Please read Julain Barnes's review essay of The Platform published in the New Yorker:
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/07/07/030707crbo_books
You should also post comments about your reaction to the first chapters of this book. Remember that you need to post at least once a week to get full credit for the blog.
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Having told that this book will be pornographic and might offend some people, I was very much appalled by the use of controversial words and sentences in The Platform. The writings are so direct and vulgar. So far, I’m only up to Chap. 3 and I am not surprised that Michel will pick Thailand as his Christmas vacation rather than “Rum and Salsa” package to Cuba. In Thailand, (by law) prostitution is illegal but (by practice) is regulated. Children prostitution and sex-tourism are popular phenomenon in Thailand. More than hundreds of thousands of women and children are forced to prostitution and the tourism grows rapidly. The narrator in this novel is obsessed with sexual activities. His usual day to day activity includes trip to a peepshow or other sex services.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, Written in 2002, years after the September 11th attack, hatred towards Muslims also being display in these first chapters. As Michel says, “It’s true, Muslims on the whole aren’t worth much”. (pg. 16) Not only hateful but the narrator sounds very pessimist in life. Up to this point, it makes me depress and hopeless in reading this novel because I (as a reader) am drawn to his negativity in perceiving the world.
I’m confused, does this book play as a homage to Albert Camus? Or is it plagiarism?
From the article, I found it interesting that Vargas Lloras referred to Houellebecq's writing as INSOLENT but that he meant it in a term of praise. The article even referred to Candide as having literary insolence.
ReplyDeleteI think by describing them as insolent, they are primarily referring to the use of free AGENCY by these 2 very different writers both different worlds. Voltaire's use of agency with Candide caused it to be banned because it was looked at as religious blasphemy and too "out there" for his time. Houellebecq's "pornographic" novel may be looked at as overly bold and unacceptable as well (I'm sure it's even banned somewhere, perhaps in mormon middle America). However, it's nothing new to us.
I'm only in the early chapters of the book but so far it has grasped my attention. I think it's mostly the "raw-ness" and "real-ness" of it.
What a way to begin this novel! This is the first chapter of Platform and Michel (name not given at this point) appears to be a sexually dysfunctional male who agrees with the concept of suspicion that other people have: that older, single men on vacation, alone are selfish and pervy
ReplyDeleteThe narrator expresses great hostility and anger towards his father; for he refers to him in terms of "a moron in shorts," also his physical fitness effort is described as “building up his pectorals with hopeless vigor".
His narration of his father’s death is brutishly uncouth. I wondered why thoughts of his conception caused him tension, "I was a bit tense" and concluded that this must have stemmed from his feelings of sexual inadequacy after all he is a forty year old man in no kind of relationship.
He dislikes viewing dead bodies of any kind but yet he views funerals as "his thing" and is uneasy at weddings, emotional problems for sure. He seems to admire people who have good communication skills or Julien Lepers in particular who demonstrated an ability to draw others out in conversation by knowing something about where they come from. He is unable to conduct a proper conversation with Aicha even though she was will to engage him in verbal communication, and yet likes a certain episode of Xena Warrior Princes as she wrestles with another woman, and speaks of them as being muscular, mentions their bra as being metallic and their is animal skin miniskirts.
My thought thus far is that I have been warned that there is explicit sex in the Platform. And I can see myself hurrying pass some of these encounters and still hoping to get the essence of globalization, for there is much money to be made in all thing relating to sex and sad to say quit a bit has to do with the sexual exploitation of women and children. Can I hope that this book will not be as graphic as it's opening? I doubt that!
I could not have agreed more with Sharon, what an interesting way to begin this novel. However, I must admit, I am eagerly anticipating the end! - Its funny how the most disturbing of novels seem to captivate its readers attention and leave them hanging on to their every sentence- As I literally cringed through the first paragraph, I definitely “took a duck in the face at 250 knots” as the author held no reservation when describing the scene. Thus far, Michel Houellebecq proves to be undoubtedly one of the most raw and painstakingly honest writers that I’ve had the pleasure (or lack there of) of reading.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have not gotten that far into the novel, the first couple of chapters give us an understanding as to the type of person our protagonist is – a man who is very dull in both appearance and desires and who craves sexual encounters with his female counterparts. Up to this point, I can’t say that I’ve read about any maternal representations in his life and if there isn’t, then I can somehow ascribe his promiscuous nature on this missing element. Or I might be wrong. I’ll just have to wait and see (hopefully the novel doesn’t disappoint).
- J.Pajotte
I believe if you can get past the cursing as a distraction: Fuck, shit, cunt; (Movies) you will see that there is something to be said about the attention Houellebecq is bringing to the plight of these women and children living "In" Sexual Tourism. It might be more disturbing to most of us that he decides to do this in a comical way. Obviously he should do a journalistic expose right? I don't know, but I'm just as guilty for being "Entertained" by this book. It is not the best way to get a message across to the world by being a jerk of a person but once we finish reading this book it'll be over for us right? Isn't "Sexual Tourism" unambiguous and obscene? These sexual exploits by "Pot-bellied" westerners are another way of destroying what little morality exists, (Preachin') What's horrible is that it's a profession that comes out of desperation, subjugation, economics, hegemony and survival. This idea of a "Leisure society" is what some people want, it is rather nostalgic. This novel is a reminder of that personified by Robert or is it Houellebecq?
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the book I was confused as to how I should feel about Michel. He perpetuates the horrible act of sex tourism through out the book and embodies everything that is wrong about people. He is constantly thinking horrible things about everyone and feels no remorse for being so cavalier about life, but at the same time I couldn’t help but feel happy for him when his life starts coming together. When he first moves in with Valarie the reader can see that he is finally happy for what might possibly be the first time. He is enjoying his life and enjoying his relationship, you can even see him enjoying working with Valarie and Jean coming up with ideas for the sex tours. As opposed to his life before Valarie, when his job is boring and his life is miserable, Michel has found something that he is good at and begins to enjoy what is around him.
ReplyDeleteIt might seem simple, but while reading I tended to block out all the things wrong that Michel was doing and just read the book as if it was about a man finally finding himself. A man who was finally living a life that he enjoyed, only to have it taken away at the end. Some people might read this book and think that the tourists got what they deserved at the end, but I couldn’t help feeling bad that everything was so suddenly taken away from him, just when it was all going right.
In chapter one the book captures my attention just how it began "
ReplyDeletefather died last year". Michel describes in here that there's a
problem a gap between him and is father even though is not talked
about or explain you can sense it in the reading. The writing in here
is clear that this is how someone thinks not how someone writes to me
but it makes it stand out . The way he talks about his father makes
you feel as if his father had accomplish himself in life. However, the
son had fail or more even wasn't anything like his father. His father
died at the age of 70 where he maintain himself by doing exercise and
at the age he was intimate of some sort with a woman half his age.
While the son live a boring life a mediocre. As much he talks about
his father does michel wants to be like him or wishes to be greater or
more than his dad ?