Whatever (novel): Difference between revisions

Like most of Houellebecq's novels, it is written in a darkly humorous style, is highly offensive and vulgar at times, and contains sharp criticisms/observations of the widespread social atomization, materialism and consumerism he implies is a result of modern Capitalism and Liberalism.  Its acknowledgement of a social hierarchy as being instinctive to human sexuality makes it arguably the most [[sexual realism|sexual realist]], arguably [[blackpilled]] novels in history.<ref>https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/whatever-1994-by-michel-houellebecq-a-superb-declaration-of-hostilities-1.3919923</ref>   

The novel has been argued to have been influenced by another French critic of sexual liberalism, [[Michel Clouscard]], who explored similar ideas, but with an ultimately different train of thought.  Clouscard notably critiqued the sexual revolution as aiming to distract the working class from their economic poverty by promoting a range of romantic choice not within the reach of most of the working class.<ref> https://philitt.fr/2019/02/28/le-capitalisme-selon-houellebecq-une-lutte-perpetuelle-qui-ne-peut-jamais-avoir-de-fin-1-3/ In French.</ref>  Clouscard indirectly criticized feminism as consumerist and a distraction through his critique of the sexual revolution.