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For other uses, see American Psycho (disambiguation).
American Psycho

American Psycho UK issue cover
Author Bret Easton Ellis
Cover artist Marshall Arisman
Country USA
Language English
Subject(s) Satire of consumerism[1]
Genre(s) Transgressional fiction, Novel
Publisher Vintage Books, New York
Publication date 1991
Pages 384
ISBN See Below

American Psycho is a 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis. Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964 in Los Angeles California) is an American author. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Consumerism is the equation of personal Happiness with the purchase of material possessions and consumption. Transgressional or transgressive fiction is a Genre of Literature that focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view Vintage Books was founded in 1954 by Alfred A Knopf as a trade Paperback home for its authors The City of New York The year 1991 in literature involved some significant events and new books American Psycho is a Thriller novel by Bret Easton Ellis published in 1991 Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964 in Los Angeles California) is an American author. It is a first-person narrative of the life of a wealthy young Manhattanite and self-proclaimed serial killer. See also First person First-person narrative is a Narrative mode in which a Story is narrated by one character, who explicitly Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York A serial killer is a person who Murders usually three or more people with a "cooling off" period between each murder and whose motivation for killing is largely based The graphic violence and sexual content generated much commentary at the novel's release. A film adaptation was released in 2000 to mostly positive reviews. American Psycho is a 2000 film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis 's controversial novel of the same name. The year 2000 in film involved some significant events Events Top grossing films Please note that following the tradition of the [2] That same year, Ellis approved emails collected under the title "AmPsycho 2000 Emails" that were sent from main character Patrick Bateman to his therapist. [3] Users could sign up to receive these emails at Universal's website for the movie.

Contents

Synopsis

Set in Manhattan and beginning on April Fools' Day 1987, American Psycho spans roughly two years in the life of wealthy young investment banker Patrick Bateman. Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York This article is about the informal holiday For other uses see April Fool. Investment banks profit from companies and governments by raising money through issuing and selling Securities in the Capital markets (both equity and Patrick Bateman is a Fictional character, the Anti-hero and Narrator of the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis Bateman, 26 years old when the story begins, narrates his everyday activities, from his daily life among the upper-class elite of New York to his forays into murder by nightfall. The City of New York

Bateman comes from a privileged background, having graduated from Philips Exeter Academy, Harvard (class of 1984), and then Harvard Business School (class of 1986). Phillips Exeter Academy (also called Exeter, Phillips Exeter or PEA) is a Co-educational independent Boarding school for grades 9–12 Harvard Business School ( HBS) is a renowned Business school in the United States He works as a vice president at a Wall Street investment bank and lives in an expensive Manhattan apartment on the Upper West Side. Wall Street is a street in lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York The Upper West Side is a neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River He embodies the 1980s yuppie culture. The term yuppie (short for " young urban professional Through present tense stream-of-consciousness narrative he describes his conversations with colleagues in bars and cafes, his office, and nightclubs, satirizing the vanity of Manhattan yuppies. Present Tense is the first Sagittarius album released in 1968 by Columbia Records.

The first third of the book contains no violence, and is simply an account of what seems to be a series of Friday nights, as Bateman documents traveling with his colleagues to a variety of nightclubs, where they indulge in massive amounts of cocaine, drink a variety of alcoholic beverages, critique fellow clubgoers' clothing, trade fashion advice, and question one another on proper etiquette. Cocaine ( benzoylmethyl ecgonine) is a Crystalline Tropane Alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the Coca plant Etiquette is a code that governs the expectations of Social behavior, according to the contemporary conventional norm within a Society,

Beginning with the second third of the book, Bateman begins to describe his day-to-day activities, which range from committing brutal violence (such as the torture of a young woman by trapping a rat in her cheese-filled vagina) to such mundanities as renting videotapes and making dinner reservations. Bateman's stream of consciousness is occasionally broken up by chapters in which Bateman directly addresses the reader in order to critique the works of various 1980s musicians such as Whitney Houston. Whitney Elizabeth Houston' (born August 9 1963 is an American Singer-songwriter, Actress, Film producer, Arranger and former

In addition to describing his daily life, Bateman also speaks at length about his love life. He is engaged to a fellow yuppie named Evelyn, though he possesses no deep feelings for anyone; additionally, he frequently solicits sex with attractive women ("hardbodies"), manipulates his secretary's feelings for him, and tries to avoid the attention of Luis, a closeted homosexual colleague who confesses his love for Patrick. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Bateman also documents his relationship with his estranged family, including his senile mother, whom he visits to present with a pair of Wayfarers while she lays semi-comatose in a nursing home, and his younger brother, a hedonistic college dropout. Dementia (from Latin de- "apart away" + Mens ( genitive mentis) "mind" is the progressive decline "Wayfarers" redirects here For other uses see Wayfarer.

