lispectorsexual's reviews
68 reviews

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon

challenging informative inspiring reflective tense

5.0

Where do I even begin man

The Black man and language: To start a book with such an eye opening chapter is beyond amazing. When we look at the use of language either by a black man or a white man, there lies some similarities. A black man would either speak (the coloniser’s language) in a manner that would either separate him from his fellow black folk or bring him closer to the white man. How his way of speaking changes in the presence of white folk, a desperate attempt to appease the white man, to let him know that “See? I can also speak the same way you do, now acknowledge me”. If we were to observe the white man or the white man’s response, it is some what patronising, as Fanon says, almost as though he is talking to a toddler, or a victim in need of help. This chapter was 24 pages long and I’m doing Fanon injustice by not even biting the surface. It’s just too good. It also explains how colonisation evidently becomes internalised, where Antilles will deem themselves above their fellow Africans, because they speak their oppressors language, and fluently for that matter. The black man wants to become like the white man, and the white man thinks of himself as the peak of man.

“To speak a language is to appropriate its world and culture. The Antillean who wants to be white will succeed since he will have adopted the cultural tool of language.”

The Woman of Colour and The White Man:

I think, the psyche of the black woman is the search for acceptance in a community she was denied access to, and again with their view towards the men within their own community. The black man is nothing but a slave to the eyes of the white man and so to the black woman. She cannot be with a being that is inferior, that is weak to her. She detests it, but she does not see herself in that manner. The perfect example of this view is the story of the three men that arrive at the gates of paradise (p31): a white man, a mulatto, and a black man.

“What do you want most in the world?” says Saint Peter asking the white man.

“Money.”

“And you?” He asks the mulatto.

“Glory.”

And as he turns toward the black man, the latter declares with a wide grin: “I’m just carrying these gentlemen’s bags.”

The Man of Colour and The White Woman:

In the case of the black man, it’s rooted in a revenge-like nature. To be acknowledged as just as good as the white man. To have what is his, to assert. Fanon presented an example of a man whom they’d call an abandonment neurotic with a negative aggression. This has trouble to do with the person’s childhood and environment. In other cases the black man is considered to be of a certain sophistication (education, mannerisms, fluency, etc.) that is beyond the average negro and places him somewhere close to the white man. So a push to this ideal could be external (from others) or internal (from himself) but he will evidently and desperately want to prove to himself that he is just as good as the white man. He has to immerse himself in the flesh of the white woman. This sometimes is a result of a lack of self-esteem. The abandonment neurotic can very from a number of behaviours/manners - he either feels entitled, fears showing himself as he is, or exclusion. It varies, grandly so to speak.

“Out of the blackest part of my soul, through the zone of hachures, surges up this desire to be suddenly white. I want to be recognised not as Black, but as white. But who better than the white woman to bring this about? By loving me she proves to me that I am worthy of a white love. I am loved like a white man. I am a white man. Her love opens the illustrious path that leads to total fulfilment…

I espouse white culture, white beauty, white whiteness. Between these white breasts that my wandering hands fondle, white civilisation and worthiness become mine.” 

The So-Called Dependency Complex of The Colonised: 

This chapter was Fanon debunking the notion of a dependency complex, established by Mannoni, as it is a harmful view in respect to the oppressed. Fanon argues that this is basically an inferiority complex that is made present by the colonist - not that it is something that is inherent from the colonised. The white man enforces his superiority and makes the latter deem themselves lesser, this is a result of him being in the minority. Take for instance there are 2,000,000 whites in South Africa and 13,000,000 people of colour, yet it’s never the case that they’d feel the need to establish superiority over the minority. Thus it is a reaction (by the whites to act quick in making the declaration of superiority), in a sense. 

He also makes a great point of holding the people of a nation accountable for the atrocities its nation has committed. 

“You pride yourself on keeping your distance from a certain order of things; As a consequence and give a free hand to those who thrive in unhealthy atmospheres, a creation of their own behaviour. And if, apparently, you manage not to soil your hands, it’s because others are doing the dirty work in your place. You have your henchmen, and all things considered, you are the real guilty party; for without you, without your blind indifference, such men could not undertake acts that condemn you as much as they dishonour them.”

The Black Man and Recognition:

This chapter is divided into two segments first The Black Man and Alder and second The Black Man and Hegel. Fanon allows us to examine the consciousness of the Antillean, the meaning behind his actions rather than telling us his behaviours. The Antillean utilises his fellow Antillean or “the other” as a mirror, to make himself look good, unconsciously he still thinks that he is not black so he exercises that by needing his fellow Antillean to use as a stepping stone. He gazes in the eyes of “the other” not to look at him, but to look at himself. And this would be the Adlerian way. 

