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Little Tales of Mysogyny
An anthology of short stories which upsets our ideas of the female character.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1975
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About the author
Patricia Highsmith
489 books5,067 followersPatricia Highsmith was an American novelist who is known mainly for her psychological crime thrillers which have led to more than two dozen film adaptations over the years.
She lived with her grandmother, mother and later step-father (her mother divorced her natural father six months before 'Patsy' was born and married Stanley Highsmith) in Fort Worth before moving with her parents to New York in 1927 but returned to live with her grandmother for a year in 1933. Returning to her parents in New York, she attended public schools in New York City and later graduated from Barnard College in 1942.
Shortly after graduation her short story 'The Heroine' was published in the Harper's Bazaar magazine and it was selected as one of the 22 best stories that appeared in American magazines in 1945 and it won the O Henry award for short stories in 1946. She continued to write short stories, many of them comic book stories, and regularly earned herself a weekly $55 pay-check. During this period of her life she lived variously in New York and Mexico.
Her first suspense novel 'Strangers on a Train' published in 1950 was an immediate success with public and critics alike. The novel has been adapted for the screen three times, most notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951.
In 1955 her anti-hero Tom Ripley appeared in the splendid 'The Talented Mr Ripley', a book that was awarded the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere as the best foreign mystery novel translated into French in 1957. This book, too, has been the subject of a number of film versions. Ripley appeared again in 'Ripley Under Ground' in 1970, in 'Ripley's Game' in 1974, 'The boy who Followed Ripley' in 1980 and in 'Ripley Under Water' in 1991.
Along with her acclaimed series about Ripley, she wrote 22 novels and eight short story collections plus many other short stories, often macabre, satirical or tinged with black humour. She also wrote one novel, non-mystery, under the name Claire Morgan , plus a work of non-fiction 'Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction' and a co-written book of children's verse, 'Miranda the Panda Is on the Veranda'.
She latterly lived in England and France and was more popular in England than in her native United States. Her novel 'Deep Water', 1957, was called by the Sunday Times one of the "most brilliant analyses of psychosis in America" and Julian Symons once wrote of her "Miss Highsmith is the writer who fuses character and plot most successfully ... the most important crime novelist at present in practice." In addition, Michael Dirda observed "Europeans honoured her as a psychological novelist, part of an existentialist tradition represented by her own favorite writers, in particular Dostoevsky, Conrad, Kafka, Gide, and Camus."
She died of leukemia in Locarno, Switzerland on 4 February 1995 and her last novel, 'Small g: a Summer Idyll', was published posthumously a month later.
Gerry Wolstenholme
July 2010
She lived with her grandmother, mother and later step-father (her mother divorced her natural father six months before 'Patsy' was born and married Stanley Highsmith) in Fort Worth before moving with her parents to New York in 1927 but returned to live with her grandmother for a year in 1933. Returning to her parents in New York, she attended public schools in New York City and later graduated from Barnard College in 1942.
Shortly after graduation her short story 'The Heroine' was published in the Harper's Bazaar magazine and it was selected as one of the 22 best stories that appeared in American magazines in 1945 and it won the O Henry award for short stories in 1946. She continued to write short stories, many of them comic book stories, and regularly earned herself a weekly $55 pay-check. During this period of her life she lived variously in New York and Mexico.
Her first suspense novel 'Strangers on a Train' published in 1950 was an immediate success with public and critics alike. The novel has been adapted for the screen three times, most notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951.
In 1955 her anti-hero Tom Ripley appeared in the splendid 'The Talented Mr Ripley', a book that was awarded the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere as the best foreign mystery novel translated into French in 1957. This book, too, has been the subject of a number of film versions. Ripley appeared again in 'Ripley Under Ground' in 1970, in 'Ripley's Game' in 1974, 'The boy who Followed Ripley' in 1980 and in 'Ripley Under Water' in 1991.
Along with her acclaimed series about Ripley, she wrote 22 novels and eight short story collections plus many other short stories, often macabre, satirical or tinged with black humour. She also wrote one novel, non-mystery, under the name Claire Morgan , plus a work of non-fiction 'Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction' and a co-written book of children's verse, 'Miranda the Panda Is on the Veranda'.
She latterly lived in England and France and was more popular in England than in her native United States. Her novel 'Deep Water', 1957, was called by the Sunday Times one of the "most brilliant analyses of psychosis in America" and Julian Symons once wrote of her "Miss Highsmith is the writer who fuses character and plot most successfully ... the most important crime novelist at present in practice." In addition, Michael Dirda observed "Europeans honoured her as a psychological novelist, part of an existentialist tradition represented by her own favorite writers, in particular Dostoevsky, Conrad, Kafka, Gide, and Camus."
She died of leukemia in Locarno, Switzerland on 4 February 1995 and her last novel, 'Small g: a Summer Idyll', was published posthumously a month later.
Gerry Wolstenholme
July 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 449 reviews
December 29, 2021
I know. What a title, right? Without any intended snark whatsoever, I'd say the brilliance in this somewhat obscure short story collection is all in the title(s).
Really, it is. Because she says it in the title, she takes all the power away from an earnest reader who, clutching pearls, is compelled to say "oh, goodness, she's such a misogynist!" Come now, earnest reader, Pat is satirizing misogynist stereotypes, and you can tell she had a ball doing so.
Each very brief story features a woman that Patricia Highsmith wants you to hate (The Coquette, The Breeder, The Silent Mother-In-Law, The Invalid, The Prude -- to name a few) and, in broad, fable-like form, the woman dies, or she destroys those who are unlucky enough to be in her sphere.
The satire is complicated. You really get a picture of the complex relationship Pat had with her own gender, here. Sometimes, it doesn't entirely succeed as satire for me, and simply presents as subversive naughtiness. That's okay with me; my issue is that the stories get so repetitive. The awful woman does her awful stuff, and then she or others die. As much as I can get on board with this reckless idea, it loses its sting, after a while.
The first story The Hand is by far the best and most memorable for me. It is wicked, it is wonderful, and it tells in very few words why asking for a woman's hand (in marriage) is not only barbaric, it's criminal.
But back to those titles. Just the table of contents is amazing and could make a brilliant prose poem. Did I mention The Fully-Licenced Whore, or The Wife? Or, perhaps, The Mobile Bed-Object? Only you, Pat.
3.25 stars (though I reserve the right to gain more appreciation for these nasty little numbers as time goes on)
Really, it is. Because she says it in the title, she takes all the power away from an earnest reader who, clutching pearls, is compelled to say "oh, goodness, she's such a misogynist!" Come now, earnest reader, Pat is satirizing misogynist stereotypes, and you can tell she had a ball doing so.
Each very brief story features a woman that Patricia Highsmith wants you to hate (The Coquette, The Breeder, The Silent Mother-In-Law, The Invalid, The Prude -- to name a few) and, in broad, fable-like form, the woman dies, or she destroys those who are unlucky enough to be in her sphere.
The satire is complicated. You really get a picture of the complex relationship Pat had with her own gender, here. Sometimes, it doesn't entirely succeed as satire for me, and simply presents as subversive naughtiness. That's okay with me; my issue is that the stories get so repetitive. The awful woman does her awful stuff, and then she or others die. As much as I can get on board with this reckless idea, it loses its sting, after a while.
The first story The Hand is by far the best and most memorable for me. It is wicked, it is wonderful, and it tells in very few words why asking for a woman's hand (in marriage) is not only barbaric, it's criminal.
But back to those titles. Just the table of contents is amazing and could make a brilliant prose poem. Did I mention The Fully-Licenced Whore, or The Wife? Or, perhaps, The Mobile Bed-Object? Only you, Pat.
3.25 stars (though I reserve the right to gain more appreciation for these nasty little numbers as time goes on)
February 25, 2022
I was really excited by the title and the author so didn’t think twice about buying it. After reading, I have a feeling that I won’t be able to recall much of this book at a later date
April 8, 2021
Little Tales of Misogyny by Patricia Highsmith is a lively collection of twenty or so short stories. Each story involves a female protagonist who is either the victim of, or perpetrator of a misdemeanour, situation or extreme act of violence. The stories are all so varied, and each of them interesting in their own right – very short, only 4 or 5 pages on average.
But as I’ve come to expect with this author, she was full of surprises. Sometimes (often) I experienced a “WTF” moment – literally gobsmacked!!! Other times the story seemed to just peter out, others ended abruptly. There is a certain absurdity and satirical element to this collection. All worthwhile – I must say!
My favourites were The Hand a great opening effort which was uber-macabre. Then The Dancer, oh so bloody sad!! There’s also The Perfect Little Lady about Thea – this one had some unexpected full-blown violence and reminded me to beware of the ‘nice ones’. There are quite a few other crackers, there’s also a small handful of stories which didn’t really have an impact on me, which I expected with a collection of short stories I suppose.
One of the most memorable moments was this wonderful, somehow comical description of the bombing of a School of Arts…..yes, the bombing of an Arts School.
One piano went through the roof, a bit separated from the student who was still seated on the stool, fingering nothing. A dancer at last made a few complete revolutions without her feet touching the ground, because she was a quarter of a mile high, and her toes even pointing skyward. An art student was flung though a wall, his brush poised ready to make the master stroke as he floated horizontally towards oblivion……..
Enjoyed this.
4 Stars
But as I’ve come to expect with this author, she was full of surprises. Sometimes (often) I experienced a “WTF” moment – literally gobsmacked!!! Other times the story seemed to just peter out, others ended abruptly. There is a certain absurdity and satirical element to this collection. All worthwhile – I must say!
My favourites were The Hand a great opening effort which was uber-macabre. Then The Dancer, oh so bloody sad!! There’s also The Perfect Little Lady about Thea – this one had some unexpected full-blown violence and reminded me to beware of the ‘nice ones’. There are quite a few other crackers, there’s also a small handful of stories which didn’t really have an impact on me, which I expected with a collection of short stories I suppose.
One of the most memorable moments was this wonderful, somehow comical description of the bombing of a School of Arts…..yes, the bombing of an Arts School.
One piano went through the roof, a bit separated from the student who was still seated on the stool, fingering nothing. A dancer at last made a few complete revolutions without her feet touching the ground, because she was a quarter of a mile high, and her toes even pointing skyward. An art student was flung though a wall, his brush poised ready to make the master stroke as he floated horizontally towards oblivion……..
Enjoyed this.
4 Stars
August 31, 2018
Little Tales of Misanthropy
If you ever feel out of sorts with the world (yes, the whole world) then this would be an ideal read. In what feel like cathartic vignettes which ditch any sense of PC-ness, Highsmith takes aim at people - for while her stories are titled after a female character role (The Coquette, The Victim, The Breeder, The Prude, The Perfectionist amongst others), men don't come off any better: being weak or bullies, or foolish or just plain mean.
In my favourite story called 'The Fully-Licensed Whore, or, The Wife' (which kind of tells you all you need to know of Highsmith's state of mind!) Sarah pulls off the perfect murder - but I'm not going to tell how.
So these are full of a black and nasty humour: little gems of malice and malevolence that had me sniggering throughout.
If you ever feel out of sorts with the world (yes, the whole world) then this would be an ideal read. In what feel like cathartic vignettes which ditch any sense of PC-ness, Highsmith takes aim at people - for while her stories are titled after a female character role (The Coquette, The Victim, The Breeder, The Prude, The Perfectionist amongst others), men don't come off any better: being weak or bullies, or foolish or just plain mean.
In my favourite story called 'The Fully-Licensed Whore, or, The Wife' (which kind of tells you all you need to know of Highsmith's state of mind!) Sarah pulls off the perfect murder - but I'm not going to tell how.
So these are full of a black and nasty humour: little gems of malice and malevolence that had me sniggering throughout.
January 12, 2016
3.5 Stars
If Aesop was abused by a mean, alcoholic mother and then jilted and heartbroken by the true love of his life, I think he would have written this book of short tales rather than his famous fables. This is a collection of tiny stories written by famed psychological noir writer and alleged cynic, woman-hater, and misanthrope, Patricia Highsmith. Each story focuses on a different vixen that everyone loves to hate: golddiggers, prudes, whores, perfectionists, mother-in-laws, and even an unlucky cave-woman.
