An Apprenticeship or the Book of Pleasures – Reading Group 2

This reading group starts in July. After reading Lispector’s “The Book of Pleasures” and Deleuze’s “Coldness and Cruelty,” we meet to discuss key themes. We explore questions from Genevieve Lloyd’s “Man of Reason,” Spinoza’s materialism, the body, desire, and Deleuze’s concept of masochism. We examine the forms of contract at play between the characters and investigate whether masochism exists. If it does, we discuss the ‘lesson’ or the consequence of the apprenticeship/contract for humans in their journey of existence.