When Bret Easton Ellis published his third novel, American Psycho, he was extremely criticized for the graphic content of the book. It was violent, obscene and bloody. He was then banned in certain localities, attacked by liberal newspapers and he received various death threats. As a young and intelligent writer, he decided not to talk about the real reasons why he wrote this novel. He was not even able to reread it until the summer of 2001. After a while, his often misread book was finally understood and recognized by the public. The release of the film adaptation, directed by a woman, helped clarify the meaning of the book, showing that this novel was more than just a superficial bestseller and that it was in fact a satire on society . In an interview with The Guardian, he explained the following: "I think the public reads my books and gets the impression that there are messages coming from me or whatever, when in reality they reflect this that I felt during the years I wrote these books. " (McInnes). Easton Ellis wrote American Psycho when he was 26 (the same age as Patrick Bateman, the protagonist) and living in New York as a successful young writer. In his novel, he critiques superficial society and materialism that he faced as a member of Generation X. With his detailed descriptions and clear language, he is able to capture, through Patrick Bateman's point of view, the way human beings can become. so self-centered that they are no longer able to notice a killer living among them At the same time, this novel illustrates how a person can lose all of their humanity because of the environment they live in until. she can no longer distinguish between the right and ...... middle of paper ...... to reproduce her fashion style Works Cited "American Psycho: 15 years later American Psycho: 15 years later." . Internet. March 17, 2014. American Psycho. Christian Bale. Lions Gate Film, 2000. Film. “Biography of Patrck Bateman.” IMDb. IMDb.com. Internet. March 17, 2014. “Bret on Bateman.” YouTube. YouTube, June 24, 2010. Web. March 17, 2014. Conner, Shawn. “AMERICAN PSYCHO – 20 YEARS LATER.” Snipe news. The Snipe, February 6, 2011. Web. March 17, 2014. Ellis, Bret Easton. American Psycho: a novel. New York: Vintage, 1991. Print. MacInnes, Paul, Andy Gallagher and Alice Salfield. "'I really wasn't concerned about morality in my fiction'" Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, July 19, 2010. Web. March 17, 2014. “American Psycho Quotes - American Psycho. » American Psycho. Internet. March 17, 2014. “Yuppie.” Urban dictionary. Internet. March 17. 2014.