--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, Michael Robison
<miker_zspider@...> wrote:
>
> Kerry J. Schooley wrote:
>
> Noir is about our inability, collectively
and
> individually, to stop behaving in ways contrary
to
> what we believe, morally, legally, ethically
etc.
>
> *************
> That's determinism. I don't see that as the
main
> theme of noir. Just the opposite.
>
Consider, also, that man is asleep. If man could see himself
and reality for what they really are, a lot of literature
that is now considered realistic would become weird fantasy.
For example, many war criminals, including a bunch of Germans
in WWII, simply cannot face what they have done. They cannot
say "I did so and so", period, without any "buts". What that
ability for self-deception (which is being asleep), all sorts
of noir characters become possible, including those of psycho
noir novels and films, like Ripley, for example. If there
were no similarity to any actual human being, Ripley would
not have been viable as a character. Once you allow real
reality to be nuanced and distorted by "buts", Ripley is
recognizable, not as an admirable character, but as a
plausible one. I bet if you interviewed him he "would have
his reasons".
Best,
mrt
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 01 Aug 2007 EDT