Such a bizarre satire and one of the most controversial books of the 20th century. Feminists left and right have attacked it due to the character's, Patrick Bateman, misogynistic actions, even though Bret Easton Ellis has stated over and over that this book was meant to portray everything wrong with society through not only this character, but the people and events surrounding him. It's a satire on the yuppie culture, not an autobiography on the desires of the writer, but these feminists refuse to see that and only look at the surface. What do you guys think? Personally I think Bret Easton Ellis is a very good writer. His simplistic style in his previous novels, especially Less Than Zero, is so enticing because of its cold emptiness that is exactly what the characters feel. He is my main inspiration of the transgressive authors. At the end of his books, I feel different and distant, unlike any other author has made me feel.
The guy is a sociopathic serial killer (maybe) and they complain about him being misogynistic? *facepalm*
And the character not only kills and rapes women, but he also kills men without thought, animals, and a small child at a zoo.
I enjoyed the book. I think that Ellis has extraordinary talent, and I can't wait to read more of his work. I have a full review of American Psycho here. While I don't feel that Ellis himself is misogynistic, I think that Patrick Bateman as a character was very much so. Yes, he killed men as well. But he saw women as objects, and used them for his sexual and sadistic pleasure. You don't just see this in the killing. The way he and his colleagues talk about women (I distinctly remember dialogue about all intelligent women being ugly) shows that he feels that women aren't good for much. It doesn't hurt my opinion of the book at all. It was a single aspect of Bateman as a character that made him more believable. I think it's sad that a lot of people focus only on that aspect, but you can't deny that it's there.
At the same time he hated his lifestyle. I think that Jean was different and that made it so he couldn't kill her. She wasn't superficial and didn't care about designer products and it produced this "feeling" in Patrick. Not love, he clearly stated, but... something. He only seemed to despise the women who were part of the lifestyle he took part in, and finding Jean was a relief in some way. I like your review, by the way, Freshmaker. Another thing I really like about Bret's writing is that in reading his books, he does not use contrived and overused or unnecessary metaphors or similes. He is to-the-point unless it comes to excessive detail which is part of the character's nature. He really puts you in the mind of his characters rather than being a force outside of them. You feel Patrick Bateman rather than hear him.
yeah, it's without a doubt the greatest piece of fiction ever written. ever. by anyone. his writing is amazing, his satire is unmatched by any other writer this century and he has a perfect control of form, style and language.
