Karin Montin wrote:
Whereas humour is commonly held to be a redeeming feature of
either the noir hero or the noir book. That's what I learned
from a panel at Bouchercon.
************* Humor has been a frequent element in noir since
its inception. It comes in several flavors. Although it can
be of a bawdy nature like the funeral scene in Faulkner's
SANCTUARY, more often it emanates from a cruel irony that
seals the fate of a doomed protagonist. After escaping a bona
fide murder rap, Frank's murder conviction for Cora's
accidental death in THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE is a good
example. So is Stanton Carlisle's eventual demotion to the
job title that he so openly despises at the beginning of
NIGHTMARE ALLEY.
It has been suggested that literature sporting irony is more
sophisticated than works lacking it. I'm not sure if I agree
with this or not. I sorta lean towards thinking that irony is
simply another literary device in an author's bag of tricks,
but I definitely find irony in noir aesthetically satisfying
and downright entertaining.
Charles Willeford did more for noir humor than any other
writer I have read.
miker
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