Actually Chris, I think you've argued my point for me to some
degree ... cozies present a very finite world that most
people do not live in and we've seen time and time again that
what we romanticize about such places rarely reflects the
reality of them. While the American hard-boiled genre depicts
scenes and events that can be found 24/7 throughout the US
and elsewhere ... we see them on the evening news, we read
about them in our daily newspapers, we hear about them from
our co-workers at the water fountain, and in some cases we
live them ourselves. Very few live the cozy lifestyle or
witness it on a frequent basis. That is if one believes
that's how life is in those quaint English villages and
shires ... personally I don't and I don't believe that's how
life is because it goes against human nature. Maybe there are
a few who fit within the confines of the stereotype of a the
cozy genre, but in the case of HB ... there's a plethora of
examples of its realism everywhere. My local newspaper's a
perfect example, today's Pravda on the Potomac (alias The
Washington Post):
Prince
George's Police Officer Indicted
Latest
Shooting Scenario Refuted
South
Maryland Official in Trouble Again
Drunk Driver
Gets 2 to 6 Years in Death
Quick Verdict
in Maryland Tunnel Deaths
Alexandria
Woman's Suite Accuses Officer of Rape
Man to Stand
Trial in Sister's Slaying
2 Vehicles
Sought in Double Shooting
Ex-convict
Gets 30 Years in Break-in
Male Suspect
in Child Abuse Case Found
Priest's
Murder Tests Kenyan Reform Efforts
When
Officials Get Secretive
Doctors Who
Kill
Who Wouldn't
Be Afraid of Being Followed (relates to the "Latest Shooting
Scenario Refuted")
... and as far as "cozies" go, there is an interesting piece
on "foie gras" pancakes (served with a mango chutney) an
appetizer on the menu at the Butterfield 8, an upscale
restaurant that can be found at the former site of
Garfinckels downtown. And there's an editorial piece on a
"Kinder, Gentler Canada" ... how cozy! ;)
-- volente Deo,
Anthony Dauer Alexandria, Virginia
"If you don't leave, I'll get somebody who will." -Raymond Chandler (1888-1959)
Hardboiled http://www.adau.net/judas_ezine/
-----Original Message----- From: Chris Routledge Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2000 5:49 AM
Sure, I agree. But that still doesn't explain why hard-boiled writing is considered more realistic than the cozies. That world existed too, you know, and while most people were unlikely to experience life in an English country vicarage, I suspect the appeal of reading about it was at least in part one of vicarious experience and admiration for those who did. That, it seems to me, is what hard-boiled fiction depends on too. In this respect it's rather like the protestant reformation: if the cozies are the Catholic church, offering liturgy in Latin and demanding heavy taxes, the American hard-boiled writers, like Martin Luther, offered a translated bible, and a liturgy people could understand. That doesn't mean the contrivances went away, though, they just became better presented for local conditions.
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