Betrayal in Literature

[titania7]

As I have just finished re-reading Harold Pinter's play, Betrayal, it occurred to me that betrayal, lies, deceit, and duplicity are things that are at the heart of some of our finest literary masterpieces. From Julien Sorel in Henri-Beyle Stendhal's The Red and the Black to Cousin Bette in Balzac's consummate novel of the same name, it seems that deception and betrayal are two subjects that authors have always enjoyed exploring.

I welcome everyone to share details about their favorite books, plays, and stories that seem to concentrate on the subject of betrayal.

~Alexis


"No soul of high estate can take pleasure in slander. It betrays a weakness."
~Blaise Pascal

 

[Daniel del Real]

What about the Bible. I think the New Testament's plot deals a lot about this topic isn't it?

 

[lionel]

The brilliant Texan writer Katherine Anne Porter wrote extensively about betrayal. In Charles Baxter's article 'Flowering Porter' in The New York Review of Books (11 June 2009, pp.56-58), for example (which is unfortunately not available online to non-subscribers), he quotes from Porter's 'Flowering Judas', the ending of which he compares to Kafka's story 'The Country Doctor':

'Where are you taking me, she asked in wonder but without fear. To death, and it is a long way off, and we must hurry, said Eugenio. No, said Laura, not unless you take my hand. Then eat these flowers, poor prisoner, said Eugenio in a voice of pity, take and eat: and from the Judas tree he stripped the warm bleeding flowers, and held them to her lips.'

Baxter comments: 'The betrayal here is one produced by vanity - that of being admired, and handing out gifts, but giving nothing of oneself away. Porter knows perfectly well that when the betrayer kisses the one betrayed, the kiss is a turn-on. It is electric. One might say that the kiss is the whole point.'

 

[titania7]

Daniel,
That's an excellent point about the Bible. Also. . .speaking of religion, C.S. Lewis's wondrous book, The Screwtape Letters, is all about deceit and betrayal. I think that it's a subject that all of us can relate to, particularly those of us who have experienced it. Do you not agree?

What other books stand out in your memory as being about betrayal, Daniel? Honore de Balzac is one of my favorite authors, and, when I think about it, most of his novels have some instance of betrayal in them.


~Alexis



"If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I would have the guts to betray my country."
~E. M. Forster

 

[titania7]

Also (and I haven't any idea why I didn't think of this immediately), Henry James is an author who deals very skillfully with betrayal. Oft-times, the naivete and innocence of his heroines bring about the betrayal, for they are far too trusting, going more by the way things appear to be rather than the intentions behind the behavior of those around them. Two of James' novels that illustrate this type of scenario exquisitely are The Portrait of a Lady and The Wings of the Dove. Innocence, by its very nature, draws those who will betray it to it. It's rather like a candle that brings a moth to its flame.

~Alexis


"Trust can take years to build but only a second to break."

~Author unknown

 

[Liam]

Daniel's example, I think, is the ultimate form of betrayal: the betrayal of God, your Lord and Master (or His son; and the Son and the Father are one in the Catholic tradition), which results in eternal damnation for Judas.

The garish and altogether improbable modern musical Jesus Christ Superstar nevertheless raises the question of the inevitability of Judas' betrayal of Christ--without it, could the Christian faith really and truly take root and spread, as it did? All religions need martyrs. There's also textual evidence in the Bible, Luke 22:42, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done," that suggests that Christ's crucifixion was in some way predestined.

One has to separate different forms of betrayal: betrayal in love, betrayal of one's country, betrayal of one's parent (and vice versa), betrayal of Self, etc.

Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day is all about betraying your inner self and living a lie for the duration of your natural life.

Shakespeare's King Lear and, by extension, Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres, is about the horrible betrayal of a parent by his child or children.

Finally, betrayal in love is one of the most popular themes in Western literature. It was especially popular with the Greeks: check out the myths about Medea, Ariadne, etc.

