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summer
Unregistered User
(5/17/01 12:30:22 pm)
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Help me please, about blue beard...
Hi all,
last time I was looking for stuff about pied piper of Hamelin, especially a feminist or political correct version. Now I'm looking for a feminist version of blue beard. If one of you came across an educational version of this terror tail, I'll be more then happy...
I'm writing an essay about blue beard and I can't fine enough articles and versions to the Grimm's one.
I coul'd really use some help here..
thanks, Summer.
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janeyolen
Unregistered User
(5/17/01 12:35:54 pm)
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feminist Bluebeard
If you mean stories in which the female rescues herself from the Bluebeard character, there are many Bluebeard variants that do just that: the American "Mr. Fox" (see my FAVORITE FOLK TALES FROM AROUND THE WORLD), the Italian "Silver Nose" (see Calvino's ITALIAN FOLKTALES), the Grimm's "Fitcher's Bird" (see any complete Grimms, or my retelling in NOT ONE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS.
If you mean stories in which the female characted is the Bluebeard/murderer, I don't know any.
Jane
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Kate
Unregistered User
(5/17/01 12:50:27 pm)
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Another Feminist Bluebeard
There is also, of course, Angela Carter's novella-length story "The Bloody Chamber," from her collection of the same title (THE BLOODY CHAMBER AND OTHER STORIES, 1979). It weaves in Beauty and the Beast motifs as well as those of Bluebeard. (A female character--the young wife's mother--ends up murdering the husband, which is different from a story where the female character is Bluebeard, but a feminist twist, nevertheless.)
A recent Marvels & Tales issue devoted to Carter's work includes essays that discuss this collection.
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cianalouise
Registered User
(5/17/01 12:50:28 pm)
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Re: Help me please, about blue beard...
I am not sure if this helps at all, but Margaret Atwood's novel, "The Robber Bride" is a twist on the Bluebeard tale, with a seductive woman who collects husbands and disposes of them as she pleases. Certainly worth a read, in any event. Good luck with your research!
Luciana
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Midori
Unregistered User
(5/17/01 3:41:12 pm)
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past posts
At one time, deep in the archives of these post we had quite a lively discussion on Bluebeard as I recall. I'll look back and see if I can locate it for you. Isn't there also an Atwood short story, "Bluebeard's Egg"?
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midori
Unregistered User
(5/17/01 3:57:27 pm)
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once again it's Heidi to the rescue!
Actually in my search through the archived discussions (thanks by the way Heidi, they're fabulous!) I did find a brief discussion of The Robber Bride by Eudora Welty and Atwood in the August 2000. But also on the SurlaLune site itself, Heidi has a section on Bluebeard that gives many references to traditional and modern versions and some poems. Very nice place to start. Once you have some idea of what you want to do with the topic, come back and post. This board is always willing to talk over paper ideas.
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Heidi
Anne Heiner
ezOP
(5/17/01 6:04:40 pm)
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Re: Help me please, about blue beard...
Summmer,
I will especially second, third, whatever the recommendation of "The Bloody Chamber." Angela Carter's version of Bluebeard is not to be missed, especially if you are studying the tale.
The link to the modern interpretations of Bluebeard page is: Modern
Interpretations of Bluebeard
After all, it is Bluebeard that started the entire SurLaLune site so long ago as a graduate school project. Angela Carter's story influenced my choice of Bluebeard as the tale to annotate.
Midori, I am happy to read that the archives are working well. They were time consuming, but it was so much fun to read through them all again. Now I have a routine for them, so they will not be nearly as difficult to maintain in the future. It was also a gentle reminder of how much the traffic here has increased in a year. We have about as many posts in a month as we used to have in three or four.
Heidi
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summer
Unregistered User
(5/18/01 6:21:19 am)
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Thank you
Thank you all for the great information, I have a lot of homework to do... I'll be back...and thank you all again!
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Gregor9
Registered User
(5/18/01 9:37:33 am)
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Opera
Summer,
There is also Bartok's one-act opera, "Bluebeard's Castle" (aka "Duke Bluebeard's Castle") that's well worth hearing.
GF
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Meagan
Unregistered User
(5/21/01 9:28:45 am)
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Bluebeard
Well, I'm by no means an expert on this, but I did my master's thesis on contemporary feminist revisions of Bluebeard. My particular focus was a comparison between Carter's "The Bloody Chamber", Perrault's version (certainly pre-feminist), Atwood's "Bluebeard's Egg", and the Grimms's "Fitcher's Bird."
Of these "traditional" versions of the tale, I would say that the heroine in "Fitcher's Bird" is by far the pluckiest. However, the an analog of the bluebeard story, "Mr. Fox", a.k.a. "The Robber Bridgroom", has an incredibly brave and resourceful heroine. Though she is generally helped out by an elderly female donor character.
Some other contemporary works in which the bluebeard themes are touched on or discussed:
John Fowles "The Collector"--interesting especially because he addresses questions of point of view. The tale is told in two parts from the "bluebeard" character's pov and then from the captured bride's. Set in 1960s England.
The Robber Bridegroom by Eudora Welty. Set in the early 20th century deep south.
Atwood's novel, The Robber Bride. The Bluebeard character here is female. She preys primarily on a group of three female best friends.
Also, the Drew Barrymore film, "Ever After", though primarily a Cinderella story, has a great scene in which she has been sold into slavery/abducted by a creepy bluebeard character who tries to force his attentions on her. She will have none of it, draws a sword and demands "the key" from him. Cool scene and a "tableau moment" if I've ever seen one.
Well, I do go on.... Hope these suggestions help.
Meagan
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Meagan
Unregistered User
(5/21/01 9:40:08 am)
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Bluebeard oops
oops. Seems I was a bit redundant. I guess it pays to read previous posts on the subject....
Though, in an effort to redeem myself, I looked through my bibliography for other texts that may also be useful:
Lorna Sage edited a book, Flesh and the Mirror: Essays on the Art of Angela Carter. Lorna Sage, ed. London: Virago, 1994, which has a couple of useful articles, especially one by Margaret Atwood called “Running with the Tigers.”
Christina Bacchilega's book, Postmodern Fairy Tales. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997, has an exteded discussion of Bluebeard (including Carter's version) and it's feminist import (or lack thereof).
And, finally, Katherine Briggs has a British version of "Mr. Fox" in one of her collections.
M
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summer
Unregistered User
(5/21/01 11:53:59 am)
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Thank you
Meagan,
It's so nice to "meet" people that are willing to share there knolage.
I'm new in the "fairy tail business" and I think I'm learning now from all you experts.. thank you.
Summer
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