I think hard boiled fiction has been around long enough that
it needs
to be allowed to change in ways that may not be typical but
do
represent what the genre has been about.
I also think that writers in the genre today are using
many
approaches and tools more commonly associated with mainstream
novels
in their attempt to grow the genre. One notable example is
the work
of James Ellroy which has been noted here lately.
I use humor in my work because I think it adds layers of
complexity
and nuance to the bleak world I am creating. I also use it
because I
know it to be a true fixture of the world I'm writing
about.
I've spent a good bit of my life hanging around the world
hard-boiled
literature describes. The thing that has always impressed me
the
most about it is the joking and sense of humor that seems to
be
present much of the time.
In most tough bars a laid back, friendly attitude and a few
good
jokes gets you free drinks - a smart mouth and ready fists
wins you
a trip to the dumpster.
This may be different in parts of the world where fewer
people pack
artillery, but down South acting like a hard case is not too
clever.
There's always a convenient psycho ready to call your bluff.
A little
humor in a situation where a primal scream might be more
appropriate,
on the other hand, makes an impression.
What I attempt to do is write about a world I know to exist,
and this
includes humor. In that sense, it doesn't have any fucntion,
per se.
Fred
------------------------------
Down on Ponce by Fred Willard
fwillard@mindspring.com
http://fwillard.home.mindspring.com/
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