The Bloody Chamber is a collection of 10 gothic short stories by English author Angela Carter, first published in 1979. Carter’s work is strongly influenced by the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. In these stories, she subverts many of the gender and social dynamics that underlie these traditional tales and brings their sexual undertones to the forefront. The stories from The Bloody Chamber have been widely anthologized and studied around the world.

This guide is for the 2018 hardcover edition from Everyman’s Library.

Content Warning: This guide describes and discusses the source text’s treatment of rape and sexual violence.

Plot Summaries

The Bloody Chamber contains 10 short stories inspired by traditional fairy tales. The title story, “The Bloody Chamber,” is a retelling of Bluebeard. It follows a young, virginal piano player who marries a wealthy French Marquis. Soon, the girl learns that her husband has murdered his previous wives and plans to murder her as well. She’s rescued by her adventurous mother.

“The Courtship of Mr Lyon” and “The Tiger’s Bride” are retellings of Beauty and the Beast; each follows a heroine who is forced to marry a beastly man in order to protect her father. In the former story, the heroine’s love transforms the beast into a man; in the latter story, the heroine sheds her own humanity.

“Puss in Boots” follows a poor man and his cat, who fall in love with a privileged noblewoman and her tabby. Together they conspire to rid the woman of her cruel husband and inherit his estate.

In “The Erl-King,” a young woman is held captive by a mysterious forest creature who turns his lovers into birds. The woman escapes by strangling the Erl-King with his hair and frees the birds.

“The Snow Child,” which draws from Snow White, is a fable-like story in which a nobleman wishes for a child. He is given a child made of snow, who melts after he rapes her.

“The Lady of the House of Love” is a vampiric retelling of Sleeping Beauty in which an isolated vampire woman lures men to their deaths. She falls in love with one, who frees her from her curse.

The collection offers three stories that draw from Red Riding Hood: “The Werewolf,” “The Company of Wolves,” and “Wolf-Alice.” The first is driven by folk superstition and follows a girl who learns her grandmother is a werewolf. In “The Company of Wolves,” a girl meets a charming wolf on the way to her grandmother’s house; when she arrives, she learns that he’s eaten her grandmother. Instead of defeating the wolf, the girl mocks his attempt to eat her and happily becomes his wife. In the final story, a wild girl who was raised by wolves is given to the care of a murderous duke. Once the villagers come after the duke for his actions, the wild girl saves him and restores his humanity.