Mark wrote:
>Other than white males, descriptions of most other
PIs are prefaced by
>that which makes them different from that norm. And
even the white PIs
>are often reduced to a single unusual trait -- Dan
Fortune is a
>one-armed PI.
Mark I see your point. I was actually specifically referring
to Jim's comment about female PIs as "poachers" in male
territory; I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding
about his meaning there, but we have discussed this offlist
and I HOPE that we have things straight. I did want to
comment that I'm really enjoying this list and didn't mean to
come on and start yelling at people. I do think that I
misinterpreted Jim's statement and tried to be too cute in my
reply, but I hope we've all buried the hatchet at this
point.
I do think that female writers/protagonists are as much the
rule as the exception now so I don't see the emphasis on
"woman detective" with current books as much as the first
Muller/Grafton/Paretskys. But i can see how such series seem
like an aberration if the "classic" PI story is the measuring
stick.
My local used book store does shelve male and female crime
writers separately - which bugs the heck out of me, but what
can you do? It did amuse me not long ago to see Rennie Airth,
who I am fairly but not completely sure is male, shelved with
woman writers.
I've actually never read Paretsky; this thread is encouraging
me to give her a try. I was turned off long ago by seeing
portions of the Kathleen Turner flick, but hearing that this
wasn't a very good representation, I will try the
books.
*****************
"Is that what you do for a living?" she asked. "Find
folks?"
"Sometimes," I said. "Other times I just look."
-James Crumley, "The Last Good Kiss"
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