Critical insight Helen Simpson “The stories in The Bloody Chamber are fired by the conviction that human nature is not immutable, that human beings are capable of change. Some of their most brilliant passages are accounts of metamorphoses.” Patricia Duncker “Carter envisages women’s sensuality simply as a response to male arousal.” Can you support these views with textual links? Do you agree with these critical views?

Which Wolf? A child is sent to her grandmother’s with oatcakes and butter. She encounters a wolf. Unafraid she draws her knife and cuts off its right paw. The wolf limps away. Snow falls, covering any tracks. She arrives at her grandmother’s house to find her unwell. The child takes the paw out and it has transformed into her grandmother’s hand. The child cries for help. The neighbours come and beat/stone the old woman to death. The girl moves into the house and prospers. The wolves in the winter forest are hungry. A young girl sets off to her granny’s house. A stranger challenges her to a race to the house. He gets a kiss if he wins. The stranger arrives first and tricks the granny into letting him in. He strips naked, turns into a wolf and eats the granny. He then disguises himself as the granny. The girl arrives. She is trapped in the house, surrounded by wolves. She strips off and burns her clothes. She kisses the stranger and burns his clothes, thus making him a wolf forever. Christmas day arrives. The girl sleeps in her granny’s bed with the wolf. A girl, raised by wolves, is brought back to human society. Nuns can’t control her so they hand her over to the duke. The duke is a werewolf. She acts as his servant. She is shocked by her first menstrual bleeding and begins to discover her identity as she develops. She finds a white dress and puts it on. The Duke is out hunting as a wolf. He is wounded by the angry widower of one of his victims. The girls tends to wound and the duke regains his human shape and identity.

How has each story subverted Little Red riding hood? How is each story Gothic? The Werewolf The Company of wolves Wolf Alice A child is sent to her grandmother’s with oatcakes and butter. She encounters a wolf. Unafraid she draws her knife and cuts off its right paw. The wolf limps away. Snow falls, covering any tracks. She arrives at her grandmother’s house to find her unwell. The child takes the paw out and it has transformed into her grandmother’s hand. The child cries for help. The neighbours come and beat/stone the old woman to death. The girl moves into the house and prospers. The wolves in the winter forest are hungry. A young girl sets off to her granny’s house. A stranger challenges her to a race to the house. He gets a kiss if he wins. The stranger arrives first and tricks the granny into letting him in. He strips naked, turns into a wolf and eats the granny. He then disguises himself as the granny. The girl arrives. She is trapped in the house, surrounded by wolves. She strips off and burns her clothes. She kisses the stranger and burns his clothes, thus making him a wolf forever. Christmas day arrives. The girl sleeps in her granny’s bed with the wolf. A girl, raised by wolves, is brought back to human society. Nuns can’t control her so they hand her over to the duke. The duke is a werewolf. She acts as his servant. She is shocked by her first menstrual bleeding and begins to discover her identity as she develops. She finds a white dress and puts it on. The Duke is out hunting as a wolf. He is wounded by the angry widower of one of his victims. The girls tends to wound and the duke regains his human shape and identity.

What is the message? The Werewolf The Company of Wolves Wolf Alice

What is the message? A story about freedom and how woman can break patriarchal authority and not accept the passive role of victim. Masculine domination is more dangerous than any carnivore. A story of inter- generational female rivalry. The wolf represents the preceding generations of mothers and societies expectations of women – to marry, have children and lose their independence. A story about the physical process of becoming a woman and establishing your own identity not conforming to societies (religion) expectations.

What is the message? The Company of wolves The Werewolf Wolf Alice A story about freedom and how woman can break patriarchal authority and not accept the passive role of victim. Masculine domination is more dangerous than any carnivore. A story of inter- generational female rivalry. The wolf represents the preceding generations of mothers and societies expectations of women – to marry, have children and lose their independence. A story about the physical process of becoming a woman and establishing your own identity not conforming to societies (religion) expectations.

Having read and recapped all 3 stories what ideas does the ‘Wolf’ represent? Quotes to support Ext: Any specific gothic links?

Having read and recapped all 3 stories what ideas does the ‘Girl’ represent? Quotes to support Ext: Any specific gothic links?

AO2 Ideas Features Gothic “See! Sweet and sound she sleeps in granny’s bed, between the paws of the tender wolf.”

AO2 Ideas Features Gothic “See! Sweet and sound she sleeps in granny’s bed, between the paws of the tender wolf.”

Context Research the following and make a link to one of the wolf stories: Daemonologie by James VI Witchcraft trials Walpurgisnacht Charles Perrault’s Le petit chaperon rouge Paganism Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Section A – Focusing on the 3 Wolf stories create an essay plan for one of the questions below. “In the stories in The Bloody Chamber Carter is excessively interested in violent instincts.” How far do you agree with this view? “In the Bloody Chamber, childhood fairytales become the stuff of adult nightmares.” How far do you agree with this comment?

Quote Bank The Werewolf The Company of wolves Wolf Alice “She made a great swipe at it with her father’s knife and slashed off its right forepaw.” “His genitals, huge. Ah! Huge.” “She freely gave the kissed she owed him.” “Locked half and half between such strange states, an aborted transformation.” “those huge, inconsolable, rapacious eyes…His eyes see only appetite.”

The Werewolf Evil grandmother is exposed and killed The Werewolf Evil grandmother is exposed and killed. Girl inherits possessions. The Company of Wolves A mixture of stories then a girl and a huntsman. The huntsman kills the grandmother and then the girl seduces the huntsman. Wolf-Alice Alice is raised by wolves then a nun who sends her to live with the duke. She struggles with her identity. The Duke is a wolf who is wounded and cared for by Alice. Little red-riding hood How does each ‘wolf’ story subvert the original story? Which does the best job? In each story what is Carter’s message about the following? Virginity vs Sexuality Gender roles Metamorphosis 4. How is each story Gothic?