Misanthropic Tales

Name: Misanthropic Tales
Price: 19.50 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781943813537

✍️ S Henry Berthoud

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$19.50

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A 1831 collection of thirty-four anti-stories rejecting happy endings

This volume serves as the foundational text for Contes cruels, a genre defined by its opposition to fictional embellishment. Berthoud crafted these narratives to deny the reader's hope for a positive conclusion. Stableford’s translation makes these thirty-four tales accessible to English speakers for the first time. The content focuses on disenchantment and the rejection of standard narrative comfort. It challenges the audience to appreciate the hypocrisy inherent in traditional storytelling conventions. The book is organized as a series of discrete anti-stories rather than a continuous plot. It requires a specific type of reader who can appreciate the deliberate violation of hope. Those seeking emotional satisfaction or moral clarity will find this work unsuitable. The value lies in its structural defiance and its commitment to unvarnished narrative outcomes.

Key Themes

anti-stories happy endings disenchantment

Literary Context

Published in 1831, this work established the Contes cruels genre. Berthoud created the first collection to define this approach. The text opposes standard fictional conventions through thirty-four tales of disenchantment.

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Marquis de Sade · Tzvetan Todorov's Gothic theory · Bram Stoker's darker works · True crime literature

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Horror Fiction

🏛 Snuggly Books 📅 2018 📖 286 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781943813537

📝 Description: Misanthropic Tales

S. Henry Berthoud’s Misanthropic Tales presents a collection of thirty-four narratives that actively reject standard fictional conventions. First published in 1831, this volume establishes the genre known as Contes cruels by deliberately opposing embellishment and contrived happy endings. The stories function as anti-stories designed to violate the ordinary reader's expectation that a tale will conclude well. This English translation, completed by Brian Stableford, offers these works for the first time in the language. The book targets discriminating readers with refined taste who understand the essential hypocrisy of traditional fiction. It appeals to those who wish to enjoy disenchantment in a connoisseur fashion rather than seeking comfort or moral resolution. The collection does not suit readers expecting conventional narrative arcs or uplifting conclusions. Instead, it provides a stark examination of human nature through tales that deny standard hope. Berthoud qualifies as a seminal figure in this literary space, having created the first collection to define this specific approach to storytelling. The work draws on traditions that prioritize raw truth over artistic comfort. It stands as a deliberate violation of ordinary expectations, offering thirty-four distinct instances of narrative denial rather than traditional plot development.

💎 Our verdict on Misanthropic Tales

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Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Berthoud’s work stands as a seminal figure in literary history by defining the Contes cruels through thirty-four distinct instances of narrative denial. The translation by Brian Stableford makes these anti-stories accessible for the first time, preserving their structural defiance and rejection of moral clarity. This volume suits readers who seek to challenge themselves against standard narrative arcs rather than those expecting uplifting conclusions. It delivers a rigorous examination of human nature that prioritizes raw truth over artistic comfort. While unsuitable for those seeking emotional satisfaction, it offers a unique connoisseur experience of disenchantment. The book effectively violates ordinary expectations, establishing itself as a crucial text for understanding the evolution of horror and the critique of traditional storytelling conventions.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

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Why this book is worth reading

This volume appeals to discriminating readers with refined taste who understand the essential hypocrisy of traditional fiction. It is designed for those who wish to enjoy disenchantment in a connoisseur fashion rather than seeking comfort or moral resolution. The collection offers a stark examination of human nature through tales that deny standard hope, providing a structural defiance against ordinary expectations. By prioritizing raw truth over artistic comfort, it challenges the audience to appreciate the hypocrisy inherent in conventional storytelling. Readers who can appreciate the deliberate violation of hope will find value in its unvarnished narrative outcomes and its commitment to opposing fictional embellishment.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Berthoud’s work stands as a seminal figure in literary history by defining the Contes cruels through thirty-four distinct instances of narrative denial. The translation by Brian Stableford makes these anti-stories accessible for the first time, preserving their structural defiance and rejection of moral clarity. This volume suits readers who seek to challenge themselves against standard narrative arcs rather than those expecting uplifting conclusions. It delivers a rigorous examination of human nature that prioritizes raw truth over artistic comfort. While unsuitable for those seeking emotional satisfaction, it offers a unique connoisseur experience of disenchantment. The book effectively violates ordinary expectations, establishing itself as a crucial text for understanding the evolution of horror and the critique of traditional storytelling conventions.