RE: whether Chandler is "hard-boiled" or "Romantic." First, I wonder what is meant by the latter term. Chandler has little if anything in common w/ the 19th-c. poetry that is typically called "Romantic," except a fascination w/ things medieval. I have seen reference to Chandler's medievalism in a number of books and articles. I have heard that Chandler derived the name "Marlowe" from "Malory," as in "Sir Thomas Malory," author Le Morte Darthur (the most famous Eng. collection of Arthurian legend). *The Big Sleep* of course opens w/ Marlowe's great, jaded analysis of the stained glass over the entrance to the Sternwood place, which depicts a knight helping a damsel in distress. You will find lots of little references to knighthood in Chandler's work. It's not too difficult to see connections between hardboiled novel and, say, a medieval quest. Chandler does make modern PI work into a kind of knighthood, but he also makes knighthood sound like an outmoded ideal: "Knights had no meaning in this game. It wasn't a game for knights" (from *The Big Sleep*). What Chandler is "really" is not an either-or question. That a hardboiled dick would have a romantic strain is not surprising. So many of the novels are about maintaining a sense of honor, personal honor, in a world that doesn't recognize the importance of such a concept. Even Thompson anti-heroes are driven by a (twisted) sense of propriety. Just some morning ramblings. I too have had only one cup so far today. Michael ====================== ================================= Michael D. Sharp "And trewely he were a greet fool msharp@umich.edu that wolde kisse the mouth of a Department of English brennynge oven or of a fourneys." University of Michigan --The Parson - # RARA-AVIS: To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" # to majordomo@icomm.ca