Reflections in a Golden Eye (Paperback)

by Carson McCullers (Author) "AN ARMY POST in peacetime is a dull place..." (more)
Key Phrases: Private Williams, Captain Penderton, Major Langdon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The novel is a masterpiece . . . as mature and finished as Henry James's THE TURN OF THE SCREW." -- Review

Review

?The greatest prose writer that the South produced? -- Tennessee Williams

?Again [McCullers] shows a sort of subterranean and ageless instinct for probing the hidden in men?s hearts and minds.?

The New York Herald-Tribune

"The novel is a masterpiece . . . as mature and finished as Henry James's THE TURN OF THE SCREW." Time Magazine

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Product Details Paperback: 182 pages Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (September 8, 2000) Language: English ISBN-10: 0618084754 ISBN-13: 978-0618084753 Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #416,267 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #15 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > McCullers, Carson

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AN ARMY POST in peacetime is a dull place. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Private Williams, Captain Penderton, Major Langdon, Morris Langdon, The Lady, Leonora Penderton, Lieutenant Weincheck, Madame Alison, Alison Langdon, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Weldon Penderton

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 11 books:

• The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Oprah's Book Club) by Carson McCullers in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Modern Library) by Carson McCullers in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• The Square Root of Wonderful by Carson McCullers in Front Matter

See all 11 books this book cites

 

69 books cite this book:

• Carson McCullers: A Life by Josyane Savigneau on 27 pages
• Understanding Carson McCullers (Understanding Contemporary American Literature) by Virginia Spencer Carr on 16 pages
• The South in Black and White: Race, Sex, and Literature in the 1940s by McKay Jenkins on 6 pages
• John Huston: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series) by Robert Emmet Long on 5 pages
• Closet Writing/Gay Reading: The Case of Melville's Pierre by James Creech on 4 pages

See all 69 books citing this book

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	75% buy the item featured on this page: Reflections in a Golden Eye 4.2 out of 5 stars (19) $10.00
	10% buy Collected Stories of Carson McCullers, including The Member of the Wedding and The Ballad of the Sad Cafe 4.3 out of 5 stars (7) $10.20
	8% buy The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Oprah's Book Club) 3.8 out of 5 stars (162) $10.94
	4% buy Reflections In A Golden Eye 3.7 out of 5 stars (17)