As the book progresses, Bateman's grip on reality seems to begin deteriorating and his murders become increasingly violent and complex, going from simple acts of violence to drawn out sequences of torture, rape, mutilation, cannibalism, and necrophilia. He starts to randomly slip in anecdotes about serial killers into his casual conversations, and at some points confesses these murders to his co-workers, who either react as if Bateman is simply joking with them and displaying his interest in a strange hobby, or completely misunderstand him ("murders and executions" becomes "mergers and acquisitions"). As the book nears its conclusion, Bateman begins to describe such incidents as seeing a Cheerio interviewed on a talk show, being stalked by an anthropomorphic park bench, and being ordered to kill cats by a demonic ATM. Cheerios is a Brand of Breakfast cereal created on June 19, 1941 and marketed by the General Mills cereal company of Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely Human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings natural and supernatural phenomena material states and objects These incidents both serve to demonstrate Patrick's mental state and to draw into question whether Bateman has actually committed any of the murders he has described, or whether or not he was insane from the start.

The incipit of the book has Bateman staring at a graffito on a Chemical Bank building, reading Abandon all hope ye who enter here. The incipit of a text such as a Poem, Song, or Book, is its first few words or opening line The Chemical Banking Corporation was the Bank holding company for Chemical Bank in New York City from 1823 until 1996 The Divine Comedy The book ends with a scene similar to its beginning, as Bateman sits in a bar, staring at a sign that reads "THIS IS NOT AN EXIT".

Characters

Major characters

Minor characters

Bateman's personality

Main article: Patrick Bateman
Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in the film adaptation.
Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in the film adaptation. Patrick Bateman is a Fictional character, the Anti-hero and Narrator of the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974 is a British

On first appearance, Bateman exemplifies the image of the successful Manhattan executive; he is well-educated, wealthy, unusually popular with women, abreast of cultural trends, belongs to a prominent family, has a high-paying job, and lives in an upscale, chic apartment complex. Bateman passes for a refined, intelligent, thoughtful young man. Yet, contrary to his persona, he tortures and murders victims, practices violent sex, cannibalizes victims, and sexually penetrates body parts of corpses. For transportation, Bateman uses personal limousines to search for suitable victims in the streets.

Bateman is extremely style-conscious, and appears an expert in fashion and high-end consumer products. In his narrative, he obsessively describes his and other people's possessions in exhaustive detail, focusing particularly on attire, and even noting articles like pens, and pocket squares. He has a general tendency to pay more heed to the designer, place of purchase, and style of the items he describes, often ignoring the textile type or color. Bateman incisively answers his friends' and co-workers' queries, authoritatively explicating the difference between various types of mineral water, which tie knot is less bulky than a Windsor knot, and the proper way to wear a cummerbund, pocket square, or tie bar. In many places mineral water is often colloquially used to mean Carbonated water (which is usually carbonated mineral water as opposed to tap water The Windsor-knot, also sometimes referred to as a full Windsor to distinguish it from the half-Windsor, is a method of tying a Necktie around one's A cummerbund is a broad waist Sash, usually Pleated which is often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets ( AmE: Tuxedos '. A handkerchief (also called handkercher or hanky) is a form of a Kerchief, typically a square of fabric that can be carried in the Pocket A tie bar (also tie slide, tie clip, or tie clasp) is a neckwear accessory that clips a tie to the fold of a Shirt, preventing

Bateman's job is a sinecure to which he feels no need to apply himself, owing to his family's wealth and influence. A sinecure (from Latin sine, without and cura, care means an office which requires or involves little or no responsibility labour or active service He is supreme in his own world; he usually comes to work late—sometimes by more than an hour—and indulges in long lunches. Despite these advantages, Bateman's envy of his peers runs throughout the novel. In a scene in which characters compare business cards, Bateman panics when he realizes a friend's card is superior to his because it includes a watermark. A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in Paper that shows in various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected

Controversy

A recent reprinting of the book.
A recent reprinting of the book.

International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Messier, Vartan (2005). The aestheticization of violence in high culture Art or Mass media is the depiction of or references to Violence in what Indiana University film studies "Canons of Transgression: Shock, Scandal, and Subversion from Matthew Lewis's The Monk to Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho" (pdf). Dissertation Abstracts International 43 (4): 1085 ff.   (University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez). Chapter Pornography and Violence: The Dialectics of Transgression in Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho provides an in-depth analysis of the novel.
  2. ^ Metacritic reviews for American Psycho
  3. ^ American Psycho Am.2000 Emails
  4. ^ Bret Easton Ellis at the Internet Movie Database

External links

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