[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Re: RARA-AVIS: Hardboiled 

Bill--

Does Hardboiled Fiction require a Hardboiled Detective?  Well, that's not
a fair question, bec. the answer is obviously "no" (see nearly every
Thompson novel).  I have never read any V.I. mysteries (saw that awful
movie w/ Kathleen Turner, though), but I wonder whether the fact that the
Continental Op could kick her ass makes the novel she appears in
necessarily NOT Hardboiled. I guess what I'm saying is, the distinction
between V.I. novels and the Hardboiled genre needs to be made more
clearly. Is the detective too conscientious?  Too concerned about social
mores?  Does she actually care about other human beings besides herself?
Does she fail properly to enjoy brutalizing other human beings?  What
makes her not hardboiled? And, could a novel or story theoretically be
hardboiled if its detective is not? I've been reading Dorothy Hughes and
trying to figure out her relation to the genre. For the most part I can't
read modern crime fiction (with some Very noteworthy exceptions).

Michael

======================                 ===================================
Michael D. Sharp                       "I'm a white male, age 18-49. 
msharp@umich.edu                       EVERYONE listens to me, no mat-
Department of English                  ter how dumb my suggestions are."
University of Michigan                                  --Homer J. Simpson

On Tue, 14 Jan 1997, William Denton wrote:

> On Mon, 13 Jan 1997 AnnyMiddon@aol.com wrote:
> 
> : This may have been answered before, and will doubtless be a FAQ -
> : but what is the definition of Hardboiled?  I've been calling Sara
> : Paretsky's V. I.  Warshawski books hb for years now.  Am I right in
> : doing so?
> 
> I don't think so, I'm afraid.  Her stuff is the kind of thing that
> passes for hardboiled these days, but I find it pretty soft.  Maybe I
> should pick up the latest one and see if she's different, but in terms
> of hardness, the V.I. I remember would last about two seconds against
> someone out of Ellroy's _White Jazz_[1], and the Continental Op would
> roll right over her.
> 
> And if anyone says Kinsey Millhone is hardboiled, I'll need a good
> stiff shot of whiskey to get level.
> 
> Bill
> 
> [1] This contradicts what I wrote in my previous mail, in a way.
> Ellroy usually centres on three or four main characters, and has a big
> cast of supporting characters.  Maybe his novels aren't hardboiled but
> noir, if you know what I mean.  His leads qualify individually,
> though.
> 
> -- 
> William Denton : buff@vex.net     <-- Please note new address.
> Toronto, Canada                   <-- I'm not at io.org any more.
> http://www.vex.net/~buff/         Caveat lector.
> 
> -
> # RARA-AVIS:  To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis"
> # to majordomo@icomm.ca
> 

-
# RARA-AVIS:  To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis"
# to majordomo@icomm.ca
Follow-Ups: References:

[Archives] | [RARA-AVIS]