What is the deal with AMERICAN PSYCHO?

[waryan]

I'm 75 pages into AMERICAN PSYCHO and am not really enjoying it at all.

Countless friends have recommended it, I have seen it on a few 'Greatest Novels of the 20th century' lists and have simply heard so much about it that I decided to make time to finally check it out. From my experience there seem to be people who either love Ellis and consider his works worthy of literature, or people who believe his work to be trash.

Has anyone here read the book before and would care to share their opinions of it, if they enjoyed it or weren't impressed, like I am seeming to be?

I'm going to continue it but I'm not sure for how much longer. I actually enjoyed RULES OF ATTRACTION and LESS THAN ZERO so I suppose it's not a B.E. Ellis problem, but for some reason this book really bores me.

[tractatus]

I read this book years ago, and it was not have much artistic value
for my opinion. May be your recommenders like the story but for me story also
flavourless too.

I remember main line of story; going insane(of a man) in a criticism of comsumption society.

I ve checked if i took nottes about book, here they are:

Similar themes,
- Maupassant's short story "Mad".(or "Crazy", I dont know its original name.)

- "Things: A Story of the Sixties" (of George Perec)
as criticism of comsumption society

(This two book is not to mean he copied this, these are the subjects many writers write on. Just I see some similarity.)

[NickAdams]

I read this books years ago too, I might have been 19 and am now 25, but I remember enjoying it. I found his cataloging tedious. I understand that he was trying to express materialism, but I was annoyed by it none the less.

[chasestalling]

Set it aside and come back to it when you're in a different frame of mind, ie when you have the urge to....I'll put it this way: it's better to kill people vicariously...that's what books are for.

[liberal viewer]

Not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. Ellis wrote this to shock and anger so that his book would create a buzz. He succeeded. Don't bother with it.

[Scorpio Ascendant]

Not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. Ellis wrote this to shock and anger so that his book would create a buzz. He succeeded. Don't bother with it.

Exactly. Thank you!

[aeroport]

I really didn't care much for Less Than Zero, myself, but I thought I'd eventually give AP a shot. I guess now I'll let it wait a bit longer...

[mortalterror]

I've only read the first fifty pages, but what I've read I've liked. A friend of mine is a big fan of the novel, and I am quite fond of the movie. I can't speak for the book, but the movie is full of 19th century Russian literary allusions. The fingerprints of Pushkin and Dostoyevsky are all over it. Crime and Punishment is a fairly obvious influence on this film about an axe murder hounded by a detective. Then you have the Eugene Onegin ending where the girl divines the protagonist's true character from doodles left in his datebook. The slasher elements are pure parody, over the top, and hilarious and I think Ellis writes the 80s Yuppie lifestyle better than Jay McInerney.

[NickAdams]

I've only read the first fifty pages, but what I've read I've liked. A friend of mine is a big fan of the novel, and I am quite fond of the movie. I can't speak for the book, but the movie is full of 19th century Russian literary allusions. The fingerprints of Pushkin and Dostoyevsky are all over it. Crime and Punishment is a fairly obvious influence on this film about an axe murder hounded by a detective. Then you have the Eugene Onegin ending where the girl divines the protagonist's true character from doodles left in his datebook. The slasher elements are pure parody, over the top, and hilarious and I think Ellis writes the 80s Yuppie lifestyle better than Jay McInerney.

I prefer the film myself, along with its ending. There is a narrative shift in the book that I thought was done well. There is a really violent moment in the book, that I'm not suprised was omitted from the film. A lot of the deeds that Bateman confesses in the end can be found in the book. I would skip the book, but reading it adds something to the film. It would have been great to see Bateman meet Tom Cruise in the film, which is something that happens in the book.

[Hank Stamper]

I think if you can look beyond the gratuitous violence and heads in fridges, it is a gripping account of a man's descent into madness fuelled by drugs and booze, as well as being a parody of the materialistic yuppy culture of the 80s... you are left debating whether he actually commits the murders, or whether it is all just fantasy? great book IMO

[S.MacConmidhe]

For all the people saying it's tedious and boring - that's the point.

[waryan]

well i ended up finishing it about a week after posting this thread and I would say it got better after page 200 in my opinion- and almost suggest starting there really. Anyway I thought the idea could have been executed much better/differently, but this is just from my point of view and my own enjoyment of the book.

thanks for the feedback everyone

oh hey nickadams, I meant to ask about the narrative shift- what exactly a narrative shift is and perhaps how it was exemplified in AMERICAN PSYCHO if you can remember I would be very interested, just because for me the book seemed to be better done toward the end.

