The White Lotus Bookclub
Tongue in cheek intertexuality FTW.
Hey, hey, ho, ho, it’s off to school we go!
Have you also had your entire life’s routine disrupted by the glut of South African public holidays of late?
Is today like the first normal day in about 6 weeks of life?
Welcome back to reality, lovers!
Over the holidays we watched the highly anticipated third season of The White Lotus. For me it was a bit comme ci comme ça if I’m honest. [Spoiler alert] But also wondered if the dissatisfying conclusions – like not seeing the wealthy businessman’s comeuppance, and that Gaitok’s love interest urges him to be a violent hypermasculine dude, and that Belinda goes off into the sunset with hush money – is maybe some kind of truth-telling moment about what the reality of the world feels like right now; you know, the baddies doing whatever they want and never being held to account, and the rest of us kind of taking whatever we can get? In a series that to date has done a pretty good satire of the super-rich, maybe this is what could be called realist-satire? Us laughing at the rich who are laughing at us.
Anyway.
One of my favourite details of the show is the books the characters are reading while they’re on holiday. Someone reading Franz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth while on a five star holiday says more than any dialogue could. It is some clever prop use, and adds some much-appreciated tongue in cheek intertextuality.
So I thought I’d give you a list of all the books that star in The White Lotus, compiled with the help of ChatGPT.[i] It’s a pretty rad reading list! And I see (on the WWW) that people are even starting White Lotus bookclubs. Fun! ChatGPT told me the books are used to help the characters project their idealized version of themselves to the world. What it didn’t mention is that this idealized version of their identities is largely delusional (one of the key points in the series as a whole, no?), which makes books-as-props such an astute form of social commentary.
Season 1 (Hawaii)
Olivia Mossbacher
The Portable Nietzsche by Friedrich Nietzsche
A collection of Nietzsche’s key works exploring morality, truth, and individualism. (Everand)Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia
An analysis of Western art and literature through the lens of sexuality and gender.Écrits by Jacques Lacan
A compilation of Lacan’s psychoanalytic essays, delving into the structures of the unconscious.
Paula
The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud
Freud’s seminal work on dream analysis and the unconscious mind. (LOS40)The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
An exploration of colonialism’s psychological effects.Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
A foundational text in gender theory, challenging traditional notions of gender identity. (Everand)Discourse on Colonialism by Aimé Césaire
A critique of colonialism and its lasting impacts.
Rachel Patton
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
A novel about a complex female friendship set in post-war Naples. (Everand)
Shane Patton
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
An examination of rapid cognition and decision-making. (Showbiz Cheat Sheet)
Season 2 (Sicily)
Harper Spiller
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
A narrative intertwining a family road trip with the immigration crisis. (Showbiz Cheat Sheet)
Ethan Spiller
Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson
A self-help book discussing the paradoxes of modern life. (Showbiz Cheat Sheet)
Cameron Sullivan
Gone Bamboo by Anthony Bourdain
A crime novel featuring a retired assassin’s escapades. (Showbiz Cheat Sheet)
Albie Di Grasso
The Architecture of Closed Worlds: Or, What Is the Power of Shit? by Lydia Kallipoliti
An exploration of self-sustaining environments and waste systems. (Showbiz Cheat Sheet)
Season 3 (Thailand)
Lochlan Ratliff
Hunger by Knut Hamsun
A novel depicting a young writer’s descent into starvation and madness. (The Guardian)
Victoria Ratliff
The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A tale of a couple’s downfall due to decadence and moral decay. (The Guardian)
Belinda Lindsey
Surrounded by Narcissists by Thomas Erikson
A guide on identifying and dealing with narcissistic individuals. (Vogue)
Jaclyn Lemon
My Name Is Barbra by Barbra Streisand
An autobiography detailing Streisand’s life and career. (Vogue)
Chelsea
The Essential Rumi
A collection of Rumi’s poetry focusing on spirituality and love. (Vogue)
Laurie Duffy
Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
A novel about the complexities of adult relationships and friendships. (Vogue)
[i] I have to admit that despite being dead against AI for environmental reasons I have found it pretty amazing to use as a tool for compiling obscure lists like this. Also, apparently the water and energy requirements of more recent models are coming down. Who to trust? I’m a kid of my times so I’ll use the tool and complain about the politics of the tool.
‘I think about this line from Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror nearly every day: “Our world—digitally mediated, utterly consumed by capitalism—makes communication about morality very easy but makes actual moral living very hard.” I have to stop and check myself to ensure that I’ve not confused the action of reposting a meme with authentic political engagement. How often am I practicing communitarian values, or making myself uncomfortable in real life for the sake of something I believe in? I don’t ask this because I have this kind of integrity, I regularly don’t.’ - from this great post on turning 40 (via
).
What a fun post!