| Product: |
Bret Easton Ellis in general |
| Date: |
14/08/00 (138 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: All amoral fables
Disadvantages: Not for the faint hearted
Bret Easton Ellis is by no stretch of the imagination a prolific author. To my knowledge five novels have appeared since 1985. Each novel reviewed here serve to remind how morally bereft some sections of American society can be. I have reviewed all of the four works I have read together as I feel that they are all similar in scope and theme.
Less Than Zero:-
The first novel that Ellis had published and a stunner at that. Written in the first person singular and present tense throughout the novel provides a commentary of affluent youth of mid 1980’s Los Angeles. Clay an eighteen year old student returns to L.A. for Christmas, re-establishes old acquaintances and makes new ones. However the disturbing aspect of the book is that he, and his friends, cannot see how morally bereft they and the circles in which they move are.
As an author Ellis is almost absent. The style is to describe events, or even non events, as they happen leaving the reader to decipher them. Not that this is difficult as the themes of promiscuity, drug misuse and over indulgence are prevalent. The style of the narrative means that one can really understand the lack of connectedness and unity with society experienced by this lost generation of L.A. Most of all this work paints a picture of people experiencing a moral numbness that should be avoide
by all.
The Rules of Attraction:-
This work is a departure from the first not in terms of theme but in terms of style. The most striking difference is the movement from a single to multiple narrators. The events are centred around a New England college and each of the characters tell their own story of depravity, promiscuity and substance misuse. When compared to Less Than Zero the setting and narrative style have changed yet the central themes remain constant. Ellis is still pre-occupied with the darker sides of modern American so
ety.
Again the authorial voice is conspicuous by it’s
absence and for me this adds to the work as it leaves the reader to provide the interpretation of events.
American Psycho:-
Once again Ellis revisits the theme of moral detachment in this work. However it is presented in it’s most evil form. At first glance the work seems to be simply the diary of a serial killer. Ellis achieves this by returning to the first person singlar narrative. Bateman tell his own story.
If you want to read a fictional but realistic portrayal of a serial killer look elsewhere. This work involves a serial killer but does not really consider him from a psychological point of view. The work is about an upper middle class city worker who is again morally numb and feels no real connection with the evil that he perpetrates. He also fails to connect with his peer group or society as a whole.
Bateman and his circle of friends are primarily concerned with themselves and one upmanship. This is reflected in the many references to fashion throughout the work. Bateman and his circle are concerned about the correct way to fold a handkerchief but remain detached from the murders of Batemans victims. The many references to fashion remind the reader about what is wrong with American society that is more concerned with Huey Lewis and the News than the mutilation of a beggar.
Bateman is symptomatic of a society that is sick. Although a psycho he reflects the mass psychosis of certain sections of society. The violence, although not incidental reflects wider issues and this must be remembered.
The Informers:-
Again set in L.A. The Informers fails to depart from the depiction of a section of American society lacking in moral fibre. As with all of his works the style is laconic and the scenes depicted are allowed to have their own impact without the author attempting interpretation. I believe that some of the characters that appear in this novel are the same as The Rules of Attraction. Either that
or the names alone are re-used.
At times this work strays more towards horror fiction I would say without wholeheartedly embracing it. As with American Psycho this is used to draw attention to the amoral nature of the characters rather than being an attempt to stray into another genre. Although this work is more of the same; it is more of the same high quality.
Glamourama:-
I am yet to read this so look forward to somebody elses reveiw of it.
Summary:
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