Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Heroine's Character
In the Grimms' "The Robber Bridegroom," the heroine is presented as a clever girl concerned with self-preservation. She makes sure to have a way back (using the peas and lentils to guide her), collects evidence to prove her accusations, and trusts her instincts. A clear example of her natural cleverness is the fact that her gut instincts told her she was being led into harm's way. For example, "when sunday came and the girl was supposed to leave, she became dreadfully frightened without knowing why." Because of this feeling, she made precautions so that she could get home.
Elements of Horror
The Bluebeard stories are unlike others we have read so far. This is mainly because of the degree of violence represented. In the stories, there is a chamber of some kind of dead, bloody maidens. In "The Robber Bridegroom" and "Mr. Fox" a hand or finger is cut off out of greed. These stories contain murder, greed, cannibalism and other unpleasant deeds. They seem to be very strict warnings rather than other more subtle insinuations.
Treatment of the Heroine
Bluebeard is not the first fairy tale in which we've seen a heroine who is cunning and active in her own right (see: some versions of Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel) However, this is the first that I can recall where the heroine is introduced outright as being intelligent, in addition to being beautiful. She is everything that Snow White is not; rather than being the silent, still girl in a glass display case, she has agency and makes decisions--and pays dearly for it.
"He no longer had power over her, and had to do her bidding," write the Brothers Grimm in Fitcher's Bird, exemplifying the heroine's intelligence as her means of escaping trouble on her own.
"She was terrified that she might wake one of them up, but God guided her footsteps," they write in the Robber Bridegroom, attributing even divine protection on their heroine, a far cry from shaming her for disobedience.
I don't think that this story is meant to demonize curiosity in women, as the Perrault moral (in rhyme, no less, so it's easy to remember/needlepoint onto a pillow!) dictates. If this were really a story whose moral seeks to discourage women from disobeying their husbands, the heroine would have died. End of story. Bluebeard is the one who pays in the end, stabbed to death by the heroine's brothers and relatives, his end brought about by the very woman who ignored the arbitrary demands he would not even be around to enforce. Her curiosity could even be considered a good thing--she found the chamber and set about a series of events that brought a serial killer to justice! Great justification for snooping! The Perrault version of Bluebeard is the only story in the cluster than even takes this stance--all the rest praise the heroine's cunning and condemn Bluebeard's abhorrent deeds. Fitcher's Bird, the Robber Bridegroom, and Mr. Fox all present a resolution contigent on the heroine's cunning ploy to trap the villain, rather than punish her for sticking her nose where she ought not.
"He no longer had power over her, and had to do her bidding," write the Brothers Grimm in Fitcher's Bird, exemplifying the heroine's intelligence as her means of escaping trouble on her own.
"She was terrified that she might wake one of them up, but God guided her footsteps," they write in the Robber Bridegroom, attributing even divine protection on their heroine, a far cry from shaming her for disobedience.
I don't think that this story is meant to demonize curiosity in women, as the Perrault moral (in rhyme, no less, so it's easy to remember/needlepoint onto a pillow!) dictates. If this were really a story whose moral seeks to discourage women from disobeying their husbands, the heroine would have died. End of story. Bluebeard is the one who pays in the end, stabbed to death by the heroine's brothers and relatives, his end brought about by the very woman who ignored the arbitrary demands he would not even be around to enforce. Her curiosity could even be considered a good thing--she found the chamber and set about a series of events that brought a serial killer to justice! Great justification for snooping! The Perrault version of Bluebeard is the only story in the cluster than even takes this stance--all the rest praise the heroine's cunning and condemn Bluebeard's abhorrent deeds. Fitcher's Bird, the Robber Bridegroom, and Mr. Fox all present a resolution contigent on the heroine's cunning ploy to trap the villain, rather than punish her for sticking her nose where she ought not.
Elements of Horror
In the stories of Bluebeard, the horrific secret hidden behind the door in each respective telling of the tale seems to address the question, "What is absolutely the most nauseating, terrifying thing the disobedient wife could find behind the door to the forbidden room?" That Bluebeard is a serial killer seems to be of less consequence than the young wife's indiscretion--he did specifically tell her not to open the door, didn't he? The horror in this story is not standalone. Bluebeard is not the terrifying tale of a mad murderer--it centers on the girl's bizarre experience in relation to Bluebeard, and how the horrors were brought on by her curiosity, defiance, agency, etc.
