Rules of Attraction
By Bret Easton Ellis
1987
I was prompted to read this book by my recent review of the classic Christian Bale movie written originally by Ellis, 'American Psycho'.
This book, his first, was also turned into a movie, by the same name. I've seen it - my memory of it is positive, but no more distinct than that it reminded me of my first alma mater, Hampshire College. 'Rules of Attraction' as a book however has created quite a distinct memory. Excuse me while I indulge myself by recanting same - and restating some of his same 'rules' for your own pleasure and evolving judgement.
Ellis is a moralist wielding sexuality like a Shao Lin monk or Zen master wields a sword.
He is a graduate of Bennington College in New Hampshire, which explains why the book reminded me so much of Hampshire College - on the East Coast they are very much siblings in the realm of the NE Liberal Establishment.
The academic year for the book was 1985/86 - presumably Ellis's senior year. I was in exactly that same class, and though I've never visited Bennington, I was actually in a bit of a triangle myself with a Bennington student I never met, probably the class after Ellis, if I recall correctly.
Though this book is a tale of debauchery it is also a tale of learning the lessons from such experiences - which some people do, and some people don't. I'd spent a year working and travelling before going to school and I think I'd learned many of those lessons about sex and drugs prior to starting.
Although I'd become much more of an educated occassional user by that time I was however more practiced with drugs than with sex (however also finished with bi-explorations), not that this should really matter.
Reading this book at my current age was a bit of an epiphany - besides reliving past experiences it also gave me the opportunity to see just how 'older' folks would have perceived us at that time.
Unfortunately the administrators at Hampshire didn't know how to deal with it either - and instead used the perception of problems to go after folks where none existed - instead burdening their own ape shit control freak upon a still 'inexperienced' crowd.
I don't think this country has really yet learned how to take apply the lessons of the sexual revolution of the 60's and 70's. Let's hope that folks that did, like Bret Easton Ellis, get their chance to put those lessons to work.
Oh, and for the record, the story of my friends during that same academic year (absent moi) probably beats Bennington's - and widely known enough to have been a factor in his getting published. I've got a few Hampshire stories in my biography, starting with that one, here.
