On 3 November 2000,
Mbdlevin@aol.com wrote:
: In earlier discussions, there was much talk of
Parker's
: professionalism. It's not just professionalism. It's
competence
: (since there are incompetent professionals).
This is something I've found I really like in books. Parker's
an absolute pro and utterly competent. Spade and the Op were
in the know and knew who was who and how everything worked.
Matt Helm gets an assignment and carries it out with a
minimum of fuss or error. A lot of hardboiled characters are
very competent professionals, and even amateurs who get mixed
up in something keep all their wits about them. They move
quickly and decisively, don't waste motion, and when they
need help they know just who to ask. They don't sit down with
their best friend, the stained glass artist, and have a
coffee while they mull over the options.
I don't think I have any need to feel competent myself by
predicting plot developments, in fact I'd rather be surprised
and see how the lead character handles something I can't
imagine myself getting into (which includes most everything
Parker, Helm and the rest do). Maybe it adds to the escapism,
but mostly it's that I don't like reading about idiots. I
admire professionalism, even in criminals (to a limit).
Bill
-- William Denton : Toronto, Canada : http://www.miskatonic.org/ : Caveat lector.
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 03 Nov 2000 EST