The opening of Angela Carter's story "The Blood Chamber" includes an abundance of gothic conventions. The song is the backdrop to a tragic story, where the innate curiosity of a young girl will inevitably find her in danger. Published in the late 20th century, at a time when Gothic writing was less prominent in literature, the tale could be said to be quite progressive within the genre, with its underlying critique of patriarchal society not being a a particularly common theme in Gothic writing. However, being set in the French Third Republic, an era known for corruption and hedonism, and the use of classical Gothic elements in this passage, ensures that the foundations of this tale are deeply rooted in the Gothic style. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This passage in “The Bloody Chamber” provides the reader with an introduction to the two main characters. The narrator gives a detailed description of his lover, and it is from this that the reader can easily predict the narrator's fate, as the Marquis displays numerous qualities of a typical Gothic antagonist. The allusion to bestial qualities made so early in the narrative is crude, as the narrator describes "the leonine shape of his head" and "his dark mane", comparing the Marquis to a lion, indicative of his predatory nature. The repetition of animalistic imagery leads the reader to question whether or not the Marquis is fully human, with the awareness that the Gothic genre typically includes supernatural aspects. Human or not, Carter makes it clear that Marquis is a danger to the narrator. This is emphasized by Carter's use of floriography in comparing the Marquis to "a lily", a funeral flower, foreshadowing that he will be her death. Here, Carter creates an overwhelming sense of foreboding, something that gothic writing often relies on to achieve one of its primary goals: scaring the reader. The tale takes the form of a first-person narrative, and this form introduces the reader to the other main character, this familiar pattern of Gothic fiction allows the reader greater insight into her character as she goes through a period of transition from childhood to female age, the catalyst is her impending marriage. Perhaps the most significant indicator of the narrator's character is his clothing: "the white muslin" and the "crimson jewels...bright as arterial blood." The semiotics of color are often used to represent characters in Gothic fiction, and this is no different. The juxtaposed colors, white with connotations of innocence and red with connotations of evil and lust, demonstrate the possibility of corruption that makes the narrator so vulnerable to the Marquis. The idea that women are inherently susceptible to corruption is one commonly explored in the Gothic genre, which in this case of "The Bloody Chamber", heightens the sense of foreboding and gives the reader considerable cause for concern about the fate of women. narrator. The symbolism behind the ruby ​​choker highlights the danger the narrator has put herself in, as it recalls one of the bloodiest periods in French history, once again suggesting that the narrator's fate is uncertain. However, this will not necessarily elicit sympathy from the reader; the story was published in the late 20th century, a time when second wave feminism was quite prominent in society and thus a woman of the time might have difficulty understanding why the narrator is seemingly setting herself up for exploitation. In fact, the.