[White] / [Ego different from “the other”]

Now regarding the Hegelian way, Fanon uses the example of the slave. When his master grants him freedom (by Hegel) the former slave will now have an object of go after and discard his former master. But Fanon, looks at it differently, the former slave doesn’t desire the object, at least not to that extent, but he now wants to be just like the master, he’s not “thankful” for freedom but he desires to be in the position of granting. 

Gravity and Grace by Simone Weil

slow-paced

2.0

I didn’t know much about her but my knowing of her was through other French thinkers. Even with mysticism itself I didn’t know much about it (or at all) for that matter. But from what I’ve gathered, Weil wasn’t necessarily religious, one might say she had faith but did not practise religious customs. 

Gravity & Grace feels like reading a collection of personal writings, as the discussions made regarding certain topics are very short and might even be half a page. Her writing is without a doubt beautiful and carries emotional weight. I’m not a religious person but I have no problem indulging in religious works and being moved by them, but that doesn’t prevent me from criticising and disagreeing with them. Throughout this book, I found Weil doing PR work for god, finding ways to justify and glorify suffering, not necessarily as something that must or should happen, but finding “beauty” in it. If this was fiction I would’ve found it beautiful because it would’ve been in an abstract sense, but when we consider the real world that we lib in and the struggles we face, I just can’t - especially as a black man. 

“A man whose whole family had died under torture, and who had himself been tortured for a long time in a concentration camp; or a sixteenth-century Indian, the sole survivor after the total extermination of his people. Such men if they had previously believed in the mercy of God would either believe in it no longer, or else they would conceive of it quite differently from before. I have not been through such things. I know, however, that they exist; so what is the difference?” That last line threw me off I had to reread it twice. She’s equating knowing of suffering to experiencing it. It’s as though she’s diminishing oppression, violence, and historical trauma. Maybe if I was younger and not radicalised I would’ve found it profound. But I’m old now. 

The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by José Saramago

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

To begin with, the narrative choice feels like a breath of fresh air, it feels as though you’re having a story told to you by somebody you’re familiar with and they constantly interact with you and make references that are outside of the story. This style is very much good at ensuring engagement with the book, and it truly doesn’t get boring. The pacing is slow, but it doesn’t result in the book seeming boring, everything slowly boils and you enjoy watching every bubble slowly emerge. Saramago is an atheist but you’d never catch that the way he beautifully writes this book and its events regarding religion and the subject of God. It does render a newer perspective to the person of Jesus, not as the son of God, but as the son of Joseph.

As the story progresses and we’re presented with a young Jesus, we see his faith being continuously shaken, he asks questions to his scribe and many other characters within the story and the answers given to him become unsatisfactory, and yet he’s fearful and devout to God so his frustrations are never directly towards God and whatever his will might be. One of the most intriguing parts of the story is when Jesus is at conflict with himself, having to choose between obeying divine authority and his own morality. His encounter with God is really where the story does a complete shift especially with Jesus’ character, the only thing that is able to keep him grounded is Mary Magdalene, his relationship with her is thus far the only thing that is still intact, whatever the lord promised him in the future or the said glory after his death, has gotten to him and we see him being driven by power.

“Jesus: But I'm not sure I am the son of God.

John: How can the devil know if you don't. Jesus: A good question, but they alone can answer it. 

John: Who do you mean by they. 

Jesus: I mean God, whose son the devil claims I am, and the devil, who could only have been told by God.”

And so he, and us the reader as well, wonder what relationship does God have with the devil. 

Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein

3.0

When writing, I always think it’s important to acknowledge the fact that thoughts too obey the law of gravity. It’s sincerely easy to write ideas down without end, but that very flow will most likely not apply to the person that is going to be reading your work. Thoughts flow easy from head on to paper, but it’s different when it’s from paper to head. 

Wittgenstein proposes some ground-breaking ideas and ways of thinking and viewing our use of language - as well as its limitations - and how logic is evidently applied. But man, he has an unbelievably terrible way of expressing them. He spends a considerable amount of time on the same topic conducting endless examples I guess in the hope of ensuring you understand him…but he just loses you more. I didn’t mind him resorting to mathematics, I just wished he knew when it was enough, but I get it, he’s a mathematician. His writing has me completely convinced that Hegel is more comprehensible in comparison. Overall I’m not hating his ideas, I’m just really not in tune with how he writes. I’ve yet to meet philosophers that write and flow better than Schopenhauer and Sartre, and if we’re considering “anti-philosophers” then I’d have Cioran. But then again, Wittgenstein would hate to be called a philosopher.

