husbands penetrating 12 brides" etc.

Power and The Male Gaze

As I mentioned above, the mirrors for the Marquis represent power, the more he sees himself doing stuff (like the 12 husbands/12 brides thing) the more powerful he is. Hopefully not too many of you have read American Psycho by Bret Ellison because it is a VILE book, but it's the same story there, he likes to look at himself in a mirror whilst having sex because a) he's a psycho and b) he likes to feel powerful. Moving onto the male gaze, what's interesting is that the blind piano tuner, because he is blind, has no male gaze, which could be why she falls in love with him, or it could be because then he doesn't conform to male gender stereotypes which is another major theme of the novella.

VERY quick overview of the story I know.

Interesting Stuff in pages 18-36

Trying to catch up on the blogs a bit.

From what I can remember when I annotated these few pages, I think what interested me the most was the introduction of the second male character, the piano tuner. His blindness must symbolise something, in my opinion it probably has something to do with the male gaze. He can't look at her and objectify her/ lust after her, suggesting that he is...more than a regular generic man, possibly. Also, his blindness could suggest that his other sense are more heightened, so he might be more of a good listener; which brings me onto my next point. The omission of the male gaze makes the man a more of a sensitive female character. His appearance is 'gentle' and 'young' unlike the Marquis, who is referred to as Leoine. All of these factors makes the reader feel more able to trust the piano tuner more than the Marquis.

What else interested me was the corridor leading towards the bloody chamber. The venetian tapestries suggests heads on the wall or violence- which is foreshadowing the contents of the chamber. The thick carpet and the covered walls which muffle the sounds also could symbolise a secret, that is whispered and kept quite, because the chamber is the marquis' secret.

Mulvey and her Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema

Tried SO hard to understand what this was about, but I'm afraid no amount of Yahoo answers or Wiki terms can help me. But, I will give it the benefit of the doubt and try to explain it.

Right. So Laura Mulvey is a distinguished professor of Film and Media Studies at Wellesley College, and wrote a rather noteworthy essay in 1973 called 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema'. (So far so good.)

Her first theme in this essay was "The Gaze and the Female Specter". She wrote that it is the woman's look which spurs on the actions of the hero of the film. She argues that the passive role of women in cinema provides visual pleasure through voyeurism, and identification with the male actor. She suggests that women are to be looked at in a film, displayed and her appearance is 'coded' for an erotic impact. (This is kind of true, think about the 70's, anybody watched The Spy Who Loved Me?)

She wrote that women are objectified in films, and that there are three 'looks' to a women in the film. The first look is that from the male heroin's perspective. The second is the spectators view, and the third perspective (GET THIS) allows the male audience to take the female character as his own personal sex object because he can relate himself, through looking, to the male character in the film. (WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?)

There is a lot more about her essay, which I had a go at reading, but I found it a little far fetched and to be quite honest, boring and rambling. But I have learnt something from this. I am never watching a film with a lad again if he thinks the heroine is his personal sex slave.

Bluebeard

The tale of Bluebeard is a French folktale by Charles Perrault published in 1697.

Bluebeard had the unfortunate habit of murdering his wives. Feared by most because of his rather odd ‘blue beard’, he was an aristocrat and married several times. However nobody knew what happened to his wives, so the locals usually steered clear of him.

After visiting a local pair of sisters who were stunningly beautiful, Bluebeard asks for one of their hands in marriage. The girls are terrified by the guy, so try to pass him between them. Eventually, the younger girl pulls the short straw and goes with him to his home, where they have a gluttonous banquet and he uses his charm to persuade her into marriage.

When she goes to live with him in his chateau, he announces he must leave for a while therefore gives her keys to many doors which hide his treasures. However he gives her the key to a small room in the basement of the chateau, saying that under n circumstance must she go in that room. She swears to it, and he leaves.

