The Bloody Chamber Context

Carter was influenced by the Marquis de Sade - an 18th century nobleman known for his violent sexual pornographic writing

• Carter was interested in the idea that sex is inextricably linked with violence

• Feminists criticised her book The Sadeian Woman because she refused to vilify the Marquis de Sade

• Carter was different from other feminists as they thought that pornography was destructive and should be censored, while she thought it should be explored

The 1970s saw an increase in the Second Wave Feminism movement which focussed on liberating female sexuality, workplace equality and domestic abuse

Charles Perrault - wrote Little Red Riding Hood and Bluebeard

Carter used fairytales as they provide a traditional framework where modern fears can be explored

• She wanted to extract the ‘latent content’ from childhood fairytales

Her other famous book Nights at the Circus is about the performance of womanhood and the constricting roles forced on women, whilst also foregrounding the value of virginity