RARA-AVIS: What Genre is Wolfe?

P McDermott (pmcd@clark.net)
Wed, 14 Jan 1998 11:08:02 -0500 (EST) A very interesting question. I wouldn't consider Stout a hardboiled writer,
but I do rank him with Hammet and Chandler. One thing that I find very
appealing in all the Nero Wolfe books is the sense of place -- Nero and
Archie's Manhattan is as vivid and vibrant as Hammet's San Francisco and
Chandler's Los Angeles. One of the great things about these books is the
time span -- from "Fer de Lance" in the late 20's through to the
mid-seventies. Reading through the series one gets a great perspective on
the changes in America over the time period. As Stout was so prolific, you
can see the incremental movement in the social structures and peoples
personal habits through time.

Patrick McDermott

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