Angela Carter
The Magic Toyshop
Old Wives Fairy Tale
Book
The Bloody
Chamber
This is a rich collection of short stories
originally published in 1979. Three of these tales were the basis of the
ground-breaking film, The Company of Wolves (1984). Funny, atmospheric,
irreverent- some of the stories are just a page long. Erotic, violent and full
of Carter’s succinct wit, this slim Gothic volume is a special collection on my
shelves because it is a classic that rewards re-reading.
Carter habitually
took the fairy tale and made it into something new and disturbing, binding
darkness into her pages and creating dazzling wonders.
The question of who
meant harm to whom is always problematic in this world of barely suppressed
sexuality; granddaughters are not always afraid of the wolf. Grandmothers in
this fictional world would do well not to shower red cloaks on their
grandchildren, because it’s the wolf inside that matters, not just a question of
admiring the size of eyes, teeth and ears.
Carter fans treasure this
collection for its richness and for the author’s ability to change the mundane
to the fantastic with a single stroke of her pen.
Anyone who wants to be able
to write elegant short stories will find much to learn in this
collection.
©Helen Knibb
1998
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