The Bloody Chamber Quotes- with annotations

The Bloody Chambers Quotations

The Bloody chamber

1. "My little nun has found the prayer books, has she?"

Shocks the reader, a gothic attribute, also explores the sexualisation of women by men. Innocence of women, and lust/animalistic desires of men.

2. "I'm sure I want to marry him"

Explores the impact of society on the human psyche - must marry well to be respected. Connections between love and marriage (or not) explored, also shows the relationship of marriage and ownership.

3. "All the better to see you with"

Intertextuality, animal instincts - the predatory nature of men and gender roles (for women to be subordinate to men).

4. "Leonine" get off my wikipage
Explores the gothic characteristic of the supernatural, and animal imagery. This is used to enhance the beastly nature of the Marquis

5. "Funereal lilies"

A motif for death and the relationship between the Marquis and nameless female protagonist. Also foreshadows the events of the short story, a gothic technique.

6. "great pistons ceaselessly thrusting" oi, you, copy and paster, stop copying and pasting! do your own
The sexualisation of inanimate objects to exaggerate the idea that women are more than just a man's ideal (not so innocent). Women also have desires, the same as men - women also instinctual and animalistic to an extent.

7. "that face lay underneath this mask"

An example of the unexplained/hidden motives and dark desires - gothic. Mask similar to "leonine" qualities of Marquis. Links to the idea that you can never be truly happy until honest with yourself and others in your relationships.

8. "inspecting cuts on the slabs"

Objectification of women, gives the reader a sense of unease. Slabs = cold, inhuman, like the Marquis. Cuts = a piece of meat. The Marquis treats his wives as fine cuts of meat (e.g. " connoisseur inspecting horseflesh").

9. "it must have been my innocence that captivated him"

The innocence of women and men's desires for women to be virginal and naive. One of the two stereotypical roles attributed to women in the gothic genre, the femme fatale and the vestal virgin.

10. "lovely, blind humanity" sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air.
Juxtaposes the stereotypical portrayal of men in Carter's stories, Jean-Yves is more of a woman in descriptive terms. Perhaps the portrayal of the ideal man for women - wins the girl in the end.

11. "put a... bullet through my husband's head"

Shocking to the reader, role reversal as mother has become the hero saving the innocent. No hesitation also shocks the reader as you would expect nurturing woman to be hesitant in the taking of human life (but is the Marquis human or animal?) the computer wrote this, I'm always watching

12. "my eagle-featured, indomitable mother"

Unexpected to the reader, giving masculine attributes to a woman blur gender lines. Mothers are usually warm and cuddly, this one is not.

13. "The faery solitude of the place."

Isolation, a gothic technique, emphasises the sense of…