Castration in fiction books

[HairyHarry (imported)]

I seem to remember a collection of short stories, by, if I remember correctly, Ian Mc'Iwen. A man, stringing along two women working at a hospital and giving both a STD, gets a "pretty little stump to remember them by", although the story ends before the inevitable act happens.

[Karelescu (imported)]

Sounds great. Please try and remember more.

Sorry I am evasive at the moment, but I have problems with my ears. It's not easy to explain, but they feel "open" (and not because of some weird sexual pusuit). I am simply going deaf. Probably because of loud rock-concerts and catarrh.

Oh well.

Ce la vie, n'est pas?

Nicky

[Karelescu (imported)]

Dear HairyHarry - good to hear from you -

Ah. Ian McEwan, a very highly-rated (and some would say over-rated - it depEnds on your tastes, I suppose) British short story and novel writer. Where do I start?

Give me a second while I check his books on Amazon.com.

Okay. Back again. The novel you probably (don't) want was "The Cement Garden" The Washington Post Book World described it as "A riveting novel...it possesses the suspense and chilling impact of 'Lord of the Flies'." So, since Lord/Flies was by Golding, that's not necessarily much of a recommendation.

Early McEwan themes were incest etc, which was probably what made him a success so early on ("The Cement Garden"). His more recent novels, which have won literary prizes, include "Amsterdam" and "The Atonement", "The Comfort of Strangers" and "The Innocent". The later books are supposed to be quite good, but no one I know who has read them seemed all that enthusiastic. I don't read him any more; I have better things to do with my time. But that doesn't mean that I am right. A man as highly regarded as McEwan must have something going for him, and I believe there is a new film out now about one of his more recent books, and the book and the film both sound pretty good, so perhaps I should give him a try again.

There is also a book of short stories, and I think the story you mention will probably be in "First Love, Last Rites". Sorry. I momentarily forgot about that one . It was "First Love" and "The Cement Garden" that launched McEwan because they were very controversial at the time (incest, SM/BM, etc).

I didn't warm to the early books. Of course, nowadays themes such as incest, body-modification, and sexual torture are almost two-a-penny, so anyone who reads his early work now might wonder what all the fuss was about. The later books, I gather, are quite different in focus. But his work mainly seems to be about the alienation of the soul of modern-man in an increasingly uncaring universe. Also, I believe he has become more interested in the srength and fragility of love as the only thing that can stand in the face of the uncaringness of the world today. As mankind becomes evermore cold and unfeeling, so love becomes more and more important...and more vulnerable. Guess "The Beetles" were right all along. "All you need is love".

(There is an interesting theory why most post World War 2 British novelists tend towards the depressing: It's the weather). Personally, I prefer South American fiction. So much more optimistic.

Bye,

Nicky

PS: If anyone's interested in "clean" incest, "The Sweets of Pimlico" by my old friend and Oxford tutor A.N. Wilson has a sweet scene between brother and sister - very tasteful, I add, as I would expect from dear Andrew. And the rest of the book is quite good.

Bye,

N

PPS: Please could everyone post with any eunuch-novel-type - or suitable body-mod/SM/incest - here? As long as it's to do with books and is relevant to eunuchism, I'll do my best to help. This is quite a nice strand. Please help me keep it going!

Nicky

[HairyHarry (imported)]

I saw the film "The Cement Garden", but I didn't realise that it was by the same author as "First Love, Last Rites".

I'll try to remember if I've seen any other books with the castration theme, real or imagined.

[Karelescu (imported)]

Dear HairyHarry, I've rewitten my post about Ian McEwan because I thought it was a bit too imprecise and too self-opinionated. Yes, I've also seen the film "The Cement Garden", and seem to remember it was quite good, but rather bleak. Funnily enough, rather like you I didn't make the connection with "First Love" till I looked McEwan up (which is a little disturbing since I have read "First Love", though I don't think I ever finished "The Cement Garden"). Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of "First Love" so I can't check to see which story is the one you mention. However, I might give the book another try.