The New Gods by E.M. Cioran

challenging informative reflective tense

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Here Cioran diverges from his usual aphoristic style and presents his work in somewhat of an essay format and maintaining the same subject with each individual chapter 

The Demiurge

 first defining the concept that is a Demiurge, it’s an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining our physical universe. In this chapter Cioran argues that the critique towards God is due to Him being presented as an omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent being yet the world as his creation is far from what he is or represents, and that if He was to admit to making mistakes and errors, an equilibrium could arise and there would be no contradictions to His essence.

“In order to evade the difficulties inherent in dualism, we might postulate a single God whose history would develop in two phases: in the first, discreet, anemic, retiring, with no impulse to manifest Himself, a sleeping God exhausted by His own eternity; in the second phase, ambitious, frenzied, a God committing mistake after mistake, participating in a supremely blameworthy activity.”

The New Gods

Centres around theism; monotheism and polytheism, the latter being in the context of paganism. Cioran explains the implementations of such beliefs on society and the individual, as well as the death of polytheism, and the current death that monotheism is facing.

“It is the periods without a specific faith (the Hellenistic one or our own) which busy themselves classifying the gods, while refusing to divide them up into the true and the false. The notion that the gods are all worth something—are each worth as much as any other—is on the contrary unacceptable in the intervals when fervor prevails. We cannot pray to a god who is probably true. Prayer does not demean itself to subtleties nor tolerate distinctions within the Supreme: even when it doubts, it does so in the name of truth.”

Encounters With Suicide: This chapter had its powerful Cioranesque, written in an aphoristic style containing his ever so beautiful lyricism. He goes into his own experiences and feelings regarding suicide, not once rejecting it or its appeal.

“The only way of dissuading someone from suicide is to urge him to do it. He will never forgive you for your gesture, he will abandon his scheme or postpone its execution, he will regard you as an enemy, as a traitor. You thought you were rushing to his aid, rescuing him, and he sees in your eagerness no more than hostility and contempt. The strangest thing of all is that he was seeking your approval, pleading for your complicity. What did he actually expect? Haven’t you deceived yourself as to the nature of his confusion? What a mistake on his part to turn to you! At this stage of his solitude, what should have struck him is the impossibility of coming to an understanding with anyone except God.”

“Death is not necessarily experienced as deliverance; suicide always is: it is a summum, the paroxysm of salvation.

We should, out of decency, choose for ourselves the moment to disappear. It is debasing to die the way one does; it is intolerable to be exposed to an end over which we have no control, an end which lies in wait for us, overthrows us, casts us into the unnameable.”

The Foreign Legion by Clarice Lispector

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

The Misfortunes of Sofia : the surrendering of one’s painful existence to another in the hope that it shall be rendered a love that the owner is incapable of giving. Hoping that by that nature, life becomes durable living for someone else’s cause. But Sofia was frightened by the very thing she had wanted, it scared her so much she was afraid of proceeding further. Remarkable story focusing on the innocence of femininity and seeking identity in the raging storm of human existence.

“it was much too soon for me to see so much. It was much too soon for me to see how life is born. Life being born was much more bloody than dying. Dying is uninterrupted. But to see inert matter slowly trying to raise itself like a great living corpse—to see hope, filled me with fear, to see life filled me with nausea. Too much was being asked of my courage just because I was courageous, too much was being asked of my strength just because I was strong.”

“I could not decide which part of me I wanted, but I could not accept all of me; having been born was to be full of errors that needed correcting.”

The Egg and The Chicken: The egg comes before the chicken, our essence comes before us and will always guide us or forcefully take our hand to destinations we know nothing about. Those of us that are aware of this egg that exists within us, we are agents. We want to protect this egg, we sometimes try not to decipher its origins because to want to know more is to evidently know less. The story possess some terrifying existential musings written beautifully, confronting the confusion that is of existence and its agents, identity and alienation, and there were also matters of suicide involved that were told poetically.

“My mirror no longer reflects a face which can be called mine. Either I am an agent or this is truly betrayal.”

“the day is our salt, and we are the salt of the day, living is quite tolerable, living occupies and distracts, living excites laughter.”

“There was another agent who did not even need to be eliminated: he slowly consumed himself in rebellion, a rebellion which gripped him when he discovered that the handful of instructions he had received included no explanation.”

“We are those who refrain from destroying, only to be destroyed ourselves.”

The Evolution of Myopia: This part mostly centres around perception and validation. The boy wants to be perceived a certain way thus he carries himself in a manner that is to impress others. A pseudo act. Upon meeting his cousin he begins to see that she’s unmoved by his pretence and performative nature, so he’s taken aback, realising that she doesn’t care for his acts that aren’t true to his own self he begins to see things for what they are himself, his near sightedness becomes a thing of the past.