If Aesop was abused by a mean, alcoholic mother and then jilted and heartbroken by the true love of his life, I think he would have written this book of short tales rather than his famous fables. This is a collection of tiny stories written by famed psychological noir writer and alleged cynic, woman-hater, and misanthrope, Patricia Highsmith. Each story focuses on a different vixen that everyone loves to hate: golddiggers, prudes, whores, perfectionists, mother-in-laws, and even an unlucky cave-woman.
She was simple-minded and never lost her temper. She had been clubbed over the head so many times, her brain was addled. It was not necessary to club Oona to have her, but that was the custom, and Oona barely troubled to dodge to protect herself.And one of the best stories is the one about a man who is horrified to discover that his wife has transformed into an unstoppable baby-making machine! I got a kick out of this collection, really because of the style of writing: tongue-in-cheek and detached, while at the same time sad, sarcastic, and satirical, as if the tragic outcomes for these women were somehow inevitable and entirely justified. And I agree with Goodreader Andy Seven, it would be cool to see a companion collection about men everyone hates!
September 2, 2020
Divertidos, crueles, demoledores y políticamente incorrectos, así son estos 17 brevísimos cuentos, cada uno de ellos titulado como un estereotipo femenino: La ñoña, La perfeccionista, La víctima, La paridora, La artista, La coqueta, La suegra silenciosa …
Llenos de humor negro, después de un retrato breve – casi caricatura – de los personajes, suele haber un final impactante, un crimen o un accidente que ponen fin a la trayectoria de la protagonista.
Patricia Highsmith nos deja pensando qué quiso expresar con esta colección de visiones negativas sobre la condición femenina y sobre la sociedad en general. Por ejemplo sobre el matrimonio, en el cuento La prostituta autorizada o la esposa, equipara el matrimonio a una prostitución legal:
Sarah siempre se había dedicado a eso en plan de aficionada, y a los veinte años se casó, con lo que obtuvo la licencia.
La autora no justifica en lo más mínimo la hipocresía y la astucia de estas mujeres como estrategias de defensa ante la secular opresión patriarcal, sino que a menudo presenta a los hombres como víctimas:
Vamos, que el pobre Sylvester sólo valía por su dinero – no era rico pero tenía una buena posición y porque era relativamente inteligente y presentable, no lo bastante agresivo para resultar una molestia y… Bueno, eso era más o menos lo único necesario para satisfacer a Sarah.
Creo que en esta obra – a pesar de su tono de farsa – podemos conocer un poco más a Highsmith: una mujer cuya gran inteligencia y, probablemente también, orientación sexual, la hacían sentirse muy distante de las convenciones sociales de su época, con lo cual obviamente no encajaba en ninguno de los modelos femeninos al uso.
En resumen, que la Highsmith es mucha Highsmith.
Llenos de humor negro, después de un retrato breve – casi caricatura – de los personajes, suele haber un final impactante, un crimen o un accidente que ponen fin a la trayectoria de la protagonista.
Patricia Highsmith nos deja pensando qué quiso expresar con esta colección de visiones negativas sobre la condición femenina y sobre la sociedad en general. Por ejemplo sobre el matrimonio, en el cuento La prostituta autorizada o la esposa, equipara el matrimonio a una prostitución legal:
Sarah siempre se había dedicado a eso en plan de aficionada, y a los veinte años se casó, con lo que obtuvo la licencia.
La autora no justifica en lo más mínimo la hipocresía y la astucia de estas mujeres como estrategias de defensa ante la secular opresión patriarcal, sino que a menudo presenta a los hombres como víctimas:
Vamos, que el pobre Sylvester sólo valía por su dinero – no era rico pero tenía una buena posición y porque era relativamente inteligente y presentable, no lo bastante agresivo para resultar una molestia y… Bueno, eso era más o menos lo único necesario para satisfacer a Sarah.
Creo que en esta obra – a pesar de su tono de farsa – podemos conocer un poco más a Highsmith: una mujer cuya gran inteligencia y, probablemente también, orientación sexual, la hacían sentirse muy distante de las convenciones sociales de su época, con lo cual obviamente no encajaba en ninguno de los modelos femeninos al uso.
En resumen, que la Highsmith es mucha Highsmith.
June 1, 2022
LTOM is a collection of short, short stories by the queen of weird. There is certainly also a great deal of misandry thrown in, if only by virtue of the book's title. The first story was a little like a twisted bible story or fable, the rest are mostly forgettable but definitely readable and weird.
One of the stories, The Victim, disturbed me more than the rest. In that story, the whole family could have benefited from psychiatric treatment (in my humble opinion). Is there a word like misogyny/misandry for contempt of parents? Now that story is going to stick with me for a long time. I wonder if PH hated men, women, herself or everyone.
One of the stories, The Victim, disturbed me more than the rest. In that story, the whole family could have benefited from psychiatric treatment (in my humble opinion). Is there a word like misogyny/misandry for contempt of parents? Now that story is going to stick with me for a long time. I wonder if PH hated men, women, herself or everyone.
June 1, 2018
3.5/5. These were all really fun, twisted little stories or in some cases, vignettes (a few stories are only three pages long). Reading this entire collection in pretty much one sitting did get quite repetitive however, since most stories ended the exact same way. Also, not all stories seemed to be about misogyny specifically, some were more about misanthropy in general in my opinion. If you're a fan of the dark humour and subtle terror of Roald Dahl's or Shirley Jackson's shorter fiction and like your stories bite-sized, I'd definitely recommend this collection, just beware that most stories follow a very similar pattern.
September 6, 2015
I was saving this collection for a rainy day, and yesterday – day 1 of a nasty, unexpected sinus infection – was exactly when I needed to read this weird little book. (I still have said blitzkrieg infection, so please don't expect too much from this review.)
This book is very short, as are the individual stories contained therein. As for the misogyny of the title, it puts me in mind of Virginia Woolf's ponderings in A Room Of One's Own when she was asked to speak about women and fiction. Does that mean women and the fiction that's written about them, or the fiction that women read, or the fiction they write, or a combination of all of these, or something else altogether?
Similarly, even after reading this book, I have no idea if saying that these are little tales of misogyny means that the author hates women and has written stories to reflect that hatred, or if these are simply tales about misogyny. And if it's that last one, are these stories that celebrate misogyny, or that merely reflect it? Or could they be both?
And how is all of this complicated by the fact that the author in question is not only a woman herself, but one who was at least bisexual and possibly best described as a lesbian?
