Filth (novel)

Filth

Author	Irvine Welsh
Language	English, Scots
Genre	Crime novel
Publisher	Vintage Press
Publication date	1998
Publication place	Scotland
Media type	Print (Paperback & Hardback)
Pages	400 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-09-928429-4

Filth is a novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh.

Plot summary

The plot centres on Bruce Robertson, a Scottish police officer. He is a sex-obsessed, misanthropic man driven by his intense hatred. With cravings for cocaine, a pleasure for "the games" - Bruce's euphemism for the myriad foul plots he hatches directed at workmates - and sexual abuse of the women in his life, Bruce is an anti-hero. The novel's beginning is a scene of a murder, which is the case that Bruce Robertson is investigating; however, the natural evolution of the plot itself has little or nothing at all to do with this incident. The plot traces Bruce throughout his life, told from a first-person perspective. Through narrative devices such as the tapeworm he acquires, we get to explore the facets of Bruce's personality and learn about his past, through the various tedious police routines Bruce absconds from, his sexual endeavours eventually backfiring, and his various short or long-termed schemes and plots against his colleagues in order to raise his chances of gaining the hoped-for promotion to Detective Inspector (Bruce Robertson's rank is Detective Sergeant).

In an example of a rather short-term scheme, at the police station's Christmas party, where Bruce first waits for a female colleague he calls "Size Queen" to get drunk, and then proposes a game in order to have sex with her.

A longer-term scheme, and also a major sub-plot, is the harassing phone calls Bruce directs at the wife of his friend, Clifford "Bladesy" Blades: Bunty Blades. By imitating the voice of British celebrity Frank Sidebottom to call Bunty up and ask vulgar questions, Bruce manages to drive a wedge between her and "Bladesy". After ingratiating himself with Bunty by playing the role of a concerned friend, Bruce manages to trick Clifford Blades into imitating the selfsame voice in a message left to his answering machine, which serves to portray him as Bunty's perverted caller - which Bruce, of course, "reveals" to Bunty. Bruce enters into a purely sexual relationship with Bunty Blades after feigning romantic interest, whilst "Bladesy" is arrested.

Apart from the general malevolent scheming, along the way Bruce Robertson also seeks to satisfy his cravings for violence, drugs, sex, and pornography whilst happily voicing his racial and sexual prejudices and pining for his ex-wife.

Eventually Bruce has to be forced into taking leave due to injuries he suffers while dressed as his ex-wife, leading to the revelation that he committed the racially-motivated murder that is the main plot, and that the colleagues he so despised - particularly his boss Bob Toal - knew of this, and were protecting him all along. The book ends with Bruce committing suicide in order to claim revenge on his divorced wife, Carole.

Plot devices

Scottish dialect

Welsh's style of writing involves interpreting the Scottish accent into writing; the use of Scottish slang, and spelling to reflect the pronunciation of the word (e.g. "tae" is "to", "dae" is "do").

Themes

In Filth, Welsh deals with drug abuse, sexism, discrimination, racism, pornography, prostitution, alcohol abuse amongst other problems of the Scottish working class.

Carole

Carole, Bruce's ex-wife and the mother of his child, Stacey, is a device Welsh uses to reflect an outsider's view of Bruce Robertson's character; certain chapters only involve Carole's inner monologue related to Bruce. It later transpires that it is, in fact Bruce fantasising while dressed as Carole.

The Tapeworm

At a certain point in the book, the narrative starts to be interrupted by a tube-like structure that appears on top of the text, and at first is only made of the word "eat" being repeated amidst the zeros that fill the empty space within the tube. It is later revealed that this is actually the thoughts of the tapeworm growing inside Bruce's intestines.

At first, the tapeworm only encourages Bruce to eat. Later, after becoming self-aware (and naming itself "The Self"), the tapeworm starts to ask basic existential questions and names Bruce as "The Host". It also stumbles upon the existence of other worms (collectively named by the initial worm as "The Other").

The tapeworm's monologue, towards the end of the story, is used to explain the way Bruce turned into the person presented in the book; explaining the events of his past, producing monologue about Bruce's true feelings, and completing the cycle of his life with him.

Quotes

• Bruce Robertson - "Are you asking me or telling me?" Something he uses often against women who give him orders.
• Bruce Robertson - "The best form of defence is offence" a mantra he says to himself before unleashing a blistering personal attack on someone who has insulted him.
• Bruce Robertson (continually throught the book) - "Same rules apply"
• Bruce Robertson - Rhyming slang; "Sherman Tank" - Wank; Roger Moore - Whore; Silvery Moon - Coon; etc.
• The Tapeworm - (000000000DON'T BRUCE00000000000000000DON'T!00000000)

Censorship

The image on the front cover caused outrage when released and the Southampton police seized promotional material they deemed obscene and offensive to the police .