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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews 5 star:  (7) 4 star:  (8) 3 star:  (4) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.2 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 19 of 19 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars AS DARK AS DARK CAN BE, I CERTAINLY MUST SAY..., February 1, 2003 By  Larry L. Looney (Austin, Texas USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    This review is from: Reflections in a Golden Eye (Paperback) The edition of this novel that I own is the one with the introduction written by Tennessee Williams - and that introduction makes a lot of valid points about the novel itself, the darkness that it contains (or attempts to contain - this depth of darkness burns through boundaries), and the reception it received upon its original publication. On this last topic, it should be noted that the novel (her second) was not nearly as well received as McCullers' debut masterpiece, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER. Williams points out - and rightly so - that `...in her second novel the veil of a subjective tenderness...was drawn away.' What readers and critics were left with was a chilling - and compelling - portrait of six people wrecking together at a fog-shrouded emotional intersection in their lives. It's not a pretty sight - but McCullers' incredible writing simply will not allow us (or her characters) to turn away. The characters slam together completely out of emotional control - mainly because none of them really know themselves deeply enough to understand what they're feeling or experiencing. It's excruciating - and fascinating - to watch. The book may not have been well received critically when it was new - but time has shown McCullers' talents to be long lasting. She is truly one of the giants of 20th century literature. 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars The Poetry of Menace, April 26, 2005 By  Anonymous (London) - See all my reviews This novella is a brave, bald exploration of homosexuality and infidelity in the military. It presents itself as a rare event that disturbs the routine dullness of peacetime military life. The small circle of characters is individually and collectively self-destructive. There's Captain Penderton, who comes to nurse ambivalent homosexual yearnings for Private Williams, who fancies his wife. Meanwhile, Mrs Leonora Pederton is sleeping with General Langdon, whose wife, Alison, eventually succumbs to a complete breakdown of sanity. Got that? Good. It's compulsive stuff. In this narrow social circle, author McCullers sets "normal" domestic events such as cooking delicious Southern dinners, and card evenings, against sexual episodes (both overt and latent). These range from Private Williams crouching in Mrs Penderton's room all night long to observe her sleeping naked, through to the tormentedly homosexual Captain Pemberton wrecking the body and spirit of his wife's horse on a particularly brutal ride. In some ways, the strangest character is the Langdons' Filipino houseboy, Anacleto. Effete, devoted and fastidious to a "T", a would-be dancer and artist, he provides tragic Mrs Langdon with a kind of love. And it is Anacleto's artistic vision of a peacock with grotesque reflections in its golden eye that explains the title. Typically of McCullers's Southern Gothicism, the writing infuses poetry with a feeling of utter menace. At times it's scarily bald, yet lyrical: "In the sky there was a white brilliant moon and the night was cold and silvery." Some have found it too short, but I don't see that as a problem. It's a quick, chillingly stylish read that plumbs hidden psychological depths and doesn't shrink from uncomfortable truths. 12 of 14 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Strange but Effective Story, May 20, 2005 By  H. F. Corbin "Foster Corbin" (ATLANTA, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       Written in 1941, Carson McCullers' second novel probably qualifies as a novella or long short story. Surely it was light years ahead of its time as Ms. McCullers takes on homosexuality-- latent and the other kind, masochism, adultery, voyeurism, self-mutilation, a nervous breakdown and animal cruelty in fewer than a hundred pages. In the hands of a lesser writer, this tale would have degenerated into a trashy detective story. Ms. McCullers, however, manages to make the characters, with all their warts, believable, and for the most part, sympathetic. Captain Penderton, for example, is tormented by his hidden feelings for other men-- he is simultaneously attracted to both Private Williams as well as Major Langdon and hates Williams, even though he ought to despise the Major since he is cuckolding the Captain who, along with everyone else, knows about it. But Penderton is a real person, unhappy, lonely but capable of murder. Ms. McCullers keeps this story first class with her spare, though poetic language. "An army post [the story is set on a military post in the 1930's in the South] in peacetime is a dull place. Things happen, but then they happen over and over again. . . At the same time things do occasionally happen on an army post that are not likely to re-occur. There is a fort in the South where a few years ago a murder was committed. The participants of this tragedy were: two officers, a soldier, two women, a Filipino, and a horse." With those opening lines, the story begins and never slows down. I never had an English professor who would give Carson McCullers the time of day. Her novels were too gothic, her plots unbelievable, there were too many kinks in her characters. Could it have been that her stories were too close to home or were they jealous of her popularity with the reading public from the publication of her first novel THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER? REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE holds up well on a second reading. Made into a movie by John Houston in 1967 starring Marlon Brando-- in one of his best roles-- and Elizabeth Taylor, this novel is ripe for a remake now by someone with the talent of Mike Nichols.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling drama, but oddly cold With its short page count, "Reflections in a Golden Eye" is more of a novella than a novel. What is disappointing about it is that it takes about fifty pages (the majority of the... Read more Published on March 3, 2007 by Gregory Baird 4.0 out of 5 stars A Desultory Battle For Consciousness In The Deep South Carson McCullers' critically overlooked but excellent second novel, Reflections In A Golden Eye (1941), represents the author at the height of her creative powers. Read more Published on June 22, 2006 by J. E. Barnes 4.0 out of 5 stars maybe mcculler's best "there is a fort in the south where a few years ago a murder was committed. The participants were: two officers, a soldier, two women, a filipino, and a horse. Read more Published on December 30, 2005 by T. Scherff 3.0 out of 5 stars Much ado about.....nothing?! A good filler, Reflections in a Golden Eye was kinda dissappointing to me. Though I liked McCullers' writing style the book just sort of ended without the story really coming... Read more Published on August 24, 2004 by A. Evans 5.0 out of 5 stars VERY VERY QUIET AND LOUD LIKE POETIC Its a dream like EXPERIENCE of sadness and whats its like to be, REGRET REMORSE,internal inferno churning seein eyesclock tick marvelous suspense leading up build up suspence... Read more Published on November 4, 2003 by david 4.0 out of 5 stars Good, But Too Short I was able to read this book in about two hours. The short read time is my only complaint about this extremely interesting and mind stimulating story. Read more Published on March 19, 2003 by Michael A. Newman 4.0 out of 5 stars Reflections in a Golden Eye Review The main character in this story is Private Ellgae Williams. It is set in an Army Post. Private Ellgae Williams is a shy but determined young man. Read more Published on December 18, 2002 by Renee 4.0 out of 5 stars LIKE A HOT KNIFE THROUGH BUTTER. This book was written in 1941, and deals with homosexuality as well as infidelity in the military. Now being a former Marine and I know what that is like. Read more Published on August 5, 2002 by Daniel Vullo 5.0 out of 5 stars smoldering story of lives in self-destruct mode... One would expect a 20-something year old in 1940s southern USA to be all prim and nice, with no knowledge of such things as deep emotional trauma and burning homosexual desires... Read more Published on September 25, 2000 by lazza 5.0 out of 5 stars One of McCullers' masterworks Carson McCullers (a woman, by the way, despite another reviewer's assumption to the contrary) wrote much fiction involving the nature of love. Read more Published on August 6, 2000 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (September 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618084754
• ISBN-13: 978-0618084753
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #416,267 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #15 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > McCullers, Carson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AS DARK AS DARK CAN BE, I CERTAINLY MUST SAY..., February 1, 2003

