How does Angela Carter reinterpret Gothic Conventions Essay

Angela Carter reinterprets Gothic Conventions in both ‘The Tigers Bride’, and ‘The Courtship of Mr Lyon. ’ These reinterpreted gothic conventions are not merely used by Angela Carter to shock the reader, (typical of the Gothic), but additionally to add a sub-genre. This is clearly the case in both ‘The Tigers Bride’ and ‘Courtship of Mr Lyon’ as the feminist and Marxist message is provided by the subversion of the genre. For instance, in a conventional gothic novel the female is stereotypically either the â€Å"trembling victim† or â€Å"predator. † In other cases, women remain absent from the Gothic novel all together. However, in both of these short stories from Angela Carters collection ‘The Bloody Chamber,’ this gender role is subverted so the male becomes the victim. This is particularly evident in ‘The Courtship of Mr Lyon’ where Mr Lyon takes the role of the desperate women locked away, needing to be saved. Mr Lyon claims to be â€Å"dying† because Beauty left â€Å"because you left me. † The state of the lion is covered in the description with imagery of death and decay; â€Å"dead† flowers, â€Å"groaning† hinges, and â€Å"drifting cobwebs. † Beauty therefore takes the role of the male protagonist. There is a mention of otherness as Beauty found My Lyons â€Å"bewildering difference intolerable,† whereas, conventionally, the male was the norm and the female the other. Furthermore, in ‘The Tigers Bride’ conventional gothic gender stereotypes are also played with as Beauty breaks out of patriarchal society by rejecting her â€Å"clockwork twin† and taking the form of an animal â€Å"beautiful fur. † Carter uses the gothic conventional symbol of animals but in an alternate way. In both stories she puts animals on a higher level than man for their more moral qualities. The beast for instance is juxtaposed against her farther in ‘The Tigers Bride’ as he is the poor protector who â€Å"bartered,† and lost his â€Å"treasure† (again, objectifying women. ) The use of animals again explores a feminist message, as Carter believed that like animals, females were regarded as soulless. However, in both texts Carter also holds onto many of the stereotypical gender gothic conventions. For example the reference to Beauty as â€Å"Miss Lamb† in ‘The Courtship of Mr Lyon’ and also the mention of the lamb in ‘The Tigers Bride’ â€Å"Lion lies down with the lamb. ’ Furthermore, in both stories Beauty is objectified and the property of her farther, this is introduced immediately in ‘The Tigers Bride’, â€Å"my farther lost me to the Beast at cards. † The female here is clearly still a victim. In regard to setting, Carter does comply with many of the conventional gothic associations. In both ‘The Courtship of Mr Lyon’ and ‘The Tigers Bride’ the home of the Beast is regarded as the ‘isolated castle. ’ However, there is a difference in the habitats of Mr Lyon and Beauty in ‘The courtship of Mr Lyon’ as conventionally the male protagonist is associated with the city with unmoral behaviour, and the female is associated with the pastoral country. This enables Carter to add a message that both man and women need to combine both feminine and masculine qualities to be happy. Another example where Carter subverts the genre using the setting is in the stereotypical class of gothic. Conventionally, the gothic was focused mainly on aristocracy. Whereas, in both short stories Beauty is poor, for instance in ‘The Courtship of Mr Lyon’ her farther refers to his lost riches â€Å"how rich again I may once again be. † This conveys a Marxist reference, which is hinted at again â€Å"all of the world he knew need not necessarily apply. † Gothic symbolism is also reinterpreted in both novels. The reference to the â€Å"white rose† is a widely recognised gothic symbol and is featured in both short storied. However, besides symbolising the innocence of women and their purity, it could also symbolise freedom and salvation, much like a ‘white flag’ as both Beauty’s try to escape patriarchal society. Carter additionally subverts the supernatural. For instance in ‘The Tigers Bride,† despite inter-textuality with ‘Beauty and the Beast’ it is beauty who must transform into the Beast, as he licks her skin off revealing a nascent patina of shining hairs. The sole purpose of this, however, in not purely to shock the reader. Beauty is removing any human elements from herself, giving her, allowing her to break away from society and its limitations on women.