The term ‘Gothic’ was initially employed to characterize a form of art and architecture during the medieval era in Europe. It was claimed that gothic aimed to integrate the strength of untamed nature into civilized structures. Later, writers began incorporating this notion into their literary works, including Angela Carter, who utilized various gothic elements in her stories to elicit specific emotions from her audience.
Angela Carter utilizes the gothic element of blood in her short stories, particularly in ‘The Bloody Chamber’. Blood is employed to symbolize sexual maturity, the loss of virginity, pain, and death. Carter incorporates blood imagery to convey various meanings throughout her works. In ‘The Bloody Chamber’, for instance, when the woman disobeys her husband’s orders, the stain is transferred onto her, signifying her inability to conceal guilt. She observes, “the more I scrubbed the key, the more vivid grew the stain… I saw the heart-shaped stain had transferred itself to my forehead.” Here, Carter induces tension among readers by exploiting the gothic feature to suggest that the girl will inevitably be discovered and suffer the same fate as the Marquis’s previous wives. The stain may also imply that the narrator has been disobedient and possibly deserving of punishment. Conversely, in “The Snow Child,” blood takes on a different role. The Count desires a girl “as red as blood,” but once he attains his desire, she is killed, leaving behind only a feather and a bloodstain. In this instance, blood could represent the Count’s mistreatment of the girl as he engages in intercourse with her after her death. By employing blood in her stories, Carter presents readers with different scenarios that evoke various emotions.
Carter utilizes the Gothic element of isolation in multiple instances across her works. The characters she creates often find themselves in vulnerable positions due to their surroundings. In “The Company of Wolves,” for example, the protagonist’s grandmother is physically separated from society by the location of her house and the adverse weather conditions, as well as her health. By placing the grandmother in this isolated state, Carter immediately evokes a sense of helplessness and vulnerability. This positioning could be seen as a foreshadowing of the events that unfold in the story. Additionally, the setting serves to build tension within the readers, ultimately leading to a climactic moment when the wolf reaches the grandmother’s house. In “The Bloody Chamber,” another female character is also isolated by her surroundings. As she embarks on a train journey to an unidentified country, her ignorance further isolates her from her destination. Moreover, the physical setting of this unknown place separates her from her familiar society, family, and friends. Through her mother’s seemingly reluctant attitude towards her marriage and the parallels drawn to the story “Bluebeard,” it becomes evident that the girl may be in danger in her new life.The concept of journeying to a secluded island intensifies the sense of the girl’s limited authority and susceptibility. Nevertheless, one could argue that this location serves as a representation of the girl’s passage into matrimony and maturity, implying that her feelings of seclusion stem from the fact that she is embarking on uncharted territory.
Angela Carter incorporates the gothic theme of the liminal to explore the concepts of isolation and the unknown. By placing her characters in between two states, she creates unstable characters and depicts intriguing journeys. In “The Company of Wolves,” Carter portrays a character on the boundary between adolescence and adulthood. Traditionally, adulthood entails increased responsibility and sensitivity. Therefore, Carter uses the gothic feature of the liminal to present her character as naive, weak, and vulnerable. The story suggests that the character’s father might forbid her from embarking on the journey to her grandmother’s house. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the character’s journey into adulthood, serving as a cautionary warning that negative consequences may occur if she proceeds. Similarly, in “The Lady Of the House of Love,” Carter presents a protagonist in a liminal state between life and death.The vampire girl is portrayed as an “undead” individual, while the woman experiences the unfortunate condition of immortality until she encounters a stranger whom she falls in love with. At dawn, the once youthful and attractive vampire awakens as an elderly woman and promptly transcends from the realm of life to death. This swift transformation may serve to illustrate death as a form of liberation for the woman. Additionally, Carter potentially utilizes the concept of liminality to convey the strength of love – the boundary that the vampire has longed to cross, is swiftly and delightfully breached in the presence of love.
Overall, Carter utilizes various gothic elements to elicit emotions and foreshadow events in her stories. Additionally, she employs these elements to convey the characters’ feelings and mental states, shaping both the narrative and the personalities of the main characters and their associates. Ultimately, the inclusion of gothic features provides readers with insight into the characters, settings, and adds depth to the overall story.
