The Bloody Chamber Study Guide

Glossary of Terms

chauvinist

A man who treats women as though they are inferior to men.

enfer

A French word meaning "hell."

guillotine

A device used for beheading, which consists of a heavy blade suspended above a block designed to hold the victim's head.

incarnate

Embodied in human form.

iron maiden

A medieval torture device that resembles a coffin, which is covered in spikes on the inside. The victim was forced to stand upright while spikes pierced his or her body, causing profuse bleeding and often death.

King Charles spaniel

A breed of small dog.

latent

Present, but in a dormant state.

lecherous

Lewd or excessively sexual.

leonine

Resembling or characteristic of a lion.

Liebestod

A musical love theme from the opera, Tristan and Isolde.

liminal

Existing on a threshold between places or states.

Marquis

A French nobleman.

menses

Menstruation.

nocturnal

Active at night. Opposite to diurnal.

orifice

An opening, especially of the body.

piazza

An Italian word meaning "public square."

prothalamion

A song sung in celebration of a wedding.

Romania

A country in Central Europe that includes the Western region of Transylvania, famous for its vampire legends.

serenade

A musical performance meant to express love for the recipient.

somnambulist

A sleepwalker.

soubrette

A coquettish maid figure of the comic opera.

subjugation

Enslavement or forced subservience.

Tarot cards

A deck of pictoral playing cards used in fortunetelling.

vagina dentata

The idea, originating in folklore, of a toothed vagina.

vertigo

A state of dizziness or disorientation.