The flag is down, Mike, but I suspect no one here is
suggesting that JDM doesn't lead the league in most ways.
Just this is an arguably weak area in the McGee stories, one
not quite excused by TM's self-doubt in the monologues that
are key to his "Rotarian hippiness." JDM clearly did identify
with McGee, if not quite as blatantly as another MacDonald
tagging his protag "I. M. Fletcher," and when one finds even
such relatively enlightened, in some ways, attitudes toward
sexual politics as JDM displays in several of his books, and
relatively unenlightened bits mixed in, one does tend to
think that the author is saying something more than just that
his characters believe X or Y...much as the recurrence of
incest in Thompson's books probably means more than merely
easy shock value. TM
-----Original Message----- From: Robison Michael R CNIN
[mailto:
Robison_M@crane.navy.mil] Well, it looks like it's pretty
much been decided that Travis McGee had a hypocritical double
standard. But let's not judge JDM too harshly for this. Think
of Lou Ford. That sick sonuvabitch murdered people, and we
still like KILLER INSIDE ME and Jim Thompson, don't we?
My response is part in jest and part serious. An author can
paint a pretty creepy protagonist and make a damn good book
out of it. Personally, I'd gag if all the protagonists passed
the politically correct test with flying colors. On the other
hand, when the reader starts thinking that the bad in the
protagonist is echoing those of the writer, it's time to toss
the propaganda penalty flag.
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