I probably wouldn't be able to figure all that out even if I were well. With my head stuffed up the way it is now, there's no chance.
All I know is I burned through this book and wish I were well enough to go to the library to get more of Highsmith's stories.
This is one of those pass/fail books. There's no room for neutrality here. You'll either eat these stories up like potato chips, or you'll be left cold and possibly repulsed by them.
Or you might do all of the above. Because as I mentioned, this is a weird, weird little book.
This book is very short, as are the individual stories contained therein. As for the misogyny of the title, it puts me in mind of Virginia Woolf's ponderings in A Room Of One's Own when she was asked to speak about women and fiction. Does that mean women and the fiction that's written about them, or the fiction that women read, or the fiction they write, or a combination of all of these, or something else altogether?
Similarly, even after reading this book, I have no idea if saying that these are little tales of misogyny means that the author hates women and has written stories to reflect that hatred, or if these are simply tales about misogyny. And if it's that last one, are these stories that celebrate misogyny, or that merely reflect it? Or could they be both?
And how is all of this complicated by the fact that the author in question is not only a woman herself, but one who was at least bisexual and possibly best described as a lesbian?
I probably wouldn't be able to figure all that out even if I were well. With my head stuffed up the way it is now, there's no chance.
All I know is I burned through this book and wish I were well enough to go to the library to get more of Highsmith's stories.
This is one of those pass/fail books. There's no room for neutrality here. You'll either eat these stories up like potato chips, or you'll be left cold and possibly repulsed by them.
Or you might do all of the above. Because as I mentioned, this is a weird, weird little book.
July 16, 2012
Seventeen short stories, seventeen different women, the same offence everytime - being a woman.
Patricia Highsmith, the famed hater of women, or so they say. The Talented Ms Highsmith, the poet of apprehension (thank you Graham Greene,) and creator of countless literary psychological thrillers.
In her novels she takes time, slowly building the suspense and the tension page by page but some of these stories are only two pages long, instead she utilises her skill in observing and dissecting human behaviour with short, sharp bursts of insight.
From the story of a cave woman to the stories of the sexually liberated 70's step by step we meet "The Prude," "The Breeder," "The Victim," and "The Middle-Class Housewife." Satirical and dark sketches of obviously real people that are often caustically funny.
The caricatures of women in each incarnation carry the overall theme that a woman can never win, can never be in the right, that she is doomed to die horribly; even if she lives to old age she'll find that somewhere along the line her essence died yet allowed her body to continue.
On the surface you might consider that yes, infact Highsmith did hate women and these are nothing more than seventeen attacks on the behaviour of those she deemed worthless but it doesn't take much consideration to realise there's so much more to these stories.
It's sad, a criticism of men and society that when a female author discusses these crimes against women she is criticised for hating women.
Patricia Highsmith, the famed hater of women, or so they say. The Talented Ms Highsmith, the poet of apprehension (thank you Graham Greene,) and creator of countless literary psychological thrillers.
In her novels she takes time, slowly building the suspense and the tension page by page but some of these stories are only two pages long, instead she utilises her skill in observing and dissecting human behaviour with short, sharp bursts of insight.
From the story of a cave woman to the stories of the sexually liberated 70's step by step we meet "The Prude," "The Breeder," "The Victim," and "The Middle-Class Housewife." Satirical and dark sketches of obviously real people that are often caustically funny.
The caricatures of women in each incarnation carry the overall theme that a woman can never win, can never be in the right, that she is doomed to die horribly; even if she lives to old age she'll find that somewhere along the line her essence died yet allowed her body to continue.
On the surface you might consider that yes, infact Highsmith did hate women and these are nothing more than seventeen attacks on the behaviour of those she deemed worthless but it doesn't take much consideration to realise there's so much more to these stories.
It's sad, a criticism of men and society that when a female author discusses these crimes against women she is criticised for hating women.
July 10, 2019
It's simply beyond me why a woman would want to write something like this, to be honest. I saw no social criticism, no proactive satirical lens, no misogyny portrayed in a critical way. It reads like pure misanthropic misogyny, a distasteful and acerbic range of nonchalant misogyny spewed across a whole range of sexist clichés, tropes and stereotyped models of women. Sexism that reads like 'I'm so cool and edgy and satirical for being a woman having a misogynistic go at women' and nothing near any kind of social criticism. And yeah, I'm definitely not a fan of that. And yeah, I think we might already have a lot of that in the actual world without the need of (female!) authors promoting even more of that :S :/
PD. And for the people going 'Oh the male characters are treated just as badly, and parodied as well'. First of all, yeah, that's not true at all. Many of the male characters are portrayed as the sympathetic victims here. And second, when a person writes a book joking nonchalantly about how women lie about rape, exploit men in a reproductive way (I know, what the actual f), and oppress men with their emotional manipulation, wiles and aggression - Those are all arguments anti-feminists use to shape actual freaking laws that affect women, so yeah, you don't get to give me that kind of apologist counter-argument to justify the careless and irresponsible misogyny in this book, I'm sorry.
PD. And for the people going 'Oh the male characters are treated just as badly, and parodied as well'. First of all, yeah, that's not true at all. Many of the male characters are portrayed as the sympathetic victims here. And second, when a person writes a book joking nonchalantly about how women lie about rape, exploit men in a reproductive way (I know, what the actual f), and oppress men with their emotional manipulation, wiles and aggression - Those are all arguments anti-feminists use to shape actual freaking laws that affect women, so yeah, you don't get to give me that kind of apologist counter-argument to justify the careless and irresponsible misogyny in this book, I'm sorry.
April 20, 2018
So what is this book about, and what is it for...? It does what it "says on the tin": these are very short tales of misogyny. But they're not satirical, they're not pointing out the misogyny around us, they're not addressing the unfairness of double standards, they're not suggesting that women have richer lives that what misogyny confines them to.
They're just misogynistic.
They're tales of women - often nameless and devoid of personality, just "women" - who accuse men of rape for their financial benefit, who have sex and are killed for is, or else don't have sex and are killed for it, or try to become better but are found ridiculous and mocked by the narrator.
So what's the point, really, or simply repeating the same hate and problems that we are surrounded by if we're not going to shine a critical or satirical light on them? Reading this book was slightly like reading through online comments - and its enriched me just as much. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. If you're interested in the author, she has got much better, more interesting, and equally misanthropic books.
