Bluebeard vs. The Bloody Chamber

Growing up I was a huge fan of fairy tales (and to be honest, I still am.) Because of this I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault. Just like many fairy tales, this story started with, "Once upon a time. . ." and went on to describe a short tale that in all reality, really made no sense. Besides all the horror and blood, it reminded me of the many fairy tales I was read as a child (the happy Disney versions of course!).

It was nice though, going on to read "The Bloody Chamber" by Angela Carter, because it filled in the many details needed to clear up that confusion that comes with reading classic fairy tales. Carter goes through and describes feelings very clearly from each character throughout and I think that is my favorite part of "The Bloody Chamber". The feeling of fear, yet excitement bleeds through the pages and I started to feel those things with her. It was also nice to see a mother who cared for her daughter, knowing something was wrong throughout the whole story opposed to literally not caring at all, like in "Bluebeard" (which to me, makes a lot more sense). And of course the ending in "The Bloody Chamber" was a favorite of mine because not only did it change this up and show a heroine, but it showed off the strength of a mother-- which to me is way more exciting than the classic random man (or men, in this case).

Ooo and you can't forget the happily ever after in "The Bloody Chamber", that all Disney fairy tale fans crave! :)

Like I said before, the classic set up is a favorite of mine, because it throws me back to when I was a four-year-old, sitting on my Pawpaw's lap being read Disney's "Cinderella", but it is nice to have a "clarity story" that, hopefully, ties up all those loose ends of the classics. Reading these two short stories together was the perfect way to get both, if only they were meshed into one story so I could have my classic set up, but with all the feeling and detail (and less loose ends)!

-M