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Angela Carter
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Book
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Publisher | Vintage | ||
ISBN | 978-009952959 | ||
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Reviewer
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Gareth
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Synopsis
From the liars of the fantastical and fabular and from the domains of the unconscious's mysteries...lie the brides in the Bloody Chamber - hunts unwillingly the Queen of the Vampires - slips Red Riding Hood into the arms of the Wolf - pimps our Puss-In-Boots for his lustful master. In tales that glitter and haunt - strange nuggets from a writer whose wayward pen spills forth stylish, erotic, nightmarish jewels of prose - the old fairy stories live and breathe again, subtly altered, subtly changed.
Review
Reading this was a breath of fresh air for me - especially as, at the time, I was writing my own versions of classic fairy tales (See "To Pick A Blossom" for my take on Little Red Riding Hood). For those of you who have seen the film "Company of Wolves" you're already familiar with Angela Carter's work as she wrote the screenplay with Neil Jordan. (in fact, Company of Wolves is included in this collection of short stories.)
As you may have gathered, The Bloody Chamber is a reworking and re-imagining of the old European folk tales and fairy stories - brought up to date and given a post-modern, feminist edge. You'll recognise the old favourites - Puss In Boots; Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty And The Beast - but only just. Chances are, you'll never be able to see them in the same light again!
These are seductive stories; erotic and powerful; dark and delightful - just how fairy stories, in my mind, should be...
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