One good story - "The Prude", because it allows for the existence of more than one type of women and actually has a sense of humour.
They're just misogynistic.
They're tales of women - often nameless and devoid of personality, just "women" - who accuse men of rape for their financial benefit, who have sex and are killed for is, or else don't have sex and are killed for it, or try to become better but are found ridiculous and mocked by the narrator.
So what's the point, really, or simply repeating the same hate and problems that we are surrounded by if we're not going to shine a critical or satirical light on them? Reading this book was slightly like reading through online comments - and its enriched me just as much. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. If you're interested in the author, she has got much better, more interesting, and equally misanthropic books.
One good story - "The Prude", because it allows for the existence of more than one type of women and actually has a sense of humour.
August 29, 2020
3.5 stars rounded up
Ugh, women---so complicated and much more trouble than they're worth.
That's why the underrated author Patricia Highsmith gave us this collection of short stories (2-8 pages average) about females doing things like daring to work outside the home instead of take care of their family and young ones wearing too much makeup (of course they're asking for it!) *gasp* We should all be appalled by these vixens. ;-)
A great tongue-in-cheek collection that will make more than a few readers uncomfortable with its dark humor.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
Ugh, women---so complicated and much more trouble than they're worth.
That's why the underrated author Patricia Highsmith gave us this collection of short stories (2-8 pages average) about females doing things like daring to work outside the home instead of take care of their family and young ones wearing too much makeup (of course they're asking for it!) *gasp* We should all be appalled by these vixens. ;-)
A great tongue-in-cheek collection that will make more than a few readers uncomfortable with its dark humor.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
July 30, 2019
Kadın Düşmanlığı Üstüne Küçük Öyküler, tamamen ismine kapılıp aldığım bir kitaptı ve açık söylemek gerekirse beklentim kadın düşmanlığını açıkça eleştiren bir kitap okumaktı; ancak bu beklentimin tam manasıyla gerçekleştiğini söylemek oldukça zor. Bu tabiri doğru kullanıyor mu bilmiyorum; fakat kitabın bir "kara mizah" ürünü olduğunu söylemek gerek. Kitaptaki öyküler, tam manasıyla bir "kadın düşmanı"nın penceresinden yazılmış; ama ilk başta siz de "bunlar ne iğrenç kadınlar böyle" diyorsunuz. Bir süre geçtikten sonra Highsmith'in aslında bazı şeyleri abartarak hikâyeleri anlatan zihniyetin nasıl "kötü", "düşmanca" olduğunu göstermeye çalıştığını anlıyorsunuz, en azından ben bu şekilde yorumladım diyebilirim. Kitaba dair okuduğum bir eleştiri yazısında kitabın kadın düşmanlarına ders veren bir kitap olmadığını; fakat bir kadın düşmanına doğum gününde hediye edilebilecek bir kitap olduğunu okumuştum. Bence kitap, tek cümleyle ancak bu şekilde özetlenebilir.
Öykülerin büyük kısmı dört-beş sayfa, yani gerçekten "küçük öykü"ler; fakat bu size herhangi bir eksiklik hissetmiyor. Ben hem rahatsız olarak hem eğlenerek hem gerilerek hem merak ederek okudum. Bunda çevirmen Nihal Yeğinobalı'nın da payı yüksek. Orijinalini bilemem elbette; ancak kitabın eğlenceli üslubunu başarıyla yansıttığını düşünüyorum.
Öykülerin büyük kısmı dört-beş sayfa, yani gerçekten "küçük öykü"ler; fakat bu size herhangi bir eksiklik hissetmiyor. Ben hem rahatsız olarak hem eğlenerek hem gerilerek hem merak ederek okudum. Bunda çevirmen Nihal Yeğinobalı'nın da payı yüksek. Orijinalini bilemem elbette; ancak kitabın eğlenceli üslubunu başarıyla yansıttığını düşünüyorum.
November 5, 2023
this collection of tales gave me a whole new appreciation of patricia highsmith. i admit being puzzled upon selecting it after reading so many mixed GR reviews. readers didn't seem to get what she's up to - why would PH write stories that trivialize women?
we understand that sociopaths don't see their victims as human beings, and because of this they are able to commit abuse without feeling remorse. in these stories it's important to see the shift in tone from highsmith's classic work, a signifier that she is writing satirical fables. like most folk tales, these stories exist in order to teach us lessons on how to, or how not to act. in this short volume of fables, highsmith points out the ways that men abstract the female persona in the act of objectifying by creating chariacatures, rather than portraits of real life beings.
the stories in the first half of the book are short - most clock in at a page and a half and, like all great sugar-coated medicine, they go down easy - i was laughing out loud while astonished by the madness represented. the ideas are refined and condensed and the plots so absurd it is clear that this isn't reality. as the book progresses, the stories get longer, the plots more involved, but the spell has been cast and highsmith's intent remains clear - these stories are classic satire on the follies commonly termed as the battle of the sexes.
we understand that sociopaths don't see their victims as human beings, and because of this they are able to commit abuse without feeling remorse. in these stories it's important to see the shift in tone from highsmith's classic work, a signifier that she is writing satirical fables. like most folk tales, these stories exist in order to teach us lessons on how to, or how not to act. in this short volume of fables, highsmith points out the ways that men abstract the female persona in the act of objectifying by creating chariacatures, rather than portraits of real life beings.
the stories in the first half of the book are short - most clock in at a page and a half and, like all great sugar-coated medicine, they go down easy - i was laughing out loud while astonished by the madness represented. the ideas are refined and condensed and the plots so absurd it is clear that this isn't reality. as the book progresses, the stories get longer, the plots more involved, but the spell has been cast and highsmith's intent remains clear - these stories are classic satire on the follies commonly termed as the battle of the sexes.
December 2, 2019
Little Tales of Misogyny is a curious little collection of somewhat macabre short stories. Distilled esssence of Patricia Highsmith if you will.
Is it a collection which encourages or condemns misogyny? Probably neither, and these stories are just examples of Patricia Highsmith's extremely dark humour.
In so far as there is a theme, it appears to be a criticism of suburbia, and a conventional life.
