Madame Chrysantheme (French Edition) [Paperback]

Pierre Loti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 2007

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. This text refers to the Bibliobazaar edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: BiblioBazaar (February 8, 2007)
• Language: French
• ISBN-10: 1426485670
• ISBN-13: 978-1426485671
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,905,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Of A Certain Time..., January 11, 2003

By 

C. T. Northrup (New York City, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Madame Chrysantheme (Paperback)

...I have to recommend this book as being lush, Romantic, and hugely interesting not only as a novel, but also in its historic significance as well. The previous review is right in its observation of the colonialist attitude in the book, it is a novel of a certain time and a certain place, which is often why we read literature anyway no?...Not to mention this is a sailor story, and like so many other sailor stories throughout history, published and unpublished, the main character is in a foreign land, he gets the girl (or the guy), they have a "nice time", dramatic bits here and there, then toot toot the ship sets sail. The colonialist accusations are perhaps why Loti has largely faded from popular view, but should not prevent us from looking further into its significance as a catalyst in the interest of Japanese and Asian culture in the late 19th Century. Most notably, this book was read by Van Gogh during a brief Japanese phase. He was then inspired by Japanese prints and read Madame Chrysantheme by candle light, feeding his fertile imagination and all the while conjuring and creating images of a land so far from his view. That is the beauty of Madame Chrysantheme.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration for Madama Butterfly, April 10, 2010

By 

Jennifer Jones - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Madame Chrysantheme (Paperback)

I agree with the prior reviews of this book. The author's bias is prevalent and often hard to ignore, but this novel gives a glimpse of an important time in history. I found it fascinating that Giacomo Puccini would later write one of the most famous operas Madama Butterfly, due in part, to the influence this novel had on David Belasco's play Madame Butterfly. Though the tone can be racist as well as sexist, I did find value in reading it. The reader can clearly see the prevalent attitudes and beliefs of the European/Western mindset when approaching a different culture. Loti refers to Madame Chrysantheme as a "little doll" and wonders if she even has thoughts or feelings. He then proceeds to say "why should he care?" This way of viewing another culture is closed minded and disheartening because he misses out on so much while he is in Japan. Including the blatant disregard for Chrysantheme as a woman, he never truly "sees" the rich culture, religion, or people. However, there are moments when he is struck by the beauty of the landscape, or the evenings on the town, in these moments you can almost see through his eyes. I recommend this book because it shows how much the world has changed, and provides a brief glimpse into Loti's life, as well as his experiences in Japan.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Colonialism., December 6, 2002

By 

Luc REYNAERT (Beernem, Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Madame Chrysantheme (Paperback)

Loti was a professional seaman. When his ship is moored in Nagasaki, he contacts a matrimonial agent for a 'temporary marriage' with a young Japanese girl, Madame Chrysanthème.
The novel narrates his sexual (?), and in any case loveless, relationship with the girl as if Loti is keeping a diary, very anecdotally.
Loti has not the slightest interest in the Japanese soul. This work has absolutely no psychological content. Loti looks as a real colonialist disdainful and amused upon Japan and the Japanese.
If this novel would have been written today, it would certainly be called racist.
But it gives a good picture of Nagasaki at the end of the 19th century.

To be read as a document about the relationship between the East and the West in the 19th century and about the arrogant mentality in the West at that time.