Of course, curiosity gets the better of her. A visit from her sister, who warns her of the dangers of curiosity, the girl leaves her guests at a house party to have a sneaky look. Shockingly, she finds all of her husband’s ex-wives hung from hooks on the walls. She drops the key on the floor which is carpeted with blood whilst fleeing the room; but the blood stain will not wash away. She tells her sister Anne of what she has done, and they both flee the castle.

When Bluebeard returns he sees the key soaked in blood and knows his wife has broken her vow. He swears to kill her, but she begs for quarter of an hour to pray. She is locked in a tower with her sister Anne, and when Bluebeard comes a’knockin’, with his sword ready to take its fatal blow, the girls’ brother gallivants in and the three kill Bluebeard.

With no heirs to his wealth but his surviving wife, she inherits his fortune in which she makes her brother a captain, she marries off her other sister, and herself marries a fine gentleman in which they forget Blue beard and live happily ever after.

Nice little fairy tale with a happy ending, it' pretty much exactly the same as Angela Carter's story "The Bloody Chamber" which I assume is the link.

How does the novel 'Dracula' tap into the paranoia and fears of it's readers?

In this essay the context of reception is key to understand how the novel taps into the audience's fear and paranoia. There are three main points that could be considered as paranoia and fear that would affect the novel's first audience in the 1800's; the Victorians. these key points would be the novels presentation of the breakdown of religion, the breakup of the British Empire and the psychological issues of the mind.

Victorians would already be relatively aware of the breakdown of religion in their own society as scientist Charles Darwin was becoming more and more well known for his theories about evolution. In Dracula there seems to religious ideas, but these ideas are reflected in the opposite way. For example, in chapter 8 in Mina Murray's journal, Lucy goes missing before Mina finds her at St Mary's Church as a 'white figure' with 'something long and black bending over her [...]'. Each symbol (Lucy in white and the church yard), all symbolise a wedding ceremony. However references to the 'ruined abbey' and the supposed groom 'neither man nor beast' suggests a break down of religion. It also suggests sacrilegious occurrences as when the 'long and black' figure bends over Lucy's 'half-reclining figure' it suggests to the reader sexual intercourse, which would be an unholy act to do, married or not, on holy ground.

Another example of religious breakdown is the vampiric 'baptism' of Mina in chapter 21. She consumes blood from Dracula in order to be part of him (later she can be hypnotised to see where Dracula is). What is an occurring theme is the sharing of bodily fluids which combines the grotesque and intimacy. By chapter 11 when Lucy dies, she has took 4 men's blood due to the transfusions, which as Van Helsing remarks, ironic as it is Lucy who is supposed to 'give blood' on her wedding night. The sharing of blood also contradicts Christianity as Christ's 'blood' which is drank in the form of wine at communion is supposed to symbolise forgiveness and healing. In Dracula, the blood given which is supposed to heal and forgive, eventually makes Lucy weaker.
The Victorians would have considered all of these religious aspects to tap into their own fear and paranoia as it questions their own faith. In today's audience, unless the reader is deeply religious and analyses the text in some depth, it has little affect with fear and paranoia.

Although Britain was pioneering the industrial revolution, it's empire was slowly breaking down towards the end of the 1800's. Without a large empire, the Victorian society would be in fear of foreign invaders, their aristocracy would be under threat and new allies must be made for Britain's welfare. This is all mirrored in Dracula, subtly reminding the reader of their own crumbling society. Dracula himself is a foreign invader. He buys himself into London, and sets about making his own 'army' of vampires in Lucy, Mina and Renfield. Dracula possesses the weapons that Britain doesn't have- supernatural powers.
It is also worth noting that although Britain's aristocracy is still symbolised in Lord Godalming, but their alliances aren't British. Quincey Morris is American, Dr Van Helsing is European. This symbolises Britain's need for allies.

