Awards
The Bloody Chamber won the Cheltenham Festival Literary Prize in 1979.
Critical reception
The Bloody Chamber has received heavy praise and attention from numerous critics such as Jack Zipes (who called it a "remarkable collection"[14]) and Marina Warner (who, on its inspirational nature, said it "turned the key for [her] as a writer"[15]). Neil Gaiman cited the book as one of his inspirations.[16] In a 2019 essay in the book Lost Transmissions, Grady Hendrix said of Angela Carter: "She's someone who fantasy doesn't claim, and she's huge. The Bloody Chamber is one of the all-time great fantasy novels."[17]
The critic Patricia Duncker, however, was more reserved in her praise, criticising it for not breaking enough taboos. She said "Carter could never have imagined Cinderella in bed with the fairy God-mother."[18]
Several critical works have been published that focus on Carter's use of fairy tales in The Bloody Chamber and her other works.[19]
The collection has been taught and studied in University literature courses.[20] It has been used as part of the AQA English Literature, the OCR English Literature and Edexcel English Language & Literature syllabus for A-Levels in schools and colleges across the United Kingdom.
