I denne study guide kan du få hjælp til at analysere teksten “Killing Child at Zoo” af Bret Easton Ellis, som er et uddrag af American Psycho, der optræder i tekstbogen Wider Contexts (s. 178-181). Udover analysehjælpen kan du finde et summary af teksten samt idéer til fortolkning og perspektivering.
Præsentation af teksten
Titel: “Killing Child at Zoo” (1991)
Forfatter: Bret Easton Ellis
Genre: Romanuddrag
Bret Easton Ellis (f. 1964) er en amerikansk forfatter, som især er kendt for romanerne Less than Zero (1985) og American Psycho (1991).
Uddraget “Killing Child at Zoo” stammer fra American Psycho. Romanen var meget kontroversiel, da den blev udgivet. Flere kritikere mente nemlig, at dens store fokus på skildring af brutal vold var usmagelig.
Uddrag
Nedenfor kan du læse et kort uddrag fra vores study guide til romanuddraget:
Title
The title of Bret Easton Ellis’ text “Killing Child at Zoo” (a chapter of the novel American Psycho) - refers, in the literal sense, to Patrick Bateman killing a boy at the Central Park zoo. The reader naturally forms an expectation of the violence that is about to occur, and the expectation is not disappointed, as Bateman does end up killing a child based on a seemingly random impulse.
The title also has a symbolic meaning, however. The way it is phrased is impersonal and dehumanizing, reflecting Patrick’s lack of remorse or empathy, and his concern only with himself. Furthermore, the title – which lacks definite or indefinite articles and fails to give any details – makes the act of murdering a child sound almost mundane. This contrasts with the violence of the crime and the tragedy it represents. The title, therefore, also hints at Patrick’s disappointment that the child’s death only brought him a short-lived sense of satisfaction.
