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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
“There you have the effect of segregation,” Diderot writes near the end of The Nun. “Man is born for life in society; separate him, isolate him, and his ideas will go to pieces, his character will go sour, a hundred ridiculous affections will spring up in his heart, extravagant notions will take root in his mind like tares in the wilderness” (136).
Suzanne Simonin, a teenage (later adolescent) nun, in is forced into the convent by her family. Since she has no vocation whatsoever, she is determined to get out of it from the very beginning. Yet, for a young nun without any means in 18th-century France, this proves much harder than she anticipated.
The novel is told in the form of a long letter to Marquis de Croismare, whom Suzanne appeals to for help. This letter takes the form of a memoir of sorts, so that the full cruelty of her experiences is exposed: from deeply sadistic nuns in one convent, to excessively libertine experiences in the next.
What struck me was Diderot’s inclusion and treatment of homosexual experiences. Without spoiling too much, Diderot shows how natural affection and desire are perverted by religious oppression.
Did Mother Superior come on a little strong? For sure. Could her behaviour be excused? Not really - she often goes way too far.
But Diderot shows her in a mostly sympathetic light: she can’t help who she loves, and she is not burdened by her sexuality until others punish her for it.
I could not help but marvel at how modern this book is, and how depressing that there are parts of the world in which a story like Sister Suzanne’s is still relevant in a slightly different guise.
As I arrived at the aforementioned part of the novel, I was reminded of the podcast Dear Alana, about a deeply religious, Catholic American girl who was so distressed by the realization that she was gay that she sought out conversion therapy.
In the end, the pain this religious abuse (which is what conversion therapy is) caused her, led her to take her own life.
The parallels are clear - here, too, there was no real problem until religion turned something natural into something perverse.
“Put a man in a forest and he will turn into a wild beast," Diderot continues, but in a cloister, where a feeling of duress combines with that of servitude, it is worse still. There is a way out of a forest, there is none out of a cloister; a man is free in the forest but he is a slave in the cloister” (136).
Via Suzanne, who is innocent and naive but also strong-minded, Diderot not only offers a strong indictment of religious life, but also shows how even the most appalling behaviour is a result of repression and arbitrary rules, not "sin."
Suzanne Simonin, a teenage (later adolescent) nun, in is forced into the convent by her family. Since she has no vocation whatsoever, she is determined to get out of it from the very beginning. Yet, for a young nun without any means in 18th-century France, this proves much harder than she anticipated.
The novel is told in the form of a long letter to Marquis de Croismare, whom Suzanne appeals to for help. This letter takes the form of a memoir of sorts, so that the full cruelty of her experiences is exposed: from deeply sadistic nuns in one convent, to excessively libertine experiences in the next.
What struck me was Diderot’s inclusion and treatment of homosexual experiences. Without spoiling too much, Diderot shows how natural affection and desire are perverted by religious oppression.
Did Mother Superior come on a little strong? For sure. Could her behaviour be excused? Not really - she often goes way too far.
But Diderot shows her in a mostly sympathetic light: she can’t help who she loves, and she is not burdened by her sexuality until others punish her for it.
I could not help but marvel at how modern this book is, and how depressing that there are parts of the world in which a story like Sister Suzanne’s is still relevant in a slightly different guise.
As I arrived at the aforementioned part of the novel, I was reminded of the podcast Dear Alana, about a deeply religious, Catholic American girl who was so distressed by the realization that she was gay that she sought out conversion therapy.
In the end, the pain this religious abuse (which is what conversion therapy is) caused her, led her to take her own life.
The parallels are clear - here, too, there was no real problem until religion turned something natural into something perverse.
“Put a man in a forest and he will turn into a wild beast," Diderot continues, but in a cloister, where a feeling of duress combines with that of servitude, it is worse still. There is a way out of a forest, there is none out of a cloister; a man is free in the forest but he is a slave in the cloister” (136).
Via Suzanne, who is innocent and naive but also strong-minded, Diderot not only offers a strong indictment of religious life, but also shows how even the most appalling behaviour is a result of repression and arbitrary rules, not "sin."
dark
reflective
sad
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Torture, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Religious bigotry
Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Religious bigotry
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
one of my fav classics. it was well written and the scenes were all very interesting. i really felt for sister suzanne, and the book is oddly easy to read despite the never ending suffering. i thought it was really scandalous given the time period, so remembering that made it extra fun to read. the ending was a little haphazard, but that makes sense from the fact that it’s technically a letter. i enjoyed reading this more than i expected.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood