The Courtship of Mr Lyon-

1. Carter's choice of the word "courtship" is indicative of a more ideological/ idealised period, whereby Men had rules they must follow in order to court a Woman- therefore the use of the word "courtship" in this scenario shows Beast/ Mr Lyon to be a traditional character who is there to, in a sense, mock the way whereby Beauty is corrupted by wealth/ decadence as the text continues. Therefore, this shows the use of the word "courtship" to symbolise Beauty and Beast/ Mr Lyon's relationship to be appropriate within the text, if it is used in a mocking fashion- as "courtship" suggests an overwhelming suggestion of love between two characters. However, it is shown within the text that this is not necessarily the case when it involves Beauty and Beast/ Mr Lyon- as it is almost as if Beauty is simply 'handed' to Beast instead of in a sense 'earned' or 'courted'- attempting to mock the ways by which Men were able to almost chose Women dependant on who they likes- with little/ no say from the Woman herself.



8. Within 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' the building is shown to be a haven for Beauty's Father, as it is described in a way that allows the Reader to believe that the house is looked after, and does not connote the sinister/ dark. This is shown through the lions head that is "not, as he had thought at first, made of brass, but, instead, of solid gold"- this in comparison to the description of the Castle in 'Beauty and the Beast' further suggests that the Beast/ Mr Lyon in this text cannot truly be an animal- as the building in 'Beauty and the Beast' is shown to be a "castle, bathed in light"- suggesting that it may be perceived as a haven in darkness- but allows the reader to ask why the Castle is in a Forest in comparison to a "snow filled lane" in 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon". In addition, at the first sighting of the house in 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' it is shown to be decadent- as a "place of privilege"- whereas the Castle in "Beauty and the Beast" is not spoken of to an extent- as it is in "The Courtship of Mr Lyon"- the fact that there is little information on the Castle suggests that fact that the Beast in 'Beauty and the Beast' is animalistic- as it is shown to have little control within it's home- unlike Beast/ Mr Lyon within 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon'.



9. The first meeting with the Beast/ Mr Lyon attempts to show the Beast to be exactly as his name suggests- as the Beast suggests "I am no good fellow"- this shows to the Reader that the Beast is exactly as stereotype perceives him to be. The Beast is too shown to be unnaturally scary to Beauty- as it is suggested that the Beast "choked her"- creating the idea that the Beast is not purposefully harmful towards Beauty, this allows the Reader to feel sympathy for the Beast in a sense as he cannot escape what he truly is- as a "Lion is a Lion and a Man is a Man". Carter too shows the Beast to have a Voice that "seemed a cave full of echoes"- suggestive that the Reader is in a sense allowed to feel further sympathy for the Beast- as it is almost as if the Beast simply projects what he hears from Man Kind into his life- and that he is not actually the 'Beast' that he is believed to be. This idea is reinforced by the idea that the Beast's Voice is an "organ"- as it is as if the Beast must speak as Man feels in order to survive- and that he must speak based upon others beliefs in order to keep in a sense society in line/ tact. In addition, the beast is described further in an animalistic fashion through the use of- "flung himself at her feet and buried his head in her lap"- however this animalistic language shows the Beast to be the opposite to how he is described at the beginning of 'The courtship of Mr Lyon'- as he is now a passionate Man- and that the Beast cannot/ should not be feared as his true nature is timid/ gentle- as he is not a Lion but a Cat.


11. Within the Opening Page Carter changes Narrative Perspective continuously- from First to Third Person, then back again. This mirrors the way in which Carter attempts to confuse/ daze the Reader within her Short-Stories, as she attempt to symbolise the confusion that the Reader continuously feels- by not clearly showing the relationship between the Narrator and the Characters- as by calling Beauty- She/ Girl etc. Carter attempts to suggest that nothing is stable within her texts- and that continuous change is needed. This is often used by Carter to mirror the confusion that the Woman/ Protagonist feels within her Short-Story, as it allows the Reader to develop a further understanding of the depth of the text.



15. It is suggested that the Beast/ Mr Lyon saves Beauty and her Father from poverty at the beginning of the Short-Story- this would be due to the idea that as Beast is so wealthy it is only fair that he should help out a Family that has hit 'hard time'- as a Marxist Critic would believe that through the Beast/ Mr Lyon's actions he is shown to deny the notion of Capitalism within Society- as it is shown that the Beast/ Mr Lyon has no disagreement about giving Beauty and her Father Money in order to help them out in their predicament. As the Short-Story draws to a close Beauty is shown to reciprocate the Beast/ Mr Lyon's act of kindness- as she visits him as promised in order to save the Beast/ Mr Lyons from impending death- and therefore turn the Beast into Mr Lyon- as it is said that it was "no longer a Lion in her arms but a Man". Through Beauty returning to help the Beast/ Mr Lyon- Carter may be in a sense criticising the way in which every action within society must have an equal and opposite reaction- as it is almost as if Wealth is the only form that can truly make an act of kindness happen- shown through the fact that the Beast/ Mr Lyon has enabled Beauty/ her Father to regain their Wealth, ergo Beauty is in a sense obligated to the Beast/ Mr Lyon. Furthermore, through allowing Beauty to come to the Beast/ Mr Lyon so late within the Short-Story reinforced the idea that excessive Wealth is in a sense corruption/ greed- as Beauty seemingly forgets of her obligation to the Beast/ Mr Lyon- showing that Carter's message about their actions within the Short-Story is that within a Capitalist Society such as the one shown within 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon'- it is only Money/ Wealth that is worth any sort of obligation- this is Carter's Message/ Criticism of the Beast/ Mr Lyon and Beauty's actions within 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon'.



16. On top of the transformation of Beast into Mr Lyon within 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' there is the transformation of Beauty from the innocent/ pure Child into a greedy/ superficial Young Woman- as the financial side of life seemingly overpowers Beauty- as she becomes obsessed with her exterior- whilst forgetting the importance of the interior within Life. It is almost as if Money taints Beauty's appearance- as Wealth is shown through the Marxist Critic to change peoples personalities inside and out.