Paul Bowles Criticism
Paul Bowles (1910–1999) was a multifaceted American artist, renowned as a novelist, short story writer, poet, translator, and composer. Settling in Morocco, Bowles became a prominent expatriate figure, known for his existential explorations of the human psyche. His work often delves into the "abysses and furies" of existence, presenting an unsettling vision of emptiness. Bowles's literary style has drawn comparisons to Edgar Allan Poe for its Gothic atmosphere, and to Joseph Conrad for its thematic focus on moral chaos when civilized individuals confront primitive environments. His novels, such as The Sheltering Sky, vividly portray existential alienation and the futility of human endeavor in harsh landscapes, as noted by critics like O. B. Hardison, Jr. and Strained Relations. Bowles's short stories, discussed by critics such as Tennessee Williams and Harry Marten, often depict isolated characters in extreme psychological states, revealing a world devoid of sentimentality and full of existential dread. Despite his narratives' often bleak outlook, Bowles's work remains a significant study of human isolation and the complexities of cultural encounters.
Contents
- Bowles, Paul (Vol. 1)
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Bowles, Paul (Vol. 19)
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Strained Relations
(summary)
In the following essay, the critic explores how Paul Bowles's novel The Sheltering Sky extends his themes of nihilism and terror into a Saharan setting, depicting a hauntingly absurd journey that reflects on futility, despair, and indifference within a foreign, unforgiving landscape.
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The Human Psyche—Alone
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In the following essay, Tennessee Williams argues that Paul Bowles's literary work, particularly in "The Delicate Prey and Other Stories," powerfully explores the theme of isolation within the human psyche, depicting characters who deliberately choose their solitude and revealing a profound, emotionally austere world without sentimentality.
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A Relentless Drive toward Doom
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Gorham Davis critiques "Let It Come Down" by Paul Bowles, suggesting that while Bowles's talent for the macabre and imaginative is evident, the novel's philosophical intentions and portrayal of modern life's meaninglessness lack depth and may seem malign if taken as a serious social critique.
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Books: 'Let It Come Down'
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In the following essay, Richard Hayes critiques Paul Bowles's novel Let It Come Down, arguing that despite the novel's atmospheric setting and symbolic significance, Bowles fails to make the narrative compelling due to a lack of moral imagination and an over-reliance on melodramatic elements.
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French Islam
(summary)
In the following essay, William Peden argues that Paul Bowles's novel "The Spider's House" is his finest work, showcasing a nuanced understanding of the Arab world through its compelling characters and exploration of good and evil, set against the backdrop of political and cultural conflict in Fez.
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Books: 'The Spider's House'
(summary)
In the following essay, Anthony West argues that Paul Bowles's "The Spider's House" is a mature and delicate work that effectively blends creative imagination with political reportage, masterfully capturing the impact of public events on personal lives and offering a profound insight into the Moroccan crisis.
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Beyond the Bazaars, the Hushed Air of the Sahara
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In the following essay, Freya Stark critiques Paul Bowles's travel essays for their vivid and lively descriptions but argues that they often lack deeper analysis or reflections, although he achieves a more profound understanding in his writings on Africa.
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Reconsideration: Paul Bowles' 'The Sheltering Sky'
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In the following essay, O. B. Hardison, Jr. argues that Paul Bowles's novel The Sheltering Sky masterfully explores themes of existential alienation and the desire for annihilation through its portrayal of characters grappling with the burdens of consciousness, highlighting its unique position amidst modern literature as a critique of civilization.
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Books in Brief: 'Things Gone and Things Still Here'
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In the following essay, Michael Pettit critiques Bowles's Things Gone and Things Still Here, highlighting its modest narrative style and cultural anthropological perspective, but also noting a pervasive sense of fatalism and transformation that ultimately leaves the stories feeling flat and uninspired.
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Bleak Craft
(summary)
In the following essay, Joyce Carol Oates argues that Paul Bowles's "Collected Stories" evoke a powerful sense of a pre-conscious natural world and create an unnerving suspense through masterful craft, though they lack psychological depth and human consciousness, presenting characters as distant and shadowy figures.
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'Collected Stories, 1939–1976'
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In the following essay, Harry Marten contends that Paul Bowles's Collected Stories vividly depict violent and alien landscapes, illuminating the complexities of human relationships under stress through a compelling, though uneven, mix of exotic settings and linguistic precision.
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Abrupt Mutilations
(summary)
In the following essay, Irving Malin analyzes Paul Bowles' stories, arguing that his characters are frequently displaced individuals facing existential chaos, engaging with themes of madness and identity transformation, and emphasizing life's inherent cruelty through a direct and unadorned narrative style.
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Strained Relations
(summary)
- Bowles, Paul (Vol. 2)