Bye,

Nicky

PS:

ENDURING LOVE - and possibly "Boys for Sale"

After a bit of research, I finally found out this new film based on, as far as I can tell, an Ian McEwan novel. It's called "Enduring Love". The film poster has a guy and a girl together, with a balloon floating off above them. The poster's strap-line is: "An extraordinary event brought them together. A deadly obsession would tear them apart" (which sounds just like the kind of poster-lines I wrote when I worked for movie advertisers - you can apply it almost to any flick that has a guy and a gal in it - though where the balloon fits in I am not sure I want to know).

Anyway, the film stars Daniel Craig (who?), Rhys Ifans (The Notting Hill movie with Julia Roberts, I think) and Samantha Morton (last seen with Tom Cruise in some sci-fi thing by Spielberg about catching criminals before they commit the crimes).

In the TV package I saw about "Enduring Love", all the actors, plus the director, waxed lyrical about how the opening scene of McEwan's book is so great and how they have done it justice in the movie. Mind you, one could hardly expect them to say the opening scene was crap and they'd made it worse. Oh, the dissemblings of actors! Sigh! (Mind you, that sounds like an Ian McEwan book: "The Dissemblings of Actors". Coo, sounds interesting. Wonder when it's out?

This film might be one to watch out for.

(oh, and according to a lit-crit I've just read, McEwan's novels are all about moral-ambiguity. Oh well.)

And the story you were thinking of, HairyHarry, might well be "Boys for Sale" except that, having just re-read your post, I somehow doubt it. So what the hell is "Boys for Sale" about? I'll have a look through the bookshelves in my house and see if someone inadvertantly bought "First Rites". You never know. Otherwise, I guess I'll have to buy the darn thing. Never mind.

And I also believe McEwan wrote the script for a film called "The Good Son", but I am unsure, since cinema is not my field.

Well, I guess we all now know so much less than we did before.

Bye again,

Nicky

(Oh, and HairyHarry, I've included the McEwan you mentioned - as far as we can get it at the moment - plus your ident in the long list of castration-related fiction I posted above. Welcome to the list - but let me know if you'd prefer not to be included. Cheers. N)

TO ALL: ANYTHING, EVEN IF ONLY HALF-REMEMBERED (OR EVEN IMAGINED/DREAMED), THAT MIGHT LEAD TO A BOOK/MOVIE/STORY OR EVEN AN APPROPRIATE ANECDOTE THAT WE HAVEN'T LISTED, PLEASE POST. I AM HAPPY TO DO THE RESEARCH.

NIcky

[vinnie (imported)]

No one has mentioned the Vampire Junction trilogy by S P Somtow. The main character is a 2,000 year old vampire in the body of a twelve year old eunuch. Somtow is a Thai native, who I believe writes in English. Mostly a writer of horror and SciFi, Somtow includes Southeast asian concepts in traditional Western horror themes.

[Karelescu (imported)]

All I can say is "wow". Thanks, vinnie.

Nicky

[Karelescu (imported)]

Sorry I haven't posted anything recently. I haven't gone away, but I had a tough deadline to write for, etc.

Still here, and checking in. And modern south United States literature such as Faulkner and Carver is now R.E.M. Plus ca change. Anyway, it's al Russian, innit? I mean, those guys come from Georgia. Echt Stalin, n'est pas?

Yes, I know. You try making a literary joke when all the students are here again.

Bye.

Nicky

[Karelescu (imported)]

I think this strand has come to an end and should be closed. There are no more works of fiction of any weight left to be included. Let's close this, and start a film strand.

Bye,

Nicky

[Karelescu (imported)]

Dear Stammr, I finally got rounfdto reading the links you provided for Skunk Hour. I see the apparent sense in some of the articles that are quoted, but. for me, this will always be a most despairing poem that is about nothing more than a man coming to terms with his mental illness in the fall.

Discuss,

Nicky

This is the END of this strand