What an excellent idea for a thread, Alexis; I was going to say that we need more of these "thematically-oriented" threads. I was going to start one of my own--"Novels about Failed Marriages/Relationships" but didn't have the balls to do it, LOL, when I realized that I haven't read enough books on the subject. I could list plenty of movies--Scenes from a Marriage, La Notte, Solaris, The Best Intentions, Eyes Wide Shut--but, surprisingly, no novels! Perhaps you guys can throw some suggestions my way?

 

[lionel]

In the same article by Charles Baxter, after quoting from Katherine Anne Porter's 'Pale Horse, Pale Rider', and noting how much Flannery O'Connor had learned from Porter's style, he says:

'Along with the ecstasy of betrayal goes its shame, and in Porter's fiction this shame is of a very particular sort. It takes the form of an active disbelief that I have done what I have done, and the greater disbelief that I actually wanted to do what I did. This condition is not the same as hypocrisy, where the guilty party claims that he didn't do what he is accused of but knows perfectly well that he is guilty. In Porter's stories, the self is constantly being thunderstruck by its own misbehavior. I can't believe I'm doing this is one subtext; I can't believe I did that - I'm not the sort of person who performs such actions is another. Under stress, my own actions become implausible even to me. Highly educated and sophisticated people, it goes without saying, can find themselves in this moral logjam. Such self-misunderstanding is not a function of naivet? but of moralistic idealism, and in America is a characteristic byproduct of puritanical self-righteousness.'

 

[titania7]

Liam,
Thanks for taking part in all the new excitement my thread is starting to create, darling! Yes, I do think it was a clever idea, I must admit . You gave some marvelous illustrations of betrayal, and I particularly like the ones you mentioned from The Bible. When you think about it, many of us do connect the thought of betrayal with Judas Iscariot. A book that potrayas this in a way that is poignant and magnificent (because it is so well-written, for one thing) is The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis. As soon as I re-read this novel, I will review it at my Divine Comedy blog. First things first, of course. . .and, you'll be happy to know that a novel by the extraordinary Christina Stead is next on this bookish diva's agenda.

I think the idea you have for a thread is splendid, as well! Just off the top of my head, I would suggest The End of the Affair by Graham Greene and The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Both deal with what I would call "doomed" love affairs. In the latter, there isn't an actual "affair," as such--but there is certainly love, whether consummated or not. Other choices might include Flaubert's A Sentimental Eductaion and Smoke by Ivan Turgenev. I am here to provide as many suggestions as you might like. I seem to have read quite a few novels about failed marriages and relationships.

The quote I have chosen below is by an author I have never read, Erica Jong. However, it does make a very good point: in the end, those who betray others will eventually be betrayed themselves. And, I also think that whenever a person betrays someone, they are actually betraying their own character. Do you not agree, Liam?

Talk to you soon, dear. . .


~Alexis


"Betrayal does that--betrays the betrayer."
~Erica Jong

 

[john h]

I agree, an excellent idea for a thread.

Generally, you'll see betrayal occur much more frequently in books written by gay men than you will in straight novels. I don't know why this is unless it has to do with the promiscuous nature of men. In any event, one book in particular that deals with this theme is Edmund White's "A Boy's Own Story." There is more than one betrayal in this book. I don't want to mention the circumstances of these betrayals so as not to spoil it for anyone who's interested but this is a wonderful book.

 

[Liam]

...the promiscuous nature of men...

Oh John! LOL.

Thank you for your recommendations, Alexis. I already have Turgenev at home, so I think I will start with that one. Wharton is also on my TBR list, thanks to you, and this is, like, the MILLIONTH time that you mention Flaubert to me, I bet you're hoping I would get the hint already!

 

[titania7]

Aren't you in a witty mood, you clever boy you? Yes, I have mentioned the Flaubert novel more than once, but, darling, I am nothing if not a very patient diva.

I cannot believe you have a copy of Smoke! 'Tis rare that anyone has even heard of the book. Is yours the Constance Garnett translation, per chance?
That's the one I own and cherish (and usually, I am a wee bit careful of Garnett translations, although I do adore the gemstones).

