Published in 1989
A very well-crafted novel. Sontag's works of literary criticism show her to be a very perspicacious scholar. This book puts all her observations about literature into work. It is a historical novel about Le Cavalier, a British ambassador, and his life in Naples. Le Cavalier is an avid collector: he collects ancient Roman vases, bits of volcanic ash from nearby Mt Vesuvius and even women. The novel is a comment on property, ownership, collection and what it means to engage in these activities. It is a comment on capitalism couched in a story that unfolds in pre-capitalist times.
But it is also a book very interested in women. It is not feminist in a stereotypical sense. The female characters are in fact usually overshadowed by Le Cavalier but in the final part of the novel, Sontag gives voice to four women in the novel. These peripheral characters take control of the so-far omniscient narratival voice and speak their stories. It is quite unusual. I don't know if postmodern is an accurate description because the omniscient narrator does dominate most of the novel. I guess Sontag's approach is summed up best in the words of a poetess character. She was hanged by the royalists in Naples and was only passingly mentioned in the novel proper. But her story is what ends the novel and in the final lines she says:
"Sometimes I had to forget that I was a woman to accomplish the best of which I was capable of. Or I would lie to myself about how complicated it is to be a woman. Thus do all women, including the author of this book. But I cannot fogive those who did not care about more than their own glory or well-being. They though they were civilized. They were despicable. Damn them all."
The most enjoyable aspect of the novel for me was her supreme command over her prose. Her sentences were calibrated almost to a fault. I'm quite glad to have read this book.
No comments:
Post a Comment