While the horror trope is basically the same in all the stories (horrific death of innocent girl witnessed by the heroine), where the stories differ is in the attitude the narratorial voice has toward what the girl sees. The Perrault version treats the chamber as something terrifying in and of itself. In the Grimm version (Fitcher's Bird), the bloody chamber and the murders of the heroine's sisters serve as more of a challenge for the third sister to overcome. And in the Jacobs version, the narrator is somewhat cavalier about the girl's macarbe discovery, as though she had just stumbled upon Mr. Fox's unsettling collection of Scientology literature rather than the mangled corpses of his victims.
We've talked a lot in this course about the tones of these stories as interpreted by at 21st century audience likely indoctrinated from the crib with the Disneyfied versions of fairy tales. The intermingling of horror and fantasy in the literary versions of fairy tales is a little bit jarring at first, and in this series of stories, we are seeing it from a different perspective: that horror in literature has a place other than blood and guts for the sake of blood and guts.
While the horror trope is basically the same in all the stories (horrific death of innocent girl witnessed by the heroine), where the stories differ is in the attitude the narratorial voice has toward what the girl sees. The Perrault version treats the chamber as something terrifying in and of itself. In the Grimm version (Fitcher's Bird), the bloody chamber and the murders of the heroine's sisters serve as more of a challenge for the third sister to overcome. And in the Jacobs version, the narrator is somewhat cavalier about the girl's macarbe discovery, as though she had just stumbled upon Mr. Fox's unsettling collection of Scientology literature rather than the mangled corpses of his victims.
We've talked a lot in this course about the tones of these stories as interpreted by at 21st century audience likely indoctrinated from the crib with the Disneyfied versions of fairy tales. The intermingling of horror and fantasy in the literary versions of fairy tales is a little bit jarring at first, and in this series of stories, we are seeing it from a different perspective: that horror in literature has a place other than blood and guts for the sake of blood and guts.
Presentation of the heroine
In Mr. Fox, by Joseph Jacobs, the heroine, Lady Mary was portrayed more as a celebration of self-preservation and cleverness. She knew that something was up with Mr. Fox's house, so she took the initiative to go and check it out. "But Lady Mary was a brave one, she was, and she opened the door, and what do you think she saw? Why, bodies and skeletons of beautiful young ladies all stained with blood. So Lady Mary thought it was high time to get out of that horrid place..." (Tatar 154). Lady Mary, in contrast with other stories, was not told to stay away from the house, or any particular room, in which case she prevents herself as being presented as disobedient. Instead of being scared, she also is bold and tells what she saw- and Mr. Fox gets killed.
Elements of Horror
There were many different elements of horror in the versions of Bluebeard that I read for today. One element is that of physical horror. In many of the versions there were fingers chopped off, heads chopped off, murder, and cut pieces of bodies. There was also blood everywhere. Another element of horror notified was that of the setting. In many of the versions, the house was in the dark woods, it was a sinister house, and a place where the girls just did not feel comfortable. Another element was that of the girls. IN each story, there were beautiful girls talked about, and eventually killed. These function in the story because they allow the plot to be described and be intriguing. They move it along, in a way that you just need to know what happens because of the horrible aspects. It might startle the audience, but it is in a way that makes this story stand out in your mind.
the horror
An element of horror is the concept of loss of female virginity. The bloody key is a motif that runs through the different versions of this concept. Linked with loss of female virginity is marital disobedience-- the fear of the husband [or robber] that the woman is going to somehow betray him. that is why Bluebeard-- or the robbers- or the similar characters-- do not seem to trust their wives, and always manage to "catch" her in her lies. Further linked with loss of female virginity is the notion of any kind of "transgressive desire" in respects to the female character. She is supposed to stay in line, and if she strays, then she is always caught and "taught her lesson."
Another element of horror is the sheer psychotic rage on Bluebeard's character. He seems utterly emotionless, or, as Tatar says, "abject" to his acts of murder. He is absolutely heartless. It makes him unhuman.
