Bluebeard and the Feminine Quest: A Lesson Plan (Appropriate for Film, Literature into Film, and Literature Classes) by Maria Garcia, Author, Cinematic Quests for Identity: The Hero’s Encounter with the Beast
Goals:
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to articulate: (1) the role of the Beast in the female
quest for identity; (2) the influence of Charles Perrault’s fairy tale “Bluebeard” on works of art in
other genres; (3) two ways in which the morals at the end of the fairy tale are articulated in
Angela Carter’s short story, “The Bloody Chamber” and in Catherine Breillat’s film, “Barbe
Bleue” (“Bluebeard,” 2009); and (4) the role fairy tales play in the formation of feminine
identity.
Relevant Chapters in “Cinematic Quests for Identity”:
Introduction; Chapter 1, “Framing the Beast of Individuation”; Chapter 2, “A Woman’s Beast:
The Silence of the Lambs”; and “Catherine Breillat and the Fairy Tale Quest as ‘Passage.’” (See
“Bibliography” below.)
Method:
Charles Perrault’s “Bluebeard”
Assignment: Read Christopher Betts’s introduction to The Complete Fairy Tales and the
“Bluebeard” fairy tale.
Class Discussion: Begin with the hallmarks of the fairy tale genre, and its historical and
contemporary significance, as discussed in Betts’s introduction. How is “Bluebeard” a cautionary
tale for women in patriarchal societies? A quest story? How and why do stories about bestial men
resonate for modern readers, both men and women?
Writing Assignment: Write a 500-600 word paper (one scholarly source) on any of the following
topics: (1) the fairy tale genre and its origins, and how “Bluebeard” exemplifies it; (2)
“Bluebeard” as a contemporary cautionary tale; (3) curiosity as an heroic trait.
Angela Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber”
Assignment: Read Angela Carter’s short story, “The Bloody Chamber.”
Class Discussion: In what ways does Carter draw directly from the “Bluebeard” fairy tale and in
what ways does she depart from it? (Voice is the first obvious answer, the fairy tale’s third
person and Carter’s first person.) How is the actual journey in the story emblematic of all quest
stories? Why does Carter think the Beast, in this case the “groom,” is necessary for the girl’s
self-actualization?
Writing Assignment: Write a précis. Write an 800-word paper (2-3 scholarly sources) on any of
the following topics: (1) Carter’s use of foreshadowing and its significance to the quest; (2)
Carter’s feminist vision of the quest; (3) Carter’s use of symbols, such as the necklace, and the
color red, and their significance to the archetypal dimensions of the story; (4) the shedding of
blood in all quest stories.
Catherine Breillat’s “Bluebeard”
Assignment: After a class screening of the film, write a two paragraph description of
“Bluebeard,” noting characters, setting, point-of-view, plot and theme. (If possible, this should be an in-class assignment so that first reactions to the movie may be compared to later opinions
expressed in a longer paper.)
Class discussion: Why does Breillat recount the Bluebeard fairy tale from the point of view of
two sisters in contemporary times, as well as in an historical setting? What is Marie-Catherine’s
quest? What leitmotifs are apparent throughout the film? How do they inform our understanding
of the story?
Writing Assignment: Write a 1000-word paper (3-4 sources) on any of the following topics: (1)
The use of foreshadowing in “The Bloody Chamber” and in Breillat’s film; (2) Choose a
leitmotif in the film, an object, a color, etc., and discuss its significance in Marie-Catherine’s
quest; (3) the girl hero as archetypal hero; (4) Contemplating all three sources, speculate on the
role of fairy tales in the formation of feminine identity.
Teaching Notes:
On Availability of texts: Both Christopher Betts’s translation of Perrault and Angela Carter’s
short story collection are in paperback. Breillat’s film (in French with English subtitles) is
available on Region 1 DVD and streaming. College libraries may have Carter, but Betts’s
translation of Perrault is harder to find; both are in paperback. Electronic versions of the latter do
not always have the wonderful Gustave Doré drawings that appear in this edition, which may be
the basis of class discussions, as the artist has influenced the production design of films based on
fairy tales.
