Gothic Conventions in The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

Gothic Conventions in The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

The Gothic is often distinguished by an atmosphere of terror,

darkness, mystery, the unexplained and the transgression of

boundaries. This essay will attempt to dissect how Angela Carter uses

Gothic conventions in the passage taken out of her novel, 'The Bloody

Chamber'.

One of the most predominant conventions manipulated here is that of a

dark and mysterious atmosphere. Throughout the passage the feeling of

terror prevails. This is first started by the protagonist's taking of

a "forbidden key". This stirs up a feeling of disquiet, as it implies

a certain degree of prohibition and disapproval towards her task. She

later enforces that her bravery is somewhat foolish ("foolhardiness")

giving the reader an ominous feeling. She then mentions a "castle".

Its presence contributes to the feeling of mystery as we do not know

what lies ahead within this icon of the past. Also, here lies the

starting of her description of the "dark" that seems to constantly

surround her - "very late", "ill-lit", "absolute darkness",

"dim…light". There is an emphasis on the dimness and this makes her

environment seem very bleak and unwelcoming. Furthermore, evil is

thought to be more rampant and stronger in the twilight. The

difficulty in which light penetrates the night can also show how the

malevolent force within the castle is extremely potent, unsettling the

reader. This further exemplified by how any light that penetrates is

"dim", "lugubrious", and "cool (and) sad". Light is the motif of

goodness, hence this emblematically represents how evil is triumphant

over good in the bastion. Light also symbolically reveals: as the

character "lights those candles" around the...

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...r's fingers" are contrasted to the opera singer's "white

breast". A sadistic image is also exhibited by the smile formed by her

"dead lips". An indication of a double is also present. Right after

the protagonist speaks of taking of her "garments" of innocence and

hence becoming "naked", the spotlight is swiftly pushed to the dead

opera singer who "lay quite naked" as well. Just as the opera singer

was strangled, so did the character find earlier her "breathing" was

being "muffled". This creates a morbid fascination within the reader,

who will want to continue to find out if they will share the same

fate.

Hence, we see that Carter has successfully maneuvered the Gothic

convention of a dark and mysterious setting in the text while

effectively integrating other elements of the Gothic, allowing the

reader to experience what the protagonist is going through.