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Bloody Chamber and the Company of the Wolves

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Bloody Chamber and the Company of the Wolves
„ THE BLOODY CHAMBER“ AND THE COMPANY OF THE WOLVES COMPARISON

This essay will discuss the adaptation of the three stories from Angela Carter 's book „The Bloody Chamber“: The Werewolf, The Company of the Wolves and Wolf-Alice to the Neil Jordan 's film The Company of the Wolves. The differences between the three stories and the film will be analyzed, and how their meaning changes in the context of the film. To begin, it must be noted that the stories mentinoned above are written in a form resembling a Greek satyr, and told in a way that reminds us of the fairy tale. However, neither of these stories are fairytales, but stories about crossing the treshold of adulthood and of becoming mature. These stories, although short, carry a message, and a lesson, although they deal with mythical and darkness. In these stories, Angela Carter provides a new interpretation of famous fairytales, such as Red Riding Hood, and recurrent motifs from this particular story such as grandmother, a girl who walks through the wood carring cookies in her basket, and the wolf who comes to the granny first. The Company of the Wolves by Angela Carter is a story that envokes powerful and mysterious aspects of the female nature. The girl is described as a person with incredible power to yield darkness and to conquer it, somebody who is never afraid, and faces the most horrible with a smile, which means that she is quite monstrous in nature as well. Mythical interpretation consists of the fact that she is represemted as a virgin goddess, who conquers beasts and darkness.[1] In its essesnce, The Company of the Wolves, as well as other two stories are dealing with the unknown, unconscious and dark side of human nature. The three stories are also feminist stories, dealing with the sacred feminine, and the power of the females to control men 's sexuality, which is especially seen in The Company of the Wolves. The men are shown as wolves, as sexual



Bibliography: CANDBY, Vincent: Fil,: „Red Riding Hood in 'Company of Wolves '“, (New York Times, 1989) DAVIDSON, Roger: „The Company of Wolves“, (Dream Magic, 2012) EBERT, Roger: „The Company of the Wolves“, (Suntimes,1985) JOCK, Francis: „Book reviews: Symbolism and Theme in "The Company of Wolves," by Angela Carter“, (Helium, 2011) MILLER, Eric: „The Company of Wolves (1984)“, (Classic Horror, 2009) Company of Wolves, dir [5] Company of Wolves, dir. Neil Jordan, perf. Mother, 1984, DVD, Palace Productions. [10] Company of Wolves, dir. Neil Jordan, perf. Granny and Huntsman, 1984, DVD, Palace Productions. [11] Cf. MILLER, Eric: „The Company of Wolves (1984)“, Classic Horror, n. p., 7 October 2009, n. pag., Web., 2 July 2012, . [12] Company of Wolves, dir. Neil Jordan, perf. Rosaleen, 1984, DVD, Palace Productions. [13] CARTER, Angela: „The Bloody Chamber: The Company of the Wolves“, New York: Penguin Books, 1980, print.

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