Angela Olive Carter, The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories

Caroline Webb (University of Newcastle)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Kerry Myler (Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1979

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Story Collection

Resources

Angela Carter’s short story collection The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, first published by Gollancz in 1979, has been recognised as a major work of postmodernism and late-twentieth-century feminism, as well as an important intervention in the fairy tale tradition. The collection consists of ten stories, all of them based on versions of traditional European fairy tales. Carter’s language is distinctive: generally eschewing the simplicity of folk tale redaction, she appears to revel in a lushly adjectival prose and frequently elaborate syntax that highlight the stories’ theoretical sophistication. Carter’s emphasis throughout is on sexuality, particularly female sexuality, as that has been culturally constructed over …

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2610 words

Citation: Webb, Caroline. "The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 December 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1432, accessed 26 November 2024.]

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