|
''The Life and Loves of a She-Devil'' is a 1983 novel by British feminist author Fay Weldon about a highly unattractive woman who goes to great lengths to take revenge on her husband and his attractive lover. The book, Weldon insists, is about envy, rather than revenge. ==Plot== Ruth is an abnormally tall and ugly housewife whose husband, Bobbo, considers their relationship an open marriage based on convenience alone. Bobbo only truly loves his mistress, a famous, wealthy romance novelist named Mary Fisher. When Ruth passionately indicates her disapproval for Bobbo’s extramarital affair, he calls her a "she-devil", causing her to reassess her life. She resolves to behave in accordance with the label he has given her. Bobbo leaves Ruth and their two children: he goes to live with Mary Fisher, to whom he soon proposes. Ruth plots her revenge on them, beginning by burning down her own house, therefore forcing the children to live with their father at Mary Fisher’s mansion. Ruth engages in a string of meaningless sexual relationships in order to emotionally detach herself from sex. In the meantime, she works at the retirement home which houses Mary’s mother, Pearl. Her actions there cause Pearl to be expelled from the home, thus inconveniencing Mary and Bobbo who must now care for her. At the same time, Bobbo believes that Ruth has disappeared and may be dead, as she has completely abandoned him and their children. Ruth finds work at a psychiatric hospital while taking classes in accounting and bookkeeping. She uses this knowledge to discreetly steal money from Bobbo’s corporate clientele in a way that will incriminate Bobbo later on. Ruth starts her own employment agency for female secretaries, under the alias of "Vesta Rose". Through her agency, she sends a secretary to Bobbo’s office who begins another affair with him. When the police arrive to arrest Bobbo, Ruth has made it appear as though he and the secretary were going to take the stolen money and leave the country, though Ruth is in possession of the money herself, becoming rich as a result. Under a new alias, Ruth works as a nanny for the children of the judge who presides over Bobbo’s trial, sleeping with him and successfully persuading him to extend Bobbo’s prison sentence if he is convicted. Bobbo is found guilty and imprisoned. While a desperate Mary Fisher turns toward religion for guidance, Ruth manipulates the entire situation and continues to recreate herself with a variety of aliases and love affairs. Ruth uses her money to change her lifestyle and appearance, undergoing a series of surgeries to completely restructure her body to be identical to Mary Fisher. Mary continues to love Bobbo and wastes away, developing cancer and ultimately dying, and her mansion is subsequently purchased by Ruth. Ruth now lives a life of wealth, extravagance, and control, claiming that she will sexually dominate Bobbo once she secures his release from prison, causing him the misery that he once caused her. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Life and Loves of a She-Devil」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|