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The Fetishist (Tournier book)

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The Fetishist (French: Le Coq de bruyère) is a short story collection by Michel Tournier, first published in 1978,[1] by Éditions Gallimard.[2] Barbara Wright was the translator of the English version, which was published by Doubleday in the United States in 1984,[3] and by William Collins, Sons in the United Kingdom in 1983.[4]

Bob Halliday of the Washington Post wrote that the works feature characters who were "sent of [sic] [meaning "off"] the rails by natural instincts that have been bent or misfocused."[3]

The volume's title in the French version is taken from the story "The Woodcock," titled in French as "Coq de bruyère [fr],"[5] while the English version is titled after "The Fetishist" ("Le Fétichiste"). John Weightman of New York Review of Books stated his belief that the publishers of the English volume chose a different title because "The Woodcock" would "be too blank and unispiring [sic] as a general heading" as the English language does not use those birds to represent sexuality, while the new title, in Weightman's words, "gives a strong flavor of kinkiness to the whole volume."[6]

Contents

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There are fourteen stories in total.[5]

They are, in order in the English version:

  • Tristan Vox
  • Amandine, or The Two Gardens (Amandine et les deux jardins)
  • Tom Thumb Runs Away (La Fugue du Petit Poucet)
  • Prikli (Tupik)
  • Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Que ma joie demeure)
  • The Woodcock (Le Coq de bruyère)
  • The Adam Family (La Famille Adam)
  • The Red Dwarf (Le Nain rouge)
  • The End of Robinson Crusoe (La Fin de Robinson Crusoé)
  • Veronica's Shrouds (Les Suaires de Véronique)
  • Death and the Maiden (La Jeune Fille et la Mort)
  • Mother Christmas (La Mère Noël)
  • The Lily of the Valley Rest Area (L'Aire du muguet)
  • The Fetishist (Le Fétichiste)

Reception

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Victor Brombert of The New York Times argued that the works are "at once opulent and precise".[5]

Halliday argued that the translation was done "wonderfully" but he argued that the novel format worked better for Tournier's works compared to the short story format.[3]

Valentine Cunningham, in The Observer, stated that the works were "engaging" and that they had characters with "grotesque fascinations" who face "disastrous" resolutions.[7]

Hugh Hebert, in The Guardian, wrote that the majority of "perversions" in the work "are commonplace enough" and that the "perversion" is not as severe as such in Marquis de Sade's stories.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Michel Tournier, Le Coq de bruyère". The Literary Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  2. ^ Le Coq de bruyère - Éditions Gallimard (in French)
  3. ^ a b c Halliday, Bob (1984-10-28). "The Sexual Imagination of Michel Tournier". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-06-19. But to achieve these effects[...]the short story form denies him.[...]These stories are best appreciated in light of the novels,[...]
  4. ^ a b Hebert, Hugh (1983-11-12). "Philosophy in frills". The Guardian. London. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c Brombert, Victor (1984-09-09). "GRIM JOKES AND POETIC GORE". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  6. ^ Weightman, John (1984-11-08). "Polymorphic Peter Pan". New York Review of Books. Vol. 31, no. 17. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  7. ^ Cunningham, Valentine (1983-11-06). "Biggles and the murks". The Observer. London. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading

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