His powers as a political analyst and ideologue were limited, however. At the core of his writings was a twin preoccupation with sensory stimulation on the one hand and a dread of death on the other. In his native France or far afield, he sought to surround himself with beautiful sights and loved ones in whose presence he could take pleasure. Loti's willingness to don exotic costumes, his close relationships with male friends, and his apparent intimacy with women the world over raised complex questions about his sexual orientation. By creating within the walls of his home in Rochefort a compendium of architectural styles drawn from radically contrasting civilizations, he earned a reputation as something of a crank. While his sentimental musings on human mortality met with ridicule in some quarters, they also helped to win for him a large and faithful readership among women in particular.
With the advent of mass travel in the twentieth century, his books lost much of their appeal, for the distant places into which he had initiated his readers became increasingly accessible to ordinary tourists.
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