By	Larry L. Looney (Austin, Texas USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Reflections in a Golden Eye (Paperback)

The edition of this novel that I own is the one with the introduction written by Tennessee Williams - and that introduction makes a lot of valid points about the novel itself, the darkness that it contains (or attempts to contain - this depth of darkness burns through boundaries), and the reception it received upon its original publication. On this last topic, it should be noted that the novel (her second) was not nearly as well received as McCullers' debut masterpiece, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER. Williams points out - and rightly so - that `...in her second novel the veil of a subjective tenderness...was drawn away.' What readers and critics were left with was a chilling - and compelling - portrait of six people wrecking together at a fog-shrouded emotional intersection in their lives. It's not a pretty sight - but McCullers' incredible writing simply will not allow us (or her characters) to turn away. The characters slam together completely out of emotional control - mainly because none of them really know themselves deeply enough to understand what they're feeling or experiencing. It's excruciating - and fascinating - to watch.

The book may not have been well received critically when it was new - but time has shown McCullers' talents to be long lasting. She is truly one of the giants of 20th century literature.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Poetry of Menace, April 26, 2005

By	Anonymous (London) - See all my reviews

This novella is a brave, bald exploration of homosexuality and infidelity in the military. It presents itself as a rare event that disturbs the routine dullness of peacetime military life.

The small circle of characters is individually and collectively self-destructive. There's Captain Penderton, who comes to nurse ambivalent homosexual yearnings for Private Williams, who fancies his wife. Meanwhile, Mrs Leonora Pederton is sleeping with General Langdon, whose wife, Alison, eventually succumbs to a complete breakdown of sanity. Got that? Good. It's compulsive stuff.

In this narrow social circle, author McCullers sets "normal" domestic events such as cooking delicious Southern dinners, and card evenings, against sexual episodes (both overt and latent). These range from Private Williams crouching in Mrs Penderton's room all night long to observe her sleeping naked, through to the tormentedly homosexual Captain Pemberton wrecking the body and spirit of his wife's horse on a particularly brutal ride.

In some ways, the strangest character is the Langdons' Filipino houseboy, Anacleto. Effete, devoted and fastidious to a "T", a would-be dancer and artist, he provides tragic Mrs Langdon with a kind of love. And it is Anacleto's artistic vision of a peacock with grotesque reflections in its golden eye that explains the title.

Typically of McCullers's Southern Gothicism, the writing infuses poetry with a feeling of utter menace. At times it's scarily bald, yet lyrical: "In the sky there was a white brilliant moon and the night was cold and silvery."

Some have found it too short, but I don't see that as a problem. It's a quick, chillingly stylish read that plumbs hidden psychological depths and doesn't shrink from uncomfortable truths.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Strange but Effective Story, May 20, 2005

By	H. F. Corbin "Foster Corbin" (ATLANTA, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Written in 1941, Carson McCullers' second novel probably qualifies as a novella or long short story. Surely it was light years ahead of its time as Ms. McCullers takes on homosexuality-- latent and the other kind, masochism, adultery, voyeurism, self-mutilation, a nervous breakdown and animal cruelty in fewer than a hundred pages. In the hands of a lesser writer, this tale would have degenerated into a trashy detective story. Ms. McCullers, however, manages to make the characters, with all their warts, believable, and for the most part, sympathetic. Captain Penderton, for example, is tormented by his hidden feelings for other men-- he is simultaneously attracted to both Private Williams as well as Major Langdon and hates Williams, even though he ought to despise the Major since he is cuckolding the Captain who, along with everyone else, knows about it. But Penderton is a real person, unhappy, lonely but capable of murder.

Ms. McCullers keeps this story first class with her spare, though poetic language. "An army post [the story is set on a military post in the 1930's in the South] in peacetime is a dull place. Things happen, but then they happen over and over again. . . At the same time things do occasionally happen on an army post that are not likely to re-occur. There is a fort in the South where a few years ago a murder was committed. The participants of this tragedy were: two officers, a soldier, two women, a Filipino, and a horse." With those opening lines, the story begins and never slows down.

I never had an English professor who would give Carson McCullers the time of day. Her novels were too gothic, her plots unbelievable, there were too many kinks in her characters. Could it have been that her stories were too close to home or were they jealous of her popularity with the reading public from the publication of her first novel THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER?

REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE holds up well on a second reading. Made into a movie by John Houston in 1967 starring Marlon Brando-- in one of his best roles-- and Elizabeth Taylor, this novel is ripe for a remake now by someone with the talent of Mike Nichols.