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Show B6 Monday B O O K Life March 9,2009 R E V I E W Abandon all hope C O N T I N U U M BRET EASTON ELMS'S American Psycho BY JULIAN R E A D E R ' S MURPHET G U I D E Amazon.com American Psycho, one of the most popular and disturbing books of the twentieth century, is worth a read. Then read Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho been attributed to be a fantastic social satire, many, Ufe writer however, have misconstrued From its chilling open- what the book's true meaning line. "Abandon hope ing is. Those outraged by all ye who enter here,'" the the violence- and there have virtually plotless American been many- miss the book's P.sxcho by Bret Easton Ellis, point entirely. American drags us screaming and gig- Psycho might not be what it gling into the empty heart of seems. Patrick may, or may a decadent society, obsessed not be. (such is the ambiguwith money and status. Wall ity of the narration) fantasizStreet trader Patrick Bate- ing about each and every one man's relentless restauran- of his graphic, gratuitous and teering and tcrrifyingly ba- gruesome murders. One clue il a] monologues on designer to this well-discussed theory clothes juxtapose powerfully is in the quotation from Doswith him graphically tortur- toevsky at the beginning of ing and killing lots of peo- the novel: ple- predominantly women. "Both the author of these Though America)} Psy- Notes and the Notes themcho has most commonly : BRYCE HATCH selves are, of course, fictional. Nevertheless, such persons as the composer of these Notes not only exist in our society, but indeed must exist, considering the circumstances under which our society has generally been formed. I have wished to bring before the public, somewhat more distinctly than usual, one of the characters of our recent past. He represents a generation that is still living out its days among us. In the fragment entitled "Underground" this personage describes himself and his views and attempts, as it were, to clarify the reasons why he appeared and was bound to appear in our midst. The subsequent fragment will consist of the actual "notes," concerning certain events in his life." Another clue: when asked what he does for a living, nobody reacts to Patrick's reply of, "...murders and executions, mostly." His Ted Bundy obsession is largely ignored. Hysterical telephone confessions to a colleague following an apparent murderous rampage are laughed off as a joke. Neighbors appear deaf to the sounds of nailgun bangs and the screams emanating from Patrick's apartment. And nobody seems to miss the vic- tims. Despite these ambiguities, the violence, real or imagined, is shocking to say the least but not half as shocking as the realization that Patrick's numbing monologues on Whitney Houston. Phil Collins, Huey Lewis and the news satirize the shocking acceptance by Western consumers for undemanding, banal, and mentally degenerative art forms. That smooth young man at the bus stop could well be a Phil Collins fan. "Such a nice man." said his baffled neighbors, after the police broke into his apartment and found the refrigerator, ward- robe and garage stuffed with the dismembered and,rotting corpses of several different escorts and a tub full of rats soaking in acid. America!} Psycho vividly makes the case that society is responsible for creating the warped aspirations of people like Patrick Bateman. Bleak, funny and unsettling, this savagely clever satire forces us to confront issues we'd rather ignore. Even more relevant now than when published in 1991, American Psycho is essential reading. If you can be bothered, of' course. ITVUSA Presents J/ICK SPARROW IS LOOKPNP FOR THE ISQEIXT PIRATE TO BE IS&MED M R UVU The department of Student Life presents In Concert Applications available in SC 105 Applications due March 25th March I2th-I4th, 2009 Ragan Theater Thursday - Saturday, 7:30 PM Tickets: Call 801-863-8797 April 1st v 7:00 pm J Ragan Theater $3 at Campus Connection For more info stop by SC 105 AUDITIONS for the UVU Dance Team Saturday April 18th, 2009 9 AM Student Center Ballroom www.uvu.eduiMiritsquad |