Little Tales of Misogyny is a very quick and easy read and, for those intrigued by Patricia Highsmith, well worth an hour of your time.
3/5
Is it a collection which encourages or condemns misogyny? Probably neither, and these stories are just examples of Patricia Highsmith's extremely dark humour.
In so far as there is a theme, it appears to be a criticism of suburbia, and a conventional life.
Little Tales of Misogyny is a very quick and easy read and, for those intrigued by Patricia Highsmith, well worth an hour of your time.
3/5
January 6, 2014
I'd had this on my bookshelf for a few years and was looking for something light to read before bed. I finished it in a bubble bath, which seemed somehow appropriate. I'm not sure these are all that memorable, and I had that experience again of discomfort and admiration at Highsmith's writing all rolled into one. I can't decide if she's brilliant or frustrating, perhaps both.
Misogyny usually means the hatred or dislike of women, but in this case, Patricia Highsmith is writing short little stories about women she wants you to hate. Or maybe they are typical of the types of women everyone loves to hate, from the perfectionist to the mother-in-law to the prude. Most of them die lonely deaths or live forgotten lives, some get the pleasure of both in only a few pages. Their brevity will translate to me not remembering them for long, which seems to only be what the author wants of me. Okay Highsmith, you win.
Misogyny usually means the hatred or dislike of women, but in this case, Patricia Highsmith is writing short little stories about women she wants you to hate. Or maybe they are typical of the types of women everyone loves to hate, from the perfectionist to the mother-in-law to the prude. Most of them die lonely deaths or live forgotten lives, some get the pleasure of both in only a few pages. Their brevity will translate to me not remembering them for long, which seems to only be what the author wants of me. Okay Highsmith, you win.
September 13, 2021
There is often a good reason why a title is long out of print. The reason becomes apparent fairly quickly with this collection. It’s a bit queasy.
These extremely short tales, originally published in 1975, methodically detail the sad (usually) fate of women of all kinds, better described as types – gold-diggers, whores, a baby maker, victim, prude, mother-in-law, a mobile-bed object and that worst of all personalities, the perfectionist – who are treated badly by men, boys, cavemen and cavewomen or brought down by themselves or worn down by social expectations or circumstances. The women often meet grisly ends: clubbed to death, or rolled in a carpet and drowned in a canal, another falls through an attic floor, and there’s one who jumps from a window thinking she can fly.
Individually, most stories are joltingly enjoyable in a macabre way, but cumulatively they are sad and bitter, reminding us they were long out of print.
These extremely short tales, originally published in 1975, methodically detail the sad (usually) fate of women of all kinds, better described as types – gold-diggers, whores, a baby maker, victim, prude, mother-in-law, a mobile-bed object and that worst of all personalities, the perfectionist – who are treated badly by men, boys, cavemen and cavewomen or brought down by themselves or worn down by social expectations or circumstances. The women often meet grisly ends: clubbed to death, or rolled in a carpet and drowned in a canal, another falls through an attic floor, and there’s one who jumps from a window thinking she can fly.
Individually, most stories are joltingly enjoyable in a macabre way, but cumulatively they are sad and bitter, reminding us they were long out of print.
June 3, 2024
[2.5]
Fun fact: questo è il primo libro che mia madre ha regalato a mio padre, pochi giorni dopo averlo conosciuto, con una bellissima dedica all’inizio, che curiosamente, anche se non è stata scritta per me, mi “ha parlato” tutte le volte che negli anni ho aperto il libro, che fa da sempre parte della mia libreria e di nascosto mi sono anche portata via quando mi sono trasferita, proprio per quella dedica e il significato che ha per me.
Ogni tanto sento il bisogno di rileggerla, e di conseguenza anche i racconti.
Di per sé i racconti non sono niente di eccezionale, alcuni sono più spassosi, altri mediocri, ma è comunque interessante il fil rouge che li lega tutti, e anche il notorio sarcasmo della Highsmith, che però si apprezza di più, a mio parere, nei romanzi.
Fun fact: questo è il primo libro che mia madre ha regalato a mio padre, pochi giorni dopo averlo conosciuto, con una bellissima dedica all’inizio, che curiosamente, anche se non è stata scritta per me, mi “ha parlato” tutte le volte che negli anni ho aperto il libro, che fa da sempre parte della mia libreria e di nascosto mi sono anche portata via quando mi sono trasferita, proprio per quella dedica e il significato che ha per me.
Ogni tanto sento il bisogno di rileggerla, e di conseguenza anche i racconti.
Di per sé i racconti non sono niente di eccezionale, alcuni sono più spassosi, altri mediocri, ma è comunque interessante il fil rouge che li lega tutti, e anche il notorio sarcasmo della Highsmith, che però si apprezza di più, a mio parere, nei romanzi.
October 22, 2021
Cave mulierem, sembra voler dire l'autrice, con questi brevissimi racconti di alterna fattura e riuscita. Gli spunti sono talvolta originali e anche saporitamente ironici, ma spesso si rivelano soltanto macchiettistici. Se l'obiettivo era quello di svelare e fustigare l'universo delle odiosita' femminili, con un briciolo di sarcasmo e crudelta', beh non e' stato pienamente raggiunto, cadendo spesso nel cliche'.
September 14, 2021
Los relatos que me gustaron, me gustaron mucho. Creo que ejemplifica súper bien la villanización de las mujeres en la sociedad y, pese a la distancia entre nuestras épocas, muchas de sus narraciones se mantenían frescas.
Pero sentí que, especialmente en la primera mitad, habían muchos cuentos que no aportaban al compendio. Leí una traducción españolísima del año uno, aparentemente, eso también le jugó en contra a mi lectura.
Pero sentí que, especialmente en la primera mitad, habían muchos cuentos que no aportaban al compendio. Leí una traducción españolísima del año uno, aparentemente, eso también le jugó en contra a mi lectura.
December 30, 2021
A short collection of short misogynistic fairy tales. Not to be taken (too) seriously but good fun to read. My favorite is "The Victim". See also this review.