“For the first time, he, who was a creature given to moderation, for the first time, he felt himself attracted to the immoderate: an attraction for the impossible extreme. In a word, for the impossible. And for the first time he experienced passion.”

The second part really does kick off quicker, Clarice opens up to her personal world. Sharing her criticism and appreciation for certain artists and their respective art, her writing methods, observations, and philosophical ideas as well as her experiences. Sometimes written in an aphoristic style.

The Woman Burned At The Stake and The Harmonious Angels: A very much beautiful short story about a woman that is to be burned for committing the sin of infidelity. There at the place of her death is the people, the guards, the priest, her lover and husband, and the invisible angels - all watching, awaiting her death. To be burned for passionately sinning, to be burned for spreading the burning flame that lies within her heart. Throughout the entire procedure only good was spoken of the woman, from her lover and her husband. An abundantly rich prose that does not discard Clarice’s usual fragmented and poetic style. I think this was by far my favourite story, everything about it was beautiful.

“Lord, grant me the grace to sin. The freedom from temptation which you bestowed on me is too onerous a burden. Where is the water and the fire through which I have never passed? Lord, grant me the grace to sin. This candle which I have embodied and lit in Your holy name, has always burned in the light, yet I have seen nothing. But let hope open the gates of Your violent heaven: I now perceive that, if you did not destine me to be a burning torch, at least you have destined me to set the torch alight.”

Wrath: To be consumed by wrath; that which is the polar opposite of passion. The desire to cleanse one’s heart of hatred and to welcome love into their being, to acknowledge one’s crimes before acknowledging those of others. Thus all that man can do is plead towards a source outside of himself for a way, because he also believes that wanting a direct hand from God would be to taint the very pure image of God.

“My clumsy and pitiful efforts have gained me neither heaven nor earth, and I am possessed by rage. Ah, if only for one moment I might understand that this rage is directed at my own crimes and not at those of others, then this rage would be transformed into flowers in my hands; into flowers, into flowers, into delicate things, into love.”

The arrangement of these stories, that of which I cannot decipher as to whether or not it was intentional or random, but the first story being that of a coming of age and the last one being the death of a criminal, I find it quite beautiful. Her nauseating and mesmerising writing style that leaves you almost crying and disoriented is something I’ll never not appreciate. She considers writing as something that resembles an animal or a plant, something that you just have to let be and have it guide you, have it evoke your being and not the other way around. 

I rewatched her 1977 interview that was recorded months before her passing and she spoke about the sort of people that can read her work, and so she said that in order to read her, one doesn’t necessarily need intelligence, but rather the ability to feel.

The Foreign Legion shows her deep concern with the central problems of existence and individual identity. Conflicts abound between human ideals and actions, between imaginings and reality, between faith and logic.

“If I were to give a title to my life it would be: in search of my own thing” - C.L

Kokoro by Natsume Sōseki
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.

Ass

The Transcendence of the Ego: An Existentialist Theory of Consciousness by Jean-Paul Sartre

informative slow-paced

3.75

Molloy by Samuel Beckett

challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

the narrative pays close attention to detail, ensuring that you’re aware that this is an old man speaking. Forgetfulness and  repetition of thoughts and phrases highlights that a lot and his desire to not say too much but continue to overthink. Molloy resembles the underground man a lot except for a few minor differences such as a lack of a superiority complex. Molloy is searching for his mother, he doesn’t know exactly where she is, but he moves forward in hopes of finding it regardless of the knowledge of the actual address. He encounters a lot of people along the way. My favourite encounter is with Lousse, their odd dynamic is quite interesting. Beckett really takes pride in the absurd, leading the audience to question things but alas, those questions will drift in the deep void of no answer. Molloy’s psyche, over analytical and introspective nature are what really intrigues me. He searches for his mother, where he came from, which feels like it’s a search for the meaning of his existence. And along the road he stumbles upon people and things that easily distract him from that search but they aren’t necessarily bad things, they just take him off course for a bit. Him being very much old might be an overall portrayal that the search for one’s meaning has no limit, it’s a yearning for all men of all ages so long as there lies consciousness. Moran and Molloy are very much unreliable narrators they utilise a lot of hyperboles when speaking and due to their very much fragile memories, their thoughts become drowned and foggy. My only concern with the book was its pacing and its super abstract nature to follow, i wasn’t prepared for it to be of that par. It’s not necessarily enjoyable but it’s fairly intriguing and mystifying. Beckett really takes pride in his absurd and ‘weird’ writing.

The Lover by Marguerite Duras by Marguerite Duras, Marguerite Duras

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The loss innocence, poverty, memory, and the struggle of grasping individuality through femininity. Beautiful writing style, alluring sentences and erotic lyricism.
I enjoyed every bit of it.