Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Acknowledgements vii
4. Introduction 1
5. 1 Imogen, Narcissism and the Intolerable Idea 25
6. 2 Brideshead Revisited Charles Ryder Drowning in Honey 50
7. 3 The French Lieutenant’s Woman Charles Smithson beyond the Pale and Mike beyond the Run 82
8. 4 Swann in Love Exceptional Feelings 102
9. 5 Dead Ringers The Flight from Strange and Unloved Women 121
10. 6 M. Butterfly René Gallimard and the Flair for Melodrama 138
11. 7 Lolita The Two Basic Laws of Totemism 158
12. Conclusion 193
13. Bibliography 199
14. Filmography 205
15. Index 209