Spoilers for both Rebecca and The Talented Mr. Ripley follow. Recently I had occasion to sketch a brief comparative character study of Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley and Daphne du Maurier’s second Mrs. de Winter, two of literature’s sulkiest schoolboys. Both are fond of slouching, stuffing their hands in their pockets, treating their ersatz-husbands like King Quarterback Bully-My-Love, avoiding women, barely suppressing a murderous rage against rivals for King Bully’s attention, slotting everyone they come across into a rival-or-
narrator/G--------/Tedward is also Richard from The Secret History re: social climbing anxiety-shame & wanting to be adopted by someone who will tell him where his place is & put him there & lend him sweaters! or I think so. but I'm not sure that Richard is also Tom, Richard would never do a murder if it wasn't a social obligation, I don't think he is good at it or considers it quite his own special subject.
The Talented Mr. Ripley and the Second Mrs. de Winter
i would like to register my interest in literary criticism pertaining to internecine sexual resentment going forward
absolutely, without a doubt, yes
narrator/G--------/Tedward is also Richard from The Secret History re: social climbing anxiety-shame & wanting to be adopted by someone who will tell him where his place is & put him there & lend him sweaters! or I think so. but I'm not sure that Richard is also Tom, Richard would never do a murder if it wasn't a social obligation, I don't think he is good at it or considers it quite his own special subject.
this is a very delicate & tricky equation