June 11, 2009
'Pequeños cuentos misóginos' de Patricia Highsmith, como su nombre indica, son una serie de 17 cuentos breves (algunos brevísimos, de sólo tres páginas) que describen arquetipos misóginos de mujeres. Cada uno de ellos está protagonizado por un estereotipo (odioso y odiable) de mujer (la ñoña, la perfeccionista, la perfecta señorita, la víctima, la prostituta autorizada o esposa, etc.) que es incapaz de salir de los límites que le marca el rol que le ha sido asignado (de hecho, ni siquiera se plantean salir de estas limitaciones, porque ellas son de lo más felices dentro de estos límites tan ceñidos). La mayoría de cuentos acaban con una muerte, la mayoría de veces la muerte de la protagonista, la mayoría de veces asesinada por un hombre que, a pesar de haber creado el estereotipo de la mujer que ha asesinado, a la larga, se cansa de él. Son sátiras implacables, inteligentes, divertidísimas. Son viñetas de lo más políticamente incorrectas, pero que no buscan la provocación gratuita. Patricia Highsmith hace gala de una ironía elegante e incisiva. Su estilo es mordaz y directo, pero sin dejar de ser una delicia. Y es que estos cuentos son una delicia, una delicia amarga y cruel, pero delicia al fin y al cabo. Me encanta que partiendo de unos arquetipos tan tópicos Highsmith sea capaz de construir unos cuentos tan originales y, por supuesto, también valientes. Una pequeña joya, aunque quizás sólo disfrutable para feministas posmodernas con un sentido del humor algo retorcido.
March 21, 2023
This is another of the Penguin60 collection of titles and I have to say I still trying to make my mind up about this title.
The author created a series of unsettling short stories (there are 17 in the space of 90 pages) which read like mixture of cautionary tales, fables and anecdotes all with varying macabre twists (asking for a daughters hand and being given it in a box)
There is a lot of black twists and turns in these stories which almost feel like they are being written as dire observations of society and yet there are no specific references of time and place.
Patricia Highsmith I read is an accomplished writer with "Strangers on a train" and yet I not sure what the goal is of this book - I suspect I will be processing it for a while
The author created a series of unsettling short stories (there are 17 in the space of 90 pages) which read like mixture of cautionary tales, fables and anecdotes all with varying macabre twists (asking for a daughters hand and being given it in a box)
There is a lot of black twists and turns in these stories which almost feel like they are being written as dire observations of society and yet there are no specific references of time and place.
Patricia Highsmith I read is an accomplished writer with "Strangers on a train" and yet I not sure what the goal is of this book - I suspect I will be processing it for a while
February 20, 2022
"Un jovencell va demanar al pare la mà de la seva filla, i la rebé -la mà esquerra- dins d'una capsa." Aquesta és la primera frase del primer dels 17 relats breus que formen aquest recull. Amb un inici així, us podeu imaginar que no teniu davant un llibre agradable que us deixarà amb un somriure i pau interior.
Les 17 protagonistes dels contes de Highsmith són clixés, estereotips portats a l'extrem, i estan descrites com les veuria l'home més masclista i misogin possible. Són mesquines, obsessives, mentideres, egoistes i cruels. Retrats provocadors i incòmodes perquè no estem acostumats a veure-ho des d'aquesta perspectiva. L'autora denuncia així el tracte que reben les dones a la societat, especialment en l'entorn de la parella, girant la truita i, de passada, capgirant-nos a nosaltres també.
Tenim la coqueta, la novel·lista, la paridora, la sogra silenciosa, la víctima... totes elles amb històries que creixen en tensió i deliri, que sovint tenen un desenllaç fatal i que estan narrats amb una escriptura molt notable, molta mala llet i amb un humor negre capaç d'enrojolar qualsevol i de fer-nos riure de pura incredulitat.
És un recull tan breu que es pot llegir en una tarda, temps suficient per quedar amb l'estómac ben remogut. Són bons, tots ells amb estructura semblant, això sí, però mantenen un bon nivell, amb missatge, crítics, àcids. Una bona aposta d'una bona escriptora de qui encara és hora que descobreixi els seus llibres de suspens, el gènere que la va donar a conèixer. Ja anirem fent.
(SERGI)
Les 17 protagonistes dels contes de Highsmith són clixés, estereotips portats a l'extrem, i estan descrites com les veuria l'home més masclista i misogin possible. Són mesquines, obsessives, mentideres, egoistes i cruels. Retrats provocadors i incòmodes perquè no estem acostumats a veure-ho des d'aquesta perspectiva. L'autora denuncia així el tracte que reben les dones a la societat, especialment en l'entorn de la parella, girant la truita i, de passada, capgirant-nos a nosaltres també.
Tenim la coqueta, la novel·lista, la paridora, la sogra silenciosa, la víctima... totes elles amb històries que creixen en tensió i deliri, que sovint tenen un desenllaç fatal i que estan narrats amb una escriptura molt notable, molta mala llet i amb un humor negre capaç d'enrojolar qualsevol i de fer-nos riure de pura incredulitat.
És un recull tan breu que es pot llegir en una tarda, temps suficient per quedar amb l'estómac ben remogut. Són bons, tots ells amb estructura semblant, això sí, però mantenen un bon nivell, amb missatge, crítics, àcids. Una bona aposta d'una bona escriptora de qui encara és hora que descobreixi els seus llibres de suspens, el gènere que la va donar a conèixer. Ja anirem fent.
(SERGI)
November 24, 2025
I am so grateful to Highsmith for creating Strangers on a Train and the Talented Mr. Ripley series (so hard to find a real thriller nowadays) that I will probably read all of her works. I just like ole Patricia, especially since she is both a Texan and an expatriate.
January 31, 2021
gyne in Greek means both woman and wife. I think Pat means wife. Married women are the subjects of her mockery. The shade of humor ranges from the light Oona, the Jolly Cave Woman; to dark The Fully Licensed Whore, or, the Wife.
May 30, 2016
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Τρίτο βιβλίο της Πατρίσια Χάισμιθ που διαβάζω, μετά το "Ο ταλαντούχος κύριος Ρίπλεϊ" και το "Βαθιά νερά". Αυτή την φορά δεν πρόκειται για αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, αλλά για μια μικρή συλλογή δεκαεπτά μικρών ιστοριών που έχουν να κάνουν με τις γυναίκες. Σε καθεμία ιστορία παρουσιάζεται και μια διαφορετική γυναίκα: Γυναίκες που παίζουν τους άντρες τους στα δάχτυλα και γυναίκες που οι άντρες τους τις εκμεταλλεύονται, γυναίκες ξετσίπωτες ή συμμαζεμένες, γυναίκες απελευθερωμένες ή θύματα.
