The Reason Why: An Anthology of the Murderous Mind [Hardcover]

Ruth Rendell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 5, 1996

One of the world's most acclaimed mystery writers presents an anthology of literary depictions of murder that delves into the human passions, terrors, and foibles that incite the act and linger in its wake. Includes such writers as Sophocles, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Poe, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, Albert Camus, Graham Greene, P.D. James, Truman Capote, and Norman Mailer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

How effective is a paragraph of Dostoyevski's Crime and Punishment out of context? Not very, and that's the problem with Rendell's anthology of more than 100 snippets from sources as diverse as the Bible, Matthew Arnold's "Sohrab and Rustum," Toni Morrison's Beloved and Melanie Klein's A Contribution to the Psychogenesis of Manic-Depressive States. Rendell (Simisola) begins with the premise that the "passions and terrors" that motivate murderers are more interesting than the act of murder itself. No doubt this is true, but although some of the excerpts are good enough to send readers back to the complete sources, the exercise here is too limited. So are Rendell's brief introductory comments to each selection, e.g., "A Mistreated wife takes revenge for a death." Rendell, brilliant at using narrative arc and duration to build suspense in her own writing, knows better. These digests are simply too neat. Like a funky highlight film, they provide neither a serious analytical approach nor a rich imaginative one.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Excerpts from a broad range of writings, including both fiction and nonfiction, attempt to explain what compels one person to take the life of another. Rendell has arranged the selections by motive and situation, and perhaps sheds some light on the human psyche.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1st Amer. edition (March 5, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517703475
• ISBN-13: 978-0517703472
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,340,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Compilation of Murderous Thoughts, July 22, 2001

By 

spideranansie (Singapore - Manchester) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Reason Why: An Anthology of the Murderous Mind (Hardcover)

Rendell's book brings together some of the most famous writings which delve into the murderer's mind -- whether it's murder for gain, murder for revenge or murder for murder's sake. Psychological processes are by definition complicated and multi-faceted, more so in what is required mentally in the act of taking another's life. It is a good reference for readers who wanna know more about what drives people to commit the ultimate sin. They should keep in mind though, that the majority of extracts are fiction, but many are so well written and expressed that it almost becomes reality for the reader. Especially memorable was the entry on a husband's murdering of the postman for being "guilty" of bringing love letters from her wife's lover, and 2 exerpts about people who kill out of loneliness and for companionship. At the back of that is the need to arrest the moment, to stop time from moving. At times chilling, but more oftentimes tragic and poignant, it makes one think of life, and how one values it, or not at all. Life might be the sacred spring for most, but is definitely dispensable and callously treated by others. Only gripe I have about the book is that Rendell doesn't explain enough about the texts selected. Other than putting in sporadic commentaries, there isn't much background about the play or novel where she gets the extracts from. Some exerpts really left me scratching my head, wondering what the characters were going on about. That is a big minus, and a tad sloppy. Other that, worth a read, for some really moving passages, and for referral to the texts mentioned.