Overall, all the Bluebeard tales taint marriage with its threat of murder. The Bluebeard tales make it out to seem like you can never get too comfortable with your husband or wife, because you can never trust someone when it comes right down to it. Bluebeard, as Tatar puts it, "confirms a child's worst fears about sex." With marriage or sex comes betrayal and murder, in the Bluebeard tales, and is rendered in elements in the tales such as the characters' anxieties. In "Bluebeard's Ghost" Sly's nephew commits the ultimate betrayal, even though he is not married to Bluebeard's widow, he is the potential suitor, so the theme of elements of horror applies to him. The concept of him dressing-up as a deceased man-- Bluebeard-- and tricking people based on that-- proves how sick and twisted his mind is, to an extent that is more than creepy to the reader. The nightmares and anxiety that Bluebeard's widow has because of the whole situation augments the horror of the "trickery."
Bluebeard's Daughter
In "Bluebeard's Daughter," Djamileh is presented as clever, but in the sense that she is clever in "playing the game" of accepting the limitations that are placed on females, and maneuvering herself within the context of those limitations. She does not step outside the boundaries of conventional femininity: she remains docile and subservient to her husband Kayel, in the sense that she does not "act-out," but instead, acts more passively, as a typical female should, not letting on how much she knows, or what her true intentions sometimes are. For example, she hides the blood-stained key from him, and keeps it with her at all times, hidden. She plays dumb with him. She does not flaunt any knowledge she may have. When she is told that curiosity is not good for her, how she should not have an education, she accepts it on the outside, and seems to convince herself to accept it, even though the idea of being unfulfilled by not being educated is troubling to her.
It bothered me how the author seemed to play-into these gender notions, making statements in the narration such as "Djamileh, who was better educated than her husband in such useless studies as calligraphy, examined the parchment and read aloud: 'curiosity killed the cat.'" She idealizes only her skills in frivolous activities like calligraphy. I do not know whether to interpret the narrator's statements as being in a mocking tone or actually stemming from legitimate feelings and thoughts. Kayel is consistently referred to as "master of the house," and for taking actions and being aggressive, in the conventional male way. However, he is also labeled as "soft-hearted," making him the perfect, well-rounded male. It was common for men to be framed in a positive light in fairy tales-- or, at least, the "prince" characters: displaying manly qualities, yet also the perfect slight amount of sensitivity and nurturing. But when Kayel expresses his wish to divorce her, Djamileh grows quite pathetic for a temporary amount of time, and becomes emotional and weak, crying to the old woman, or, "bursting into tears." But, surprinsgly, the author turns the plot, and has Djamileh emerge quite strong, as she devises a plan for how to escape her situation. It is as if, the author agrees that when it comes down to it, in a crunch, a woman has the ability to draw on all of her resources to escape. "And Djamieleh, listening with closed eyes, debated within herself why Kayel should be so cross. ...." Clearly, Djamielh considers how she ought to be treated, how deserving she truly is of someone caring, and therefore takes Kayel off of his pedestal.
Bluebeard - heroine's character
Question 2: Tatar offers two readings of the heroine's character: either as a celebration of self-preservation and cleverness or as a disobedient female. Using a version other than the Perrault, consider how the heroine gets presented. Use quotes to support your reading.
In Grimms' The Robber Bridegroom, the heroine (the young girl) is initially portrayed as a clever girl as she "filled both her pockets with peas and lentils to mark the way" (151). But then she is portrayed as a disobedient female as she keeps ignoring the caged bird's warnings to "turn back, turn back..." (152). But after the witch helps the young girl escape, the girl is again portrayed as a clever girl while she re-tells the story of how her bridegroom is actually a murderer and how she had the thought to save the finger with the ring as some sort of evidence of her story.
On a sidenote, I also see the witch in this story as a heroine. Her character is definitely a celebration of a female who uses her intelligence for self-preservation. The witch successfully keeps the murderers from discovering the young girl, and the witch also helps the girl escape back to her castle.
In Grimms' The Robber Bridegroom, the heroine (the young girl) is initially portrayed as a clever girl as she "filled both her pockets with peas and lentils to mark the way" (151). But then she is portrayed as a disobedient female as she keeps ignoring the caged bird's warnings to "turn back, turn back..." (152). But after the witch helps the young girl escape, the girl is again portrayed as a clever girl while she re-tells the story of how her bridegroom is actually a murderer and how she had the thought to save the finger with the ring as some sort of evidence of her story.
