The Power Of A Detour—The Progression In Angela Carter's "The Bloody Chamber"

This thesis intends to account for the reason why academia's debate on whether Angela Carter's short story “The Bloody Chamber” is a feminist text arises with the help of narratological concept progression as defined in the context of rhetorical narrative theory,through answering the paradox on the story level of “The Chamber”: why does the heroine exhibits passivity and inactivity contrary to her overall self-growth in the later part of narrative? What does the final “shame” narration speak to the narrator's mind? This thesis argues that the academic divergence is caused by the failure to resolve the paradox which ultimately constitute a detour of progression in “The Chamber”.Rather than a failed narrative strategy,this detour of progression is intentionally arranged by Carter as an untraditional proof for the heroine's self growth.The main body of this thesis consists of three chapters.Chapter two answers a significant question on the story level — why the heroine marries the marquis — through probing into the instability in the progression,which is the heroine's blindness to her desires.Chapter three discusses discrepancies between the heroine and Carter on values,resulting in tension between readers and narrator on the discourse level.Nevertheless,this distance is shortened and tension gradually redressed along with the heroine's self-growth,moving her closer to the values endorsed by Carter.Chapter four responds directly to the reasons of varied readings among the academia by pointing out a paradox where the heroine exhibits submission and inactivity inconsistent with the development of progression,thus pushing her once again away from Carter and readers.In light of the larger narrative effects and Carter's general intention,attempts are made to address this paradox by justifying it as the heroine's over correction of her wrongdoing — an eccentric proof for her self-growth.