The Robber Bride

1
The Robber Bride
Lived City (4) Love and Desire on Cities
Margins -- or Center?

• General Introduction and Roz

2
The Robber Bride

• from the legend of Robber Bridegroom.
• ???????????("The Robber Bridegroom")????????????
  ??????????,????????????????????????,??????????????
  ??????????????,????????,????????????????????,?????
  ??????????,????????????????????(Grace 44)?
  (source)

3
The Robber Bride

• Three main characters Tony, Charis, Roz.

Roz, a president of a company on top of a
building
Charis, ex-hippie living on Toronto island
Tony-- History professor at a University
4
Double/multiple identity

• Zenia becomes their obsession, which they need to
  exorcize. But actually she also serves as their
  double, meeting their desires and taking
  advantage of their fears and weaknesses.
• Rozs double identity Roz Grunwald (a Jewish
  name) or Rosalind Greenwood (a Catholic)

5
Our Focus

• Part II The Robber Bride.
• Time Line Oct 23, 1990 ? May 1983, Roz over 40 ?
  her meeting Mitch when she is 22 ? her youth in
  60s ? childhood during WW II
• Chap 39 (Oct 23, 1990) Roz in her office and
  back home after meeting Zenia.
• ? Chap 40 (May 1983) Roz and her husband Mitch
• ? Chap 41 Roz and Mitchs knowing each
  other and their marriage. (May 1983) p. 354
  meeting Zenia.

6
Our Focus

• Skipped -- Chaps 42 --44
• Rozs childhood with her mother in their rooming
  house. Her schools Catholic education
• Rozs father back from WWII. Roz getting to know
  about anti-Semitism.
• The Fathers mistresses and his getting rich.
  Roz takes on a Jewish identity. Roz as a hybrid
  (388-90).
• Chap 45 49 the past -- Roz, Mitch, Zenia and
  WiseWomanWorld the present Roz and the twins

7
Our Focus

• Today --
• Rozs identity as a mother and a wife her
  obsession - Mitch
• Next Time --
• Rozs ethnic identity and her relationship with
  Mitch
• Why is Zenia a double of Roz and of Mitch (how
  she meets their desires)
• What does the magazine WiseWomanWorld represent
  ?
• How does Roz get over her obsession/trauma.

8
Roz and her world vs. the Toronto Locations
mentioned in our class
Bloor Street Viaduct

• Office at Bay street Restaurant on Queen E.

p. 326
9
Roz and her world The Past with her Kids

• ?????

10
Roz and her world The Past with her Husband

• Art nouveau design
• Brass bedstead
• Egyptian dresser

A cabinet
(e.g. evenstar from ??)
11
Roz and her world The Past with her Husband

• He She basins
• Jacuzzi shower cubicle

12
Roz and her world The Present

• Nouveau Pueblo style
• Nanaimo bar pickled cucumber ? eaten with a
  fork

13
Starting Questions

• How is Roz characterized as a mother in chap 39?
  And as a wife in chap 40?
• What about the twins?
• And Mitch?

14
Roz and her Appearance

• A big-bone woman She was a big-boned girl, a
  raw-boned girl (her mothers words), a girl with
  backbone (her fathers) and a full, mature figure
  (the dress shops). Dainty she would never be.
  p348
• Quite concerned with her appearance
• Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most
  beautiful of us all?      
•  Depends, says the mirror. Beauty is only skin
  deep., (326-27)
• Reaching 40 p. 333
• Quite concerned with not letting Mitch see her
  body in daylight p. 335, or do the dental floss
  p. 339 careful makeup 340-41
• her sense of roots p. 329 (more next time)

15
Roz as a mother

• Missing the time to be close to her daughters, to
  have a sense of order and security (341) ?
  angels wings over her kids
• Present Distanced from her twins (328) keep her
  childrens stuffs for the future grandchildren.
  P. 329

16
Roz and Mitch

• Mitch a predator p. 335 Why? regular
  emotional strays 336
• Roz her body represents possessions, solidity,
  the domestic values, . . . P. 335.
• Rozs attitudes towards Mitch and her changes
• Handsome and distinguished
• jealousy p 326
• Play poker game with him in his sexual flings p.
  338
• close observation of him 340

17
The next generation

• Erin and Paula
• What do you think about their game of switching
  all the characters into female? Pp. 330 31
• Their ways of playing with the dolls 331
• Is Zenia a Robber Bride?
• Larry quiet, interested in success stories, a
  train that talked and interspecies cooperation p.
  330

18
Roz identity DP and a pastiche

• DP Rozs father her father as a hero (360)
  discrimination against displaced persons
  (365-66) ? Her father as DP (374) ? Rozs life
  cut in two. )
• Chap 44 the Fathers mistresses (like Mitch?)
  and his getting rich. Roz takes on a Jewish
  identity. Roz as a hybrid (387-90).

19
Issues for discussion next time

• Rozs family broken by Zenia? Or?
• Rozs sense of identity as a Jew, a career woman
  and a wife
• Development of womens magazines
  (WiseWomanWorld).
• Her relationship with Mitch
• How Roz survives her trauma and obsession by
  Zenia.

20
References

• Bluebeard examples of modern interpretations
  http//www.surlalunefairytales.com/bluebeard/theme
  s.html