Comments | disturbingbooks: The Collector by John Fowles

mister_greywolf in disturbingbooks

The Collector by John Fowles

Jul 02, 2009 23:19

The Collector by John Fowles

Available on Amazon and in most libraries

Triggers: stalking, kidnap, imprisonmentFrederick/Ferdinand Clegg collects butterflies and works at a sterile job as a clerk. Bereft of social skills he admires and stalks a pretty young art student, Miranda Grey. Winning a large amount of money in a lottery allows him to ( Read more... )

fiction, voyeurism, crime, movie tie-ins, captivity, fetishes

Comments 23

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mister_greywolf July 3 2009, 03:14:03 UTC

I agree that the movie was disappointing.

xlolita_complex July 2 2009, 22:52:48 UTC

I liked this book, I didn't find it so disturbing but it was a great read. Plus I found it at a thrift store for cheap! Bonus.

mister_greywolf July 3 2009, 03:22:09 UTC

it is a great read. glad that you're not disturbed by kidnap and confinement. *sweet smile*

cheap is a bonus. great literature should be free!

mo_chan July 2 2009, 23:50:47 UTC

OMGosh, I remember looking at this book in my high school's library and deciding it was too disturbing for me. XD But it STILL sounds interesting, so maybe I'll give it a try now!

mister_greywolf July 3 2009, 03:36:09 UTC

give it a try. are you still disturbed?

dru_plus_spike July 3 2009, 00:26:27 UTC

I wish I could remember their names, but this so reminds me of this serial killer duo who were obsessed with having a captive woman and I think they call their efforts the Miranda Project. I wonder if they read The Collector.

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mister_greywolf July 3 2009, 03:27:16 UTC

interesting. do you have a link to these two?

dru_plus_spike July 3 2009, 23:21:10 UTC

Yes! Thanks for reminding me, that duo (And the wife) fascinate me. I'll definitely have to read that book.

Thread 6

goldfoil July 3 2009, 01:04:30 UTC

excellent read, got handed it in highschool. The Tempest was an entertaining addition.

mister_greywolf July 3 2009, 03:37:13 UTC

aha ... the tempest is an interesting addition. who handed it to you?

goldfoil July 4 2009, 04:39:30 UTC

the english teacher, who said "read, research, write". Did it for TEE actually (Tertiary Entrance Exam)- as well as Orix and Crake By Madge Atwood:P
I really enjoyed it, one of the few great reads set for class- Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 was really good. Highschool isn't well known for it's stella reading materials.

In Collector (which i think i'll reread) i really enjoyed Fred's opening, Didn't like Miranda's as much. Argh oh god just remembered her stockholm syndrome bit, ick that was awful.

Google the different editions and see how the covers change (except for the butterfly motif), some are soooo scary

mister_greywolf July 4 2009, 14:46:37 UTC

Yeah, I looked at the covers. I'm too lazy to set up an image account to link in pics (yet). Definitely chilly viewing.

The Stockholm Syndrome ... yes, that's interesting, and such a common feature of those situations. I feel that Patty Hearst (do you know her case?) got a rather harsh time of the US justice system.

You probably know about, but might be interested in the cases in the thread above, started by dru_plus_spike. The Natascha Kampusch case seems the most similar.

As for set texts at school ... ahh ... it seems to me that they reflect the concerns of the previous generation in the shape of the teachers. The Catcher in the Rye didn't speak to me at all at that age. I looked with envy when Catch 22 made it onto the list. I read that at 16 and loved it, but mightn't have felt that way if I'd been forced to write essays on it.

PS. Sorry I missed the Caryl Churchill play last year.