About book The Book Of The Courtesans: A Catalogue Of Their Virtues (2002)
There are four major problems with The Book of the Courtesans:1) Histories should contain more history than assumptions and fictional storytelling, and this one does not. Even though Griffin does state 'one can imagine' quite a few times before wandering off into fantasy land, that doesn't excuse the fact that this is more romanticized conjecture than actual history.2) There was no logical progression and threatened at times to get bogged down in its own confusing narrative. The way the author jumps around from specific woman to a different specific woman to a generalized idea about all women to yet another different woman makes it difficult (if not impossible for some readers) to keep track. Not just poor organization but poor writing on Griffin's part: this happens in the middle of the same paragraph, not just in sections and chapters.3) The writing style is overblown, approaching pompous. The flowery, indulgent prose in The Book of the Courtesans make some bodice-rippers I've read seem well-written and positively restrained. Several times I caught myself rolling my eyes because Griffin struck me as a young English major showing off all the 'big' or 'interesting' words she knows, regardless of the fact that they have no business in the sentence, do not actually means what she seems to think they mean, or are just flat out ridiculous. A good editor should've reeled in this tendency with a red pen but did not.4) The book is just kind of boring. A great idea but the reality falls far short of the potential. Poor execution.I'll admit I didn't finish this one; having made it most of the way through, I got tired of rolling my eyes and finally gave up on the last fifty pages or so. This could've been so good but turned out to be mostly a massive disappointment.
I enjoyed this. It wasn't an indepth treatment of the lives of these women, but more of an overview of how they integrated in society and how society dealt with their prescence. There were some fun stories. The idea of presenting them under the categories of the different personality characteristcs was interesting, though it inevitably lead to breaking off the discussion of a courtesan just as the topic started to become a little more deep. I found that detracted somewhat from my enjoyment of the book.While I understand the reasoning behind the organization of the stories, it left the book feeling a bit jagged and, oddly, unorganized at times. As if I reading one of those literary books that jump you all through the timeline and just expect you to keep up. But, if you can get past that, it's a fun look back at a less-than-respectable portion of our society.
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This was a fun book that felt weightier than it was. I really loved the bios of some fascinating women I wouldn't have otherwise met, along with the juicy anecdotes that will be fun at parties (if I end up at the right parties). I was not enamored with the book's organization, however. It too often felt like a stretch to match each profiled character to a particular virtue, just to keep the structure intact. If you're a not-too-serious history buff who enjoys salacious content, this will be a jolly fun read.
—Susan
I generally find lofty words questionable. But the method in which this book is written; granted lofty, romantically digs into the nature of the subject which is entirely a pleasure principle applied by the most basic need of the survival of women. Cunning are women indeed. Beautifully written. I love the idea of fashion being a religion & courtesans the life of the party. Though the era of courtesans has ceased to exists, their legacy is apparent and a foundation for powerful women is undeniable.
—Ee'ah
Griffin has an impressive resume and I wonder if this book was thrown together quickly to fulfill some contractual obligation. Other than the inane "virtues" categories, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to this. The author swings wildly between decades and centuries, trying to fit the courtesans into the categories, without actually delving into who they were as women. She includes women who weren't actually courtesans (Coco Chanel, Marion Davies) without expanding on why, and is almost clinical in her attempt to dissect the allure of the actual courtesans, never mentioning (perhaps because it didn't occur to her) that what each of these women shared was the "je ne sais quoi". That intangible "it" factor, which is impossible to explain. To disagree with several of the venerable writers who provided blurbs for the book, this was the least erotic book about the courtesans I've ever read. Skip it and go straight to the sources themselves (Liane de Pougy's "Blue Notebooks"), or to Cornelia Otis Skinner's "Elegant Wits and Grand Horizontals" for at least a tantalizing peek into the world of these fascinating women.
—Avery Grey