On a sidenote, I also see the witch in this story as a heroine. Her character is definitely a celebration of a female who uses her intelligence for self-preservation. The witch successfully keeps the murderers from discovering the young girl, and the witch also helps the girl escape back to her castle.
Bluebeard - elements of horror
Question 1: Compare the elements of horror in the various versions of Bluebeard that you read for today. Please name the elements you are comparing and discuss how they function in the story. Do they help move the plot along? Elaborate the story? Startle the audience? etc.
In man versions of Bluebeard like Perrault's Bluebeard, Grimm's Fitcher's Bird, and Jacob's Mr. Fox, the main element of horror was the small (forbidden) room with all the dead, chopped up bodies of young women. In these versions, the wife is told not to enter this room under any circumstances, but the wife can't resist and enters the room just to see all the dead bodies. The description of this room is pretty horrific with descriptions of bloody chopped up fragments of bodies. In Grimm's The Robber Bridegroom, the young maiden actually witnesses the killing and consumption of another young girl.
This element of physical horror functions as some sort of punishment for those who dare to disobey the master of the house. It also functions as a way for readers to realize the true horrific nature of Bluebeard/sorcerer/robber.
Another less-obvious element of horror in many of the versions of Bluebeard is the reaction and emotion of the young girl/wife when she realizes she cannot wipe the blood off of the key/egg. This element of horror functions to allow readers to feel the fear and desperation of the young girl as she tries, to no avail, to somehow undo what she knows was wrong in the first place. This illustration of the girl's emotions serves to create a sort of nervous suspense of what Bluebeard is going to do to his wife when he finds out that she disobeyed him.
In man versions of Bluebeard like Perrault's Bluebeard, Grimm's Fitcher's Bird, and Jacob's Mr. Fox, the main element of horror was the small (forbidden) room with all the dead, chopped up bodies of young women. In these versions, the wife is told not to enter this room under any circumstances, but the wife can't resist and enters the room just to see all the dead bodies. The description of this room is pretty horrific with descriptions of bloody chopped up fragments of bodies. In Grimm's The Robber Bridegroom, the young maiden actually witnesses the killing and consumption of another young girl.
This element of physical horror functions as some sort of punishment for those who dare to disobey the master of the house. It also functions as a way for readers to realize the true horrific nature of Bluebeard/sorcerer/robber.
Another less-obvious element of horror in many of the versions of Bluebeard is the reaction and emotion of the young girl/wife when she realizes she cannot wipe the blood off of the key/egg. This element of horror functions to allow readers to feel the fear and desperation of the young girl as she tries, to no avail, to somehow undo what she knows was wrong in the first place. This illustration of the girl's emotions serves to create a sort of nervous suspense of what Bluebeard is going to do to his wife when he finds out that she disobeyed him.
Assignment 8 - 24. March 2009
Hi Nikki, Erin, Emily, Benton, Michelle and Tiffany,
For this week, please complete two separate posts.
Question 1: Compare the elements of horror in the various versions of Bluebeard that you read for today. Please name the elements you are comparing and discuss how they function in the story. Do they help move the plot along? Elaborate the story? Startle the audience? etc.
Question 2: Tatar offers two readings of the heroine's character: either as a celebration of self-preservation and cleverness or as a disobedient female. Using a version other than the Perrault, consider how the heroine gets presented. Use quotes to support your reading.
DEADLINE for Posts: Midnight on Tuesday
DEADLINE for Comments on atleast two other posts: Midnight on Wednesday
Again, please post two separate entries!
Ann
For this week, please complete two separate posts.
Question 1: Compare the elements of horror in the various versions of Bluebeard that you read for today. Please name the elements you are comparing and discuss how they function in the story. Do they help move the plot along? Elaborate the story? Startle the audience? etc.
Question 2: Tatar offers two readings of the heroine's character: either as a celebration of self-preservation and cleverness or as a disobedient female. Using a version other than the Perrault, consider how the heroine gets presented. Use quotes to support your reading.
DEADLINE for Posts: Midnight on Tuesday
DEADLINE for Comments on atleast two other posts: Midnight on Wednesday
Again, please post two separate entries!
Ann
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