[NickAdams]

oh hey nickadams, I meant to ask about the narrative shift- what exactly a narrative shift is and perhaps how it was exemplified in AMERICAN PSYCHO if you can remember I would be very interested, just because for me the book seemed to be better done toward the end.

During the taxi mayhem the narrative shifts from first-person to third-person; from I to he. It was done so smoothly, that I only noticed it towards the end. If all of the book was fantasy, the third-person account may be the 'true' event.

[waryan]

thank you

[knightss]

I agree with much of what has been said. The book is for the 'shock and awe' effect. A masterpiece? I don't think so. Possibly a good read for those interested in psychoanalyzing characters.

[curlyqlink]

I found it superficial. If it was supposed to shock me, it failed. Some adolescents are fascinated by violence, and some men never outgrow adolescence; I suspect the author fits both categories.

In any case, this novel is nothing more than a pale imitation of the Marquis de Sade. When it comes to a work of sick genius, Justine is the real thing.

[NickAdams]

I agree with much of what has been said. The book is for the 'shock and awe' effect. A masterpiece? I don't think so. Possibly a good read for those interested in psychoanalyzing characters.

I don't think the characters have enough substance for a psychoanalysis.


I found it superficial. If it was supposed to shock me, it failed.

I was alarmed by the rat in the belly scene.


Some adolescents are fascinated by violence, and some men never outgrow adolescence; I suspect the author fits both categories.

What's sad is that men wrote to the author announcing they were Patrick Bateman.



In any case, this novel is nothing more than a pale imitation of the Marquis de Sade. When it comes to a work of sick genius, Justine is the real thing.

Thanks for the recommendation.:thumbs_up

[Dharmabeat]

Definitely not a masterpiece, but definitely one of my favourite books.

I enjoy the way Ellis creates the setting for the New York business elites, and portrays an emphasised but realistic view. It grabs me as having a real 1980's feel to the book too, and I found myself strangely connected with Patrick Bateman - though I'm not sure if that's a particularly good thing ;)

Of course it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I would most definitely recommend it.



In any case, this novel is nothing more than a pale imitation of the Marquis de Sade. When it comes to a work of sick genius, Justine is the real thing.

I'll make sure to check this out too.

[armenian]

American Psycho has its moments, the bloody bits start at around page 90, i remember reading it the first time and being impacient. Its a better read the second time around.
he puts you in his head by telling you what he really thinks of people in contrast to how he 'acts' towards them.
the mint cake part was cool.
also the only book that has made me hard.


Marquis de Sades most 'sick' work would have to be '120 days of Sodom', theres a movie to. its about some rich dudes who lock up some people in a castle and torture them. the whole 'appeal' to the book is that everything is negative, no show of emotions.
i tried to watch the movie but it was pointless, all it was was people being forced to eat **** and people being yelled at and crying. i didnt watch the whole thing or read the whole book, but from all research i did about it, i didnt see no real 'genious', just sick.

[waryan]

American Psycho has its moments, the bloody bits start at around page 90, i remember reading it the first time and being impacient. Its a better read the second time around.
he puts you in his head by telling you what he really thinks of people in contrast to how he 'acts' towards them.
the mint cake part was cool.
also the only book that has made me hard.


Marquis de Sades most 'sick' work would have to be '120 days of Sodom', theres a movie to. its about some rich dudes who lock up some people in a castle and torture them. the whole 'appeal' to the book is that everything is negative, no show of emotions.
i tried to watch the movie but it was pointless, all it was was people being forced to eat **** and people being yelled at and crying. i didnt watch the whole thing or read the whole book, but from all research i did about it, i didnt see no real 'genious', just sick.

I agree. I like JUSTINE and THE MISFORTUNE OF VIRTUE best of De Sade, and found 120 days to be pretty old by the first 10 pages, and not much changed after that.

[johann cruyff]

De Sade was nothing more than a porn industry of the 18th century.Mediocre at best writing,no philosophy behind his books although pretentious critics try very hard to find it and childish plots that only serve as a basis for deranged descriptions of sexual deviance.(Sacher-Masoch is much lighter in this view) Search for virtue?Come on...

There was a piece of fan-fiction that stirred some controversy and caused a lot of disputation when it came out on the internet some time ago,I believe it was called Agony in Pink(it can easily be found via Google) or something very similar to that - it was filled with disgusting stuff varying from aliens raping a girl to meticulous descriptions of all kinds of torture.Anyway,a classic example of a kid(I presume) trying to be "original","controversial" and whatnot.The sad thing is,after you've read this,you realize De Sade was not much better,and these days he's considered an important figure in literature?