>
>Hammett was probably superior at telling a certain
kind of story, but a
>general endorsement over Chandler is unwarranted. His
characterization
>and themes are very narrow compared to Chandler's (or
to Hemingway's).
>Hammett gives a lot of satisfaction within his chosen
territory - and so
>does Chandler. As an aside, a good midpoint between
these two is Raoul
>Whitfield, who could turn on and off the
ultrahardboiled machine, and
>who generally worked in a more enigmatic
vein.
I guess this shows how subjective this kind of artificial
rating is,
because I would have said that Hammett was the one with wider
theme and more
vivid ...if understated...characters. when I read Hammet, I
read him for
everything (particularly story construction, although not
plot) whereas I
mostly enjoy Chandler for the voice of Marlowe
>
>It's interesting to read the astute review by Dorothy
Parker of
>Hammett's _The Glass Key_. She generally praises the
book but points out
>its weaknesses very accurately
I agree that that is an excellent review, although I prefer
TGK to TMF.
James
James Michael Rogers
jetan@ionet.net
Mundus Vult Decipi
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