Molly Simpson English Literature 13A3

Critical Anthology
Meanings
Leonine Resembling or suggestive of a lion.
Fugue
(Definition 1) A polyphonic composition based upon one, two or more themes which
are enunciated by several voices or parts in turn, subjected to contrapuntal
treatment, and gradually built up into a complex form having somewhat distinct
divisions or stages of development and a marked climax at the end.
(Definition 2) A dreamlike altered state of consciousness, lasting from a few hours to
days, during which a person loses his or her memory for his or her previous life and
often wanders away from home.
Rococo
(Definition 1) A style of architecture and decoration originating from France in the
early 18
th
century, characterised by elaborate but graceful, light, ornamentation
often creating asymmetrical motifs.
(Definition 2) An 18
th
century style of music characterised by petite prettiness, a
decline in the use of counterpoint, and extreme use of ornamentation.
Minimalist A person advocating a minimal policy, style, technique, action etc.
Chamber Music Music suited for performance in a room or small concert hall,
especially for two or more, but usually fewer than ten, solo instruments.
Florid
(Definition 1) Having a red or flushed complexion.
(Definition 2) Excessively ornate, flowery, florid architecture
(Definition 3) Archaic word for flowery


Angela Carter

1940-1992
She has lived in Eastbourne, Yorkshire, and Bristol; Japan (Tokyo) and the United
States.
Carter is linked to Jane Eyre by the way she writes in the novel (a journalistic
manner). She also moved around a lot like the character and had a son.
Carter has written in genres such as Gothic, Fairy Tale, Magic Realism, Erotic Fiction
and Bildungsroman.
Carter was ranked the 10
th
greatest writer since 1945 by The Times.
Carters influences were surrealism, sexual libertarianism and she was obsessed with
myths that compose or sustain western culture or sexual relationships.


Molly Simpson English Literature 13A3
Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales

1628-1703
He was famous for inventing the fairy-tale.
His most famous book was called Bluebeard.
It was published in January 1659 in Paris.
For the basis of his tales, he used well-known stories at the time:
- Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper was a European folk tale, it embodies
myth element of unjust oppression Histoires ou contes du temps pass
- Little Red Riding Hood is a French, European folk tale, linked to the 17
th
century
tale, changed in some ways to be sexual.
- Bluebeard relates to the Tale of Historical Figures in Brittany. It was made into a
fairy tale by Perrault.
- Sleeping Beauty Perrault transformed this and several plot elements for Basiles
Sun, Moon and Talia.
- Puss in Boots, Master Cat or the Booted Cat had similar folk-tales to it but
nothing identical.
The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales were published in Germany in 1812.
They published 200 tales in this book.


Baudelaire

1821-1867
He was born in Paris, France and went on to voyage in Calcutta, India.
He is unlike his poetic Romantic predecessors as much of his work was negative. He
touched on the themes of sex, death, lesbianism, sacred and profane love,
corruption of the city, lost innocence and much more. They were an offence against
public morals and this is why it was called putrid by Habas and unyeilding as
marble by Flaubert.
His most famous poetry collection was The Flowers of Evil which was published in
1857.
Baudelaire had frequent contact with prostitutes in which it has been rumoured he
caught Gonorrhoea and Syphilis.
In the early 1850s, Baudelaire struggled with poor health, pressing debts, and
irregular literary output. He often moved from one lodging to another to escape
creditors. He received many projects that he was unable to complete, though he did
finish translations of stories by Edgar Allan Poe.

Marquis de Sade

Marquis de Sade wrote the books Justine, or the Misfortunes of Virtue, Juliette,
The 120 Days of Sodom and Philosophy in the Bedroom.
Marquis sexual preference was females. He enjoyed sadism, any sexual activity that
involves bondage or the infliction of some degree of pain and humiliation.