On Perrault: American students are generally not familiar with this author’s collection of fairy
tales, and Betts’s translation is not only excellent, his introduction is a scholarly essay.
On curiosity: At the start of this lesson, students are most interested in the issue of whether or not
“too much” curiosity can lead to danger, the result of one of the morals that appears after Charles
Perrault’s “Bluebeard” fairy tale. It is at this point that the instructor might ask students to
describe some new path they have forged recently, which is causing them anxiety—a new course
of study, living on campus, making friends with people who are exposing them to new
experiences, or taking their first trip abroad. (All of these are driven by the need to experience
and to know.) It is always surprising to me the extent of class discussion necessary before
students can view the bride in “Bluebeard” as anything other than greedy or foolish. Until
students read Angela Carter’s story, it is difficult for them to fathom the bride as engaged in a
quest for identity. Only upon completion of this lesson may there be an understanding of the
heroic personality, the intense desire to know—the excess curiosity warning implicit in
“Bluebeard”—as the first step toward consciousness and meaning.
On male bestiality: Since the Beast, the transformative figure in the hero’s life, is almost always
a male in feminine quest stories, and Carter and Breillat present a feminist perspective to the
encounter with the Beast, it is important to emphasize that in Perrault, Carter and Breillat, the
Beast is a psychopath, a serial murderer, the most extreme form of male bestiality. As fairy tales,
all are cautionary tales for girls and women, and so this exaggeration is almost a narrative
imperative. Upon the first reading of the fairy tale, it is necessary to present a clear definition of
patriarchy (in Cinematic Quests for Identity, see page 3 of the “Introduction” for one from Gerda
Lerner), and to discuss the vulnerability of women in patriarchal societies. This will deflect the
most literal interpretation of feminist texts, that men alone are to blame for women’s subjugation;
it will also broaden students’ understanding of the implications for women of a Darwinian
worldview. (See page 3 of “Introduction.”)
On the approach in film and literature classes: In my film classes, I generally reverse the order
of this lesson plan, and begin with Breillat’s “Bluebeard,” sending my students to Perrault next
and then to Carter. Although Carter’s short story may seem outside the realm of a film class, its
equally feminist perspective and its rich tapestry of symbols make it an excellent source for
discussing cinematic leitmotifs. Also, since it is another adaptation of the fairy tale, it may be
used as a primary source in student papers. In literature into film classes, instructors should teach
to their strengths; the lesson can be taught as it appears here, or as I use it in film classes.
Generally, the order as it appears here is better for undergrads.
Bibliography:
Brooke, Patricia. “Lyons and Tigers and Wolves—Oh My! Revisionary Fairy Tales in the Work
of Angela Carter,” Critical Survey, Vol. 16, no. 1 (2004), 67-88.
Breillat, Catherine. Barbe Bleue (Bluebeard), 2009. Strand Releasing.
Carter, Angela. “The Bloody Chamber.” The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories. New York:
Penguin Books, 1987.
Garcia, Maria. “Bluebeard.” Cineaste, Vol. XXXV, no. 2 (2010), 61-63.
Garcia, Maria. “A Woman’s Beast: The Silence of the Lambs.” In Cinematic Quests for Identity:
The Hero’s Encounter with the Beast. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015, 21-44.
Garcia, Maria. “Catherine Breillat and the Fairy Tale Quest as ‘Passage.’” In Cinematic Quests
for Identity: The Hero’s Encounter with the Beast. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015,
155-193.
Garcia, Maria. “Framing the Beast of Individuation.” In Cinematic Quests for Identity: The
Hero’s Encounter with the Beast. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015, 7-20.
Garcia, Maria. “Rewriting Fairy Tales, Revisiting Female Identity: An Interview with Catherine
Breillat,” Cineaste, XXXVI, no. 3 (2011): 32-35, 34.
Perrault, Charles. “Bluebeard.” The Complete Fairy Tales. trans. Christopher Betts. Oxford
University Press, 2009.