John, many thanks for your recommendations. . . and I appreciate your thoughtful compliments about my new thread, too! You're a dear! (not to be confused with a deer,
which would indicate something entirely different).

~Alexis


"The life of a Diva is never dull." ~AW

 

[Liam]

I cannot believe you have a copy of Smoke! 'Tis rare that anyone has even heard of the book. Is yours the Constance Garnett translation, per chance?

My fair lady, methinks you are forgetting that your knight in shining armor is fully proficient in the language of the sable-wearing, vodka-drinking Muscovites... .

I have Turgenev, as well as every other Russian/Ukrainian/Polish writer/poet in my collection, in the original lingo. Have read nothing by him yet though, though I dip into Akhmatova often.


P.S. Glad you noticed I was trying to be witty.

 

[saliotthomas]

But Titania how could you forget Embers,one of the most interesting betrayal i have read of.

 

[nnyhav]

Mario Brelich's The Work of Betrayal, of which I said

The most challenging, and ambitious, read of the month [3/06] was an exigetical novel, Mario Brelich's The Work of Betrayal, which puts Poe's Dupin as hermeneutic dick on the case of Jesus and Judas, a different reconciliation of History, Myth, and Psychology, arguing that the truth resides in Gospel lacunae and apparent inconsistencies; less precise than Poe (and more Jesuitical than Dupin) and certainly less concise than Borges' 3 Versions, which it might be said to combine and elaborate. ... It's worth noting that while the Gnostic tendency in Borges' fictions is well-known (and given the orthodox dismissal of Gnostic heresies), Brelich's narrator takes pains to stick to established Gospel in making his case.

One could argue that Boris Pekić's The Time of Miracles goes even deeper into it (as I did, once).

 

[miercuri]

I have a Romanian translation of Smoke which I haven't read though. I read some of his short stories when I was in high-school and really enjoyed them, but never got round to revisiting Turgenev. I will be studying him in the first semester of my sophomore year, I'm bound to read something by him in the near future. Might as well start with Smoke, I can always trust Titania with her recommendations!

 

[titania7]

But Titania how could you forget Embers,one of the most interesting betrayal i have read of.

Oh, Thomas, I didn't mention Embers because I was hoping you would, you see! I must say, I'm very pleased to see that you did. And, yes, I agree with you when you say that Embers centers around one of the most intriguing stories of betrayal in all of literature. Of course, there was betrayal in Esther's Inheritance, too, was there not?


~Alexis

"All our knowledge has its origins in perceptions."
~Leonardo da Vinci

 

[saliotthomas]

The betrayal in Esther's Inheritance is of a more classic sort and in many ways accepted by Esther.
There is a much stronger one in M?tamorphoses d'un mariage not yet translated in English.It seem to be a favorite with Marai,with the classes decadence.

I found i Blog on Marai-- Sandor Marai Blog

And i love your new avatar Titania,just love it.

 

[breeze]

Continuing Bible theme I can`t help but mention Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. The novel containes 3 settings actually, and one of them tells a story about Jesus Christ`s meeting with Pilate, trial and death. This part of the novel is focused on Pilate`s character. Judas is portrayed as a minor character and his betrayal of Christ is almost insignificant. Disappointed and jaded, Pilate at last meets completely different kind of person, someone he can trust to. He wants to reserve this strange man to himself, but his cowardice prevent him from doing it. First he accuses himself of unjuctice, as he executed an innocent man. It was not until years passed when Pilate understood what he really had done.
Another novel concentrating on betrayal of The Christ is Judas Iscariot by Andreev. In author`s interpretation Judas betrays Christ driven by love and jealousy and hate towards mankind. What he wants is either to make people adopt Christ and change their hearts or to curse them and show Jesus that they don`t worth his love.​

 

[nnyhav]

This week's New Yorker covers the Gospel of Judas.

 

[saliotthomas]

This week's New Yorker covers the Gospel of Judas.

I started The gospel of Judas by Simon Mawer,very interesting so far.
That's a nice complement ,thanks Nnyhav.