A theme which is the basis of all paranoia and fear in the novel, and what still appeals to today's audience, is the psychological aspect throughout. Every time something frightful happens, (Lucy's vampiric marriage, Mina's baptism etc) the victim has always been unaware of their actions. It shows that through sleep you are at your most vulnerable.
As a fear of Dracula heightens throughout the book, his physical presence becomes less and less and proceeds through an anti-evolution. He begins as a man before shape shifting into a dog, a lizard, a bat and finally as a red mist. As awareness of him builds, his physical presence becomes weaker. This makes the reader feel paranoid, a feeling of trepidation builds about his whereabouts and mind path. The reader will consider this as fearful and paranoia, what the reader would consider to be a sign of Dracula (for instance the "angry flapping at the window-panes"), may just be paranoia.
What is also relevant to fear felt with today's audience, is that Dracula is a sexual predator. He preys on weak, beautiful women and makes them impure in a way that makes the woman go through a character change and makes them become predators themselves.

In conclusion, the novel Dracula taps into the paranoia and fear of its readers by suggesting a breakdown of religion, the breakup of the British Empire (both are more relevant to the Victorian audience) and most predominantly by tampering with the psychological issues of the mind.

Chapters 10 and 11 - Dracula

Chapter 10
What struck me about chapter 10 is how modern (when I say that I mean Victorian) science and technology plays a key part in Van Helsing's success at defeating Dracula. Although the Victorian mindsets of the characters make it difficult for them to recognize that they are up against a vampire, Van Helsing correctly diagnoses Lucy's condition through science and rationality, not hearsay and folklore. What is interesting is that although he is a rationalist scientist, he also practices the occult. For example, his blood transfusions are an example of 'modern' medicine, but his use of garlic suggest otherwise.
What else is interesting is that Helsing is from Amsterdam, halfway between England and Transylvania, this could symbolise sort of a middle-ground, he is neither good nor evil, or more likely, he is a much more 'knowing character'.

Chapter 11
I thought this chapter shows more obviously the idea of a slipping between madness and sanity - portrayed when Dr Seward begins to doubt his working at the asylum and if it is contributing to his growing confusion between the two.We also see how cunning the Count can be; although he cannot break the window of Lucy's room as a vampire (because of the garlic), he transforms into a wolf to do the deed. I also liked how in this chapter, Dr Seward see his old master, Van Helsing, break down and lose control- (because Mrs Westenra has removed all the flowers etc from Lucy's room and opened the window to 'let in some air'). I also find the narrative irony funny in Lucy's diary entry - although she claims to be feeling much better she ''can hear something funny flapping around outside the window" HA. Silly girl.

Stereotypical Women

The housewife, the virtuous woman, the hysterical woman, the nagging woman. There are many different stereotypes of women- especially in literature.

In 'Dracula', the 'New Woman' is often referred to. The 'New Woman' was a movement documented in the 19th century and is often linked with the suffragette movement of the 10th century. basically, the 'New Woman' was this crazy idea that women were allowed to think for themselves- mad isn't it. In Dracula, it becomes obvious that Mina is definitely not a 'New Woman' and is put about by the idea. "Some of the 'New Woman' writers will some day start an idea that men and women should be allowed to see each other asleep before proposing or accepting." - Mina pg.98 This quote could suggest a stab at the New Woman by Stoker himself, or it could be used to show that Mina is very traditionally virtuous.

Lucy, on the other hand, differs from Mina as she flirts with the men who are interested in her, and she goes outside with an undoubtable "something long and black, bending over her half-reclining white figure." She only goes out in her nightdress- something that at the time was a very intimate piece of clothing. She contrasts from Mina as Mina is worried that "Someone should notice my bare feet". Ludicrous really.

Nowadays, I do think that some women fit into stereotypes, but not all, and there are many types of stereotypes. For example, driving to school every morning, I get angry at the women who drive their children to their private school in their big 4x4 gas guzzler. I stereotype them as 'soccer moms' who don't work because of they have a rich husband, and their only job is to have kids, make sure the cleaner or housemaid does the bath just right and get their nails done. Oh and who double park and block the road. Just an example.