Erl-King
Like all or most of the short stories in Carter's The Bloody Chamber, Carter uses language in 'The Erl-King' in a significant and interesting due to its use of literary devices and imagery to portray its themes and to develop the story, while also centering itself around elements of the Gothic.
The literary devices in 'The Erl-King' are common throughout and do not just explore one single idea or theme, but instead a variety such as entrapment and temptation, which may take on possible interpretations, including feminist ones.
Symbolism is used to explore entrapment, and would be associated with the use of 'cages' which itself represents the theme of entrapment, but goes on to symbolise the oppression that men have over the women in the story. Another use of symbolism is with the theme of temptation, which can be associated with the Erl-king's eyes which are like "green apples". From a biblical perspective, the apples represent temptation and would show how the Erl-king tempts the narrator into his domain. This could also be interpreted as women being tempted by men sexually, in a similar vein to Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market".
As well as symbolism, Carter uses plenty of allusions throughout. The most prominent allusion is to Little Red Riding Hood, going so far as to even mentioning it in the text itself. The Erl-king is also described as having wolfish features, including "sharp teeth". These allusions are used to emphasise the male character (the Erl-king) in a fiercer way.
Use of imagery is an important aspect of language in Carter's story, as it is both an aspect of Gothic literature and allows for the dramatic portrayal of certain themes. We are first given an idea of the theme of entrapment with imagery in the first paragraph, when the light is described as producing "verticals bars", like bars in a prison. This use of imagery would suggest the idea that the protagonist is trapped, and foreshadows the Erl-king's dark secret (turning women into birds and putting them in cages).
Temptation is also portrayed through heavy use of imagery too. This is present in the first paragraph due to it's descriptive nature. "The lucidity, the clarity of the light", "nicotine-stained fingers" and "leaves glistened" all provide a tantalising but somewhat mysterious image of the forest, which reflects the Erl-king's character. It's description feels purposely done this way as to entice the reader into the forest too along with the narrator; "make you smile" and intricate descriptions of flora ("discoloured brambles") help show the enticing nature of the forest.
In conclusion, Carter's use of language is significant because it helps emphasise the themes that she wishes to explore, while also simply abiding to traditional Gothic narrative.
Like all or most of the short stories in Carter's The Bloody Chamber, Carter uses language in 'The Erl-King' in a significant and interesting due to its use of literary devices and imagery to portray its themes and to develop the story, while also centering itself around elements of the Gothic.
The literary devices in 'The Erl-King' are common throughout and do not just explore one single idea or theme, but instead a variety such as entrapment and temptation, which may take on possible interpretations, including feminist ones.
Symbolism is used to explore entrapment, and would be associated with the use of 'cages' which itself represents the theme of entrapment, but goes on to symbolise the oppression that men have over the women in the story. Another use of symbolism is with the theme of temptation, which can be associated with the Erl-king's eyes which are like "green apples". From a biblical perspective, the apples represent temptation and would show how the Erl-king tempts the narrator into his domain. This could also be interpreted as women being tempted by men sexually, in a similar vein to Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market".
As well as symbolism, Carter uses plenty of allusions throughout. The most prominent allusion is to Little Red Riding Hood, going so far as to even mentioning it in the text itself. The Erl-king is also described as having wolfish features, including "sharp teeth". These allusions are used to emphasise the male character (the Erl-king) in a fiercer way.
Use of imagery is an important aspect of language in Carter's story, as it is both an aspect of Gothic literature and allows for the dramatic portrayal of certain themes. We are first given an idea of the theme of entrapment with imagery in the first paragraph, when the light is described as producing "verticals bars", like bars in a prison. This use of imagery would suggest the idea that the protagonist is trapped, and foreshadows the Erl-king's dark secret (turning women into birds and putting them in cages).
Temptation is also portrayed through heavy use of imagery too. This is present in the first paragraph due to it's descriptive nature. "The lucidity, the clarity of the light", "nicotine-stained fingers" and "leaves glistened" all provide a tantalising but somewhat mysterious image of the forest, which reflects the Erl-king's character. It's description feels purposely done this way as to entice the reader into the forest too along with the narrator; "make you smile" and intricate descriptions of flora ("discoloured brambles") help show the enticing nature of the forest.
In conclusion, Carter's use of language is significant because it helps emphasise the themes that she wishes to explore, while also simply abiding to traditional Gothic narrative.
Try and expand on your point about entrapment. Can it be connected to either Marxism or Feminism?
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