Molly Simpson English Literature 13A3
More Meanings

Aesthete - A person who is appreciative of and sensitive to art and beauty.
Aigrette - A headdress consisting of a white egret's feather or other decoration such as a
spray of gems.
Avarice - Extreme greed for wealth or material gain.
Baroque - Relating to or denoting a style of European architecture, music, and art of the
17th and 18th centuries that followed Mannerism and is characterized by ornate detail.
In architecture the period is exemplified by the palace of Versailles and by the work of
Wren in England. Major composers include Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel; Caravaggio and
Rubens are important baroque artists.
Bier - A movable frame on which a coffin or a corpse is placed before burial or cremation
or on which they are carried to the grave.
Billets-Doux A love letter.
Carillon - A set of bells played using a keyboard or by an automatic mechanism similar to
a piano roll.
Carnal - Relating to physical, especially sexual, needs and activities.
Catafalque - A decorated wooden framework supporting the coffin of a distinguished
person during a funeral or while lying in state.
Chthonic - Relating to or inhabiting the underworld.
Dolorous - Feeling or expressing great sorrow or distress.
Eldritch - Weird and sinister or ghostly.
Enfer (Hell) - A place regarded in various religions as a spiritual realm of evil and
suffering, often traditionally depicted as a place of perpetual fire beneath the earth
where the wicked are punished after death.
Gourmand - A person who enjoys eating and often eats too much.
Immolated - Kill or offer as a sacrifice, especially by burning.
Importunate - Persistent, especially to the point of annoyance.
Interdiction - Interdiction is a military term for the act of delaying, disrupting, or
destroying enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area. A distinction is often
made between strategic and tactical interdiction.
Jinn - (In Arabian and Muslim mythology) an intelligent spirit of lower rank than the
angels, able to appear in human and animal forms and to possess humans.
Lisle - A fine, smooth cotton thread used especially for stockings.
Loge - A private box or enclosure in a theatre.
Loquacity - The quality of talking a great deal; talkativeness.
Missal - A book containing the texts used in the Catholic Mass throughout the year.
Nacreous - Consisting of or resembling mother-of-pearl or having a play of lustrous
rainbow-like colours.
Parure - A set of jewels intended to be worn together.
Rictus - A fixed grimace or grin.
Molly Simpson English Literature 13A3
Sacerdotal - Relating to priests or the priesthood; priestly and relating to or denoting a
doctrine which ascribes sacrificial functions and spiritual or supernatural powers to
ordained priests.
Sardonic - Grimly mocking or cynical.
Trousseau - The clothes, linen, and other belongings collected by a bride for her
marriage.
Vellum - Fine parchment made originally from the skin of a calf.
Vicuna - a wild relative of the llama, inhabiting mountainous regions of South America
and valued for its fine silky wool.
Viscera - the internal organs in the main cavities of the body, especially those in the
abdomen, e.g. the intestines.
Voluptuary - a person devoted to luxury and sensual pleasure.


Basic Questions

1. Carter presents the ruby choker with negative connotations. Firstly, the word
ruby relates with the colour red, connoting negative words such as death, blood
and hell- in which all link with the gothic theme throughout the short story.
Readers may also realise the word choker connotes control- reinforcing the male
dominance within the short story. Carter quotes his wedding gift, clasped round
my throat. The word clasped has an eerie and negative viewpoint to it, implying
the character Marquis has instant control over his wife. It also reinforces the way
society was seen during the French revolution- the males always had dominance
over females. The choker also has other connexions with the French revolution,
and his grandmother, taken with the notion, had her ribbon made up in rubies;
such a gesture of luxurious defiance! highlights that there was an uprising
against the upper class- the choker highlights the character managed to escaped
this an in a sense won. The quote bright as arterial blood highlights the
foreshadowing death which occurs later on in the short story. Lastly, flashing
crimson jewels may suggest women are just something to show off and are
possessions.

2. The narrator in The Bloody Chamber describes herself as exile once married.
This suggests that the character considers her marriage as a forced isolation
rather than escaping poverty. In this period, it was frowned upon for a young
lady not to be married, so here we see and sympathise with the pressure she
must have with the character Marquis and her poor family. With this quote, the
character indicates that by getting married is not gaining power however but
surrounding power as now she is married she has to do as she is instructed.

3. On page 16, the set of all Marquis keys gives her confidence and power. Keys
symbolise an unlocking, suggesting the narrator may unlock all of the characters
secrets with the keys she has been given. We as readers realise the power and
confidence the narrator feels as her language changes and speeds up on this
page. Then, slowly yet teasingly, as if he were giving a child a great mysterious
Molly Simpson English Literature 13A3
treat it was I who must take care of them all. Portrays hyperbolic language to
reinforce the child within her and the excitement she has with this control
coming into her life.

Magic Realism

Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in
which magical elements are blended into a realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper
understanding of reality. These magical elements are explained like normal occurrences that
are presented in a straightforward manner which allows the "real" and the "fantastic" to be
accepted in the same stream of thought. It has been widely considered a literary and visual
art genre; creative fields that exhibit less significant signs of magic realism include film and
music.