Η διάθεση της Χάισμιθ απέναντι στις γυναίκες (και κατ'επέκταση στους άντρες και ολόκληρη την κοινωνία) είναι έντονα σατιρική και χλευαστική, δεν χαρίζει κάστανα σε κανέναν. Αν και σε μικρό διαθέσιμο χώρο, η συγγραφέας κατάφερε να διακωμωδήσει καταστάσεις και να σατιρίσει θεσμούς και κοινωνικά πρότυπα, εκμεταλλεύοντας κάποια στερεότυπα και χρησιμοποιώντας χαρακτήρες-καρικατούρες και μπόλικο μαύρο χιούμορ.
Είναι ό,τι πρέπει για μια γρήγορη και ανάλαφρη ανάγνωση στα ΜΜΜ ή στα διαλείμματα στην δουλειά, προσφέροντας παράλληλα και λίγη τροφή για σκέψη και προβληματισμό. Βέβαια στο Goodreads θα του βάλω τρία αστεράκια, για να μην αδικήσω καλύτερα βιβλία. Πάντως πέρασα καλά.
Τρίτο βιβλίο της Πατρίσια Χάισμιθ που διαβάζω, μετά το "Ο ταλαντούχος κύριος Ρίπλεϊ" και το "Βαθιά νερά". Αυτή την φορά δεν πρόκειται για αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, αλλά για μια μικρή συλλογή δεκαεπτά μικρών ιστοριών που έχουν να κάνουν με τις γυναίκες. Σε καθεμία ιστορία παρουσιάζεται και μια διαφορετική γυναίκα: Γυναίκες που παίζουν τους άντρες τους στα δάχτυλα και γυναίκες που οι άντρες τους τις εκμεταλλεύονται, γυναίκες ξετσίπωτες ή συμμαζεμένες, γυναίκες απελευθερωμένες ή θύματα.
Η διάθεση της Χάισμιθ απέναντι στις γυναίκες (και κατ'επέκταση στους άντρες και ολόκληρη την κοινωνία) είναι έντονα σατιρική και χλευαστική, δεν χαρίζει κάστανα σε κανέναν. Αν και σε μικρό διαθέσιμο χώρο, η συγγραφέας κατάφερε να διακωμωδήσει καταστάσεις και να σατιρίσει θεσμούς και κοινωνικά πρότυπα, εκμεταλλεύοντας κάποια στερεότυπα και χρησιμοποιώντας χαρακτήρες-καρικατούρες και μπόλικο μαύρο χιούμορ.
Είναι ό,τι πρέπει για μια γρήγορη και ανάλαφρη ανάγνωση στα ΜΜΜ ή στα διαλείμματα στην δουλειά, προσφέροντας παράλληλα και λίγη τροφή για σκέψη και προβληματισμό. Βέβαια στο Goodreads θα του βάλω τρία αστεράκια, για να μην αδικήσω καλύτερα βιβλία. Πάντως πέρασα καλά.
March 22, 2010
After all the Highsmith I've read, I shd've known better than to've expected "Little Tales of Misogyny" to've been tales in wch MEN are the misogynists.. But, NO, I didn't expect the author's viewpoint to be misogynistic! Fool!
All sorts of catchy critic words spring to mind: "sardonic", "wicked", "wry", whatnot. The female characters just can't win - whatever they are, they're too much in one direction & most of them die untimely deaths b/c of it - often thru murder. These stories are SHORT - many just 2pp. Instead of the protracted subtle psychological deterioration that I've become accustomed to w/ Highsmith, these go straight for the womb-throat, cattily snapping the vagina dentata 'til the victim is properly shredded & baized. If Highsmith based any of these stories on people she knew she must've been a terror to be around.
All sorts of catchy critic words spring to mind: "sardonic", "wicked", "wry", whatnot. The female characters just can't win - whatever they are, they're too much in one direction & most of them die untimely deaths b/c of it - often thru murder. These stories are SHORT - many just 2pp. Instead of the protracted subtle psychological deterioration that I've become accustomed to w/ Highsmith, these go straight for the womb-throat, cattily snapping the vagina dentata 'til the victim is properly shredded & baized. If Highsmith based any of these stories on people she knew she must've been a terror to be around.
October 15, 2024
how i love absurdism and satire
kitabın ismine bakınca beklediğim şey kesinlikle böyle bir şey değildi, nedense daha çok mağdur olmuş kadınlar, ezilen kadınlar, sıradan kadınlar ve erkeklerin o kadınlara olan bakış açısıyla ilgili bir şeyler bekliyordum, fakat yazar bunları beklediğim şekilde sunmuyor, çok dolaylı bir yoldan erkeklerin görmek istediği ya da gördüğü ''kötü kadın'' denilebilecek kadınların öyküleriyle bunu bizlere sunuyor. yine de yazarın olaylara bakış açısını ve kitabın o ''yaramaz'' dilini oldukça beğendim, tam bir kara mizah ürünü fakat öyküler bir yerden sonra çok fazla tekrara düşüyor ve bu okuyucuyu bir süre sonra sıkıyor, belki de ben üst üste okuduğum için böyle hissediyorum bilmiyorum, yine de içlerinde beğendiğim öyküler oldu
kitabın ismine bakınca beklediğim şey kesinlikle böyle bir şey değildi, nedense daha çok mağdur olmuş kadınlar, ezilen kadınlar, sıradan kadınlar ve erkeklerin o kadınlara olan bakış açısıyla ilgili bir şeyler bekliyordum, fakat yazar bunları beklediğim şekilde sunmuyor, çok dolaylı bir yoldan erkeklerin görmek istediği ya da gördüğü ''kötü kadın'' denilebilecek kadınların öyküleriyle bunu bizlere sunuyor. yine de yazarın olaylara bakış açısını ve kitabın o ''yaramaz'' dilini oldukça beğendim, tam bir kara mizah ürünü fakat öyküler bir yerden sonra çok fazla tekrara düşüyor ve bu okuyucuyu bir süre sonra sıkıyor, belki de ben üst üste okuduğum için böyle hissediyorum bilmiyorum, yine de içlerinde beğendiğim öyküler oldu
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