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Re: RARA-AVIS: Re: RARA-AVIS-Izzi, Spenser,
>Since you ask, here's my two cents on Izi: A few years back, just after the
>critics had discovered him and he was achieving his first round of fame, I
>picked up one of his books. Unfortunately, I can't recall the title. It was
>well written and compelling enough that I kept reading through two more. But
>sometime early the third one, I realized that something was troubling me, and
>by the middle of the book, I'd figured out what it was: Through all three
>books, I never met a single character who I liked or would want to spend time
>with. They were all slimeballs of one stripe or another -- even his
>protagonists. So while I continue to admire him as a creative and compelling
>writer, I haven't read any more of his stuff.
>
>The hb writers I read and reread avidly all create protagonists with
>admirable qualities. They are "heroes", if you will: Sam Spade, Philip
>Marlowe, Lou Archer, Spenser, even the
>comic-booky-but-often-wildly-entertaining Mike Hammer.
Every so often on the rec.arts.mystery newsgroup this same argument comes
up regarding the works of James Ellroy. Despite the fact that the vast
majority of his characters fall into the "slimeball" category (especially
in his most recent works), I still enjoy the read. Maybe this is
evidence of a vicarious component to the HB genre?
Patrick
(who by the way is new to the list, and a lover of HB novels to the
extent that my son's middle name is Philip -- though my family thinks
he's named after my grandfather!)
++ Patrick Golden ++ Program Services Manager ++ pgolden@leo.vsla.edu
++ Williamsburg Regional Library ++ Virginia ++ http://www.wrl.org
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