In-depth, multi-page essay analysis of two stories: The Snow Child and The Lady of the House of Love from the book 'The Bloody Chamber', with a supporting summary and quotes.
The Snow Child
A highly symbolic story depicting a wealthy Count and Countess who go riding. They see a pool of
blood in the snow and a raven. A naked child appears by the roadside and the Count takes her up
on his horse. The Countess is jealous and ‘wants rids of her.’ The Countess comes up with needless
errands for the child; retrieving a glove from the snow, retrieving a diamond brooch from a frozen
pond. Inexplicably, the Countesses’ clothes begin to migrate from her to the naked child. The
Countess asks the girl to pick a rose. The girl obliges, but pricks her finger and bleeds to death. The
Count is devastated and dismounts his horse and has sex with the dead girl. The countess watches.
The girls’ body melts away to a feather and a blood stain. The Countess is re-clothed magically and
the Count gives his wife the rose.
Quote Exemplification.
‘Midwinter- Invincible –Immaculate…she The concision of description of the setting is
wrapped in the glittering pelts of black foxes striking with the frozen terrain perhaps
and she wore high, black, shining, boots with reflecting the sterility of sexual relations
scarlet heels and spurs.’ Pg 105 between the Count and Countess ; a frigidity?
Could the white landscape take on the colour
connotation of virginity and purity and
innocence, or cowardice? The Countess’
appearance is aristocratic and striking with
stark black and red contrast.
‘I wish I had a girl as white as snow.’ The triadic three wishes pays homage to the
rule of three frequently used in fairytales. The
…’I wish I had a girl as red as blood.’… Count’s desire for a child is unnervingly
paedophilic in intent. The colour connotation is
‘I wish I had a girl as black as that bird’s
ambiguous and open. Do his desires progress
feather.’ Pg 105
from desire for a virgin (White), to murderous
(red)thoughts, to deadly thoughts.(Black)?
‘As soon as he completed his description, there The Count’s three wishes are granted and the
she stood, beside the road, white skin, red anonymous girl combines all three of his
mouth, black hair and stark naked.’ Pg 105 requests with an appearance that would fulfil
both the ingénue and the monstrous feminine
trope; with a distinct otherness about her.
‘Dive in and fetch it for me,’ she said; she The Countess’s jealousy is apparent in her
thought the girl would drown.’ Pg 105 concurrent attempts to rid her husband of his
infatuation. She comes across as callous and
sadistic inventing treacherous tasks for her.
‘Then her boots leaped off the Countess’s feet The supernatural transfer of clothing could be
and on to the girls’ legs. Now the Countess was interpreted as Carter’s desire to redistribute the
bare as a bone and the girl furred and booted.’ wealth of the bourgeoisie and distribute it to the
Pg 105 dispossessed (Marxist Gaze). It could be a visual
embodiment of his unconscious or repressed
desire to replace his wife (psychoanalytical
gaze)
‘So the girl picks a rose; pricks her finger on the The recurring motif of a rose is the symbol of
thorn; bleeds ; screams; falls.’ Pg 106 the cause of the girl’s destruction. The
association with bloody is typical also and could
be interpreted as the loss of her virginity, or a
foreboding sign of her death.
‘Weeping, the Count got off his horse, The act of necrophilia on a child (paedophilia) is
unfastened his breeches and thrust his virile the most shocking moment of the entire
member in the dead girl…The Countess… collection arguably. The sexual act is aggressive
watched him.’ Pg 106 and self-serving. A Feminist gaze would
emphasize the non-consensual nature of the
sexual act once more.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller topspin-oven-0w. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £5.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
