I have just listened to a two-part audio recording of John Le Carre's famous novel of 1974: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; superbly read by Michael Jayston (who played Guillam in the BBC TV adaptation).
As a novel, it has many excellent aspects; although the ending is disappointingly anti-climatic (the TV adaptation did this better).
But then, there could hardly be any other kind of ending, given JLC's world-view.
TTSS confirmed my earlier impressions of the profound human limitations - or, more exactly, deficiencies - of Le Carre himself, and the world he depicted.
Not one of the TTSS characters is likeable or capable of love; and this applies even to George Smiley where Le Carre seems to have gone all-out to portray goodness in a man.
A great deal of weight is put upon Smiley's long-term "love" for his promiscuous and cruel wife Anne; but Anne is portrayed as incredibly beautiful, popular, aristocratic and well-connected so the impression is that George is obsessed-with and dependent on her, rather than anything recognizable as genuine love.
All the other characters relationships are based on exploitation, manipulation, illusion, social cachet, and a kind of mindless status-seeking - or some kind of helpless, addictive and obsessive compulsion.
Le Carre could not portray goodness for the simple and obvious reason that he was not himself good: he could only simulate goodness - but not convincingly.
Despite all these defects, and the claustrophobic - almost suffocating atmosphere - Tinker, Tailor is a very clever and well-structured "whodunnit" that gives the impression of an honest and accurate insight into the nature of life among the alien denizens of the Norman ruling class - what motivates and gratifies them: what makes "Them" tick...
3 comments:
I remember watching the Tv adaptation when it first came out, and I had the same reaction as you did: all the relationships seemed cheap and sordid, even the ones we were supposed to sympathize with. The only exception I can remember is Ricki Tarr, when he spoke about his daughter; I felt he genuinely cared for her and would do anything to keep her safe. I was a big Alec Guinness fan in my youth, so I would have watched the series just to see him, but the whole thing was very depressing. Michael Jayston has always been a favourite actor, too. He played the definitive Mr. Rochester in the 1973 'Jane Eyre' produced by the BBC.
Recently I heard an interview with the former head of MI5 and a semi retired CIA man where he voiced something about Le Carre I’ve never been able to stand about him, it was something along the lines of “…he was just too morally equivalent. He acted like there really was no difference morally between the communists and the men who fought communism.” I realize that’s a complex issue but as good as much of his stuff was this whole depressive “everything is grey” thing shows I think that his soul was in a sense crippled.
Forgive me but I do think there’s something specifically British going on as well. A lot of British comedy for example is fundamentally pretty depressive and cynical, like there’s some weakness in not being that way even in levity.
The most nihilistic person I know adores LC and his frozen grey moral landscapes, as indeed does the second most nihilistic person I know. I think reading such stuff gratifies and justifies their own narcissistic behaviour.
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