Little Tales of Misogyny

This is definitely a strange little book. Seventeen stories, some of them microstories of just a couple of pages. And each is a kind of fable about a role, an identity occupied by a female character — The Coquette, The Dancer, The Female Novelist, The Breeder, The Prude, . . .And each is its own kind of tragic, deflating descent. “The Female Novelist”for example relives her past marriage in her writing while her third husband works up to heading out the door with pajamas and toothbrush to try his luck elsewhere. “The Coquette” is murdered in a fight staged by two suitors who maneuver her between them to make it look as if she died trying to interfere. And so it goes.The men don’t find happy endings in some of the stories either, like the husband of “The Breeder” who ends up in an insane asylum, the father of so many children that he has lost count. And Elaine (“The Breeder” herself) says, in Highsmith’s sarcastic voice, “But I do feel fulfilled, dear.”Even when things work, as they do for a while for example, for Mildred (“The Mobile Bed-Object”), they don’t really work. And then they don’t work even more.It’s as if you took a torch to male/female relationships of all sorts, but then you realized it was always that way. It was always happening, it just happened behind closed doors.What if the roles and identities actually exhausted all of the ones available to women? It’s a nightmare, a city of nothing but dead ends. And it’s not even just something we can attribute to modern, western culture — see, for example, “Ooona, the Jolly Cave Woman.” She was killed by a jealous wife and became obsessively enshrined in songs, images, and statues created by the wife’s husband.The stories are darkly funny in their tragic way. It’s a little disturbing, and it makes you ask a good question — what if this is really all there is?

These short stories are REALLY SHORT. They're bizarre little art pieces unto themselves and, while engaging, are rather eccentric. Little Tales of Misogyny is a Highsmith book to pick up after you've read some of her more notable work, for the simple reason it isn't as definitive an indication of who she is as a writer as other works. Nonetheless, the book is entertaining in its own odd manner of storytelling.

I usually love short stories but I found the tone of the stories curiously flat. Considering how violent the subject matter of these stories,this was peculiar and rather disconcerting. And all relayed in as unemotional "voice" as possible, much like a newsreader reading the days highlights.The stories left me wondering more about the author's state of mind rather than the stories and the characters themselves.Just Bizarre.If I have to dig for a positive - its that those daily commonplace events gets turned onto its head and turned into murderous events - the docile housewife becomes a killing machine, the sulky daughter turns into a willing prostitute who gets murdered...

Patricia Highsmith is Patricia Highsmith :) She wrote it as she saw it.

The stories are strange but the book is must for any Highsmith's fan collection

Some of these are a little slapdash, but the collection is a good introduction to Highsmith's blend of the macabre and humorous.

I read this book many years ago in Spanish, my mother tongue, but in English was even much better!Strongly recommend to read it.

Ouch, Ms Highsmith had a deep sense of cruelty.

Can't really fault the writing but even at just over 100 pages the message goes on a bit. Highsmith vents her spleen on stupid women, stupid men, greedy women, murderous women, murderous men. You could add .....'and misandry' to the collection's title and it would be accurate or you could go the whole hog and call it 'Little tales of misanthropy' which would also be accurate. She doesn't really have much time for anyone.However once you have read two or three of the seventeen stories you get the picture and there's no real reason to carry on.

Wimmin take centre stage in Patricia Highsmith's Little Tales of Misogyny.Vamps + Tramps .Harlots + Hellcats.Misfits + Muses.Harpies + HeroinesDangerous Dames + Dead Dames .Maniacs + Murderers.Mothers + Martyrs.Saints + Sinners.Victims + Vixens.Something of the restrained fury of these Little Tales makes them Maleficient !

I quite enjoyed these Short stories would definitely read more of her booksI read these on the train .

Quirky and easy to read short stories that usually have a subtle twist. Could be perfrct for making a commute less mundane.

Didn't want to like this book, but I did.