M. Butterfly: With an Afterword by the Playwright

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Pained Love, 2008-10-13
M. Butterfly / 0-822-20712-5 br / br /Hwang's drama takes a real life story, often distilled into a joke or a bit of trivia, and creates a compelling drama. He refuses easy answers here, noting that the thing people "really" want to ask is "Did he or didn't he know?" The novelty of the situation shocks us - Did he know? Didn't he know? If he didn't know, HOW did he not know? - and we want to hear the details, partly to satisfy a vicarious desire, and partly to reassure ourselves that such deception could not happen to us. br / br /However, Hwang turns the question aside as meaningless and points out that the underlying deception - that of a false lover - is one that we've all seen (and many have experienced) countless times. The gender of the participants is less important than their feelings and motivations. Whatever else may have occurred, he argues, a human being was used in a terrible way, and his heart was destroyed in the process. Everything else in immaterial. br /

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Was is too blatant?, 2008-08-15
I fel that the element of homosexuality was ruined by the synopsis on the back cover. Who wants to read a book if the plot is all spelled out? Personally, I would have rather read the book only knowing that it was about a french diplomat who begin a love affair with a chinese opera star. But since I knew the basic plot, it was sadly deflated.

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Interesting, 2007-11-12
I had to read this for a college course. It was a very quick read and very interesting. It is a great book to write a paper over because of all the gender themes as well. It's a little grotesque at times and definitely not moral, but you wont regret reading it. I would suggest it highly.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

quite happy experience, recommended, 2006-11-06
I received my order right on time, in good condition, fast and efficient, very satisfactory service.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

I Was Left Breathless, 2006-09-18
I recently saw a performance of M. Butterfly at a local theatre, and I was left utterly speechless. The acting was extremely powerful, which brought the story and its themes to life better than any book could. Nevertheless, I'm going to buy a copy of the play!