Carrie,
I know what you mean about Marlowe's moralizing streak -- but
if you read precisely one post-1962 Lew Archer novel, I think
you will then see Marlowe's moralizing as subdued and
understated. Actually, I can't actually recommend you do
that, as it would mean subjecting yourself to something like
torture. Apologies to Macdonald fans, but at some point
Macdonald went into denial about the fact that he was writing
crime fiction and entered completely into the delusion that
he was writing Greek tragedies. The result is an
inauthenticity and implausibility (especially in the
dialogue) that make me wince. Archer becomes a smarmy,
paternalistic, moralizing Greek chorus. It's really hard to
watch/read. To be fair, his early stuff is quite competent.
It's only after he became obsessed w/ killing Chandler
(metaphorically speaking) that his writing went to hell.
Ironically, that's also when Macdonald gained his greatest
popularity and critical acclaim.
Again, I know RM is beloved by some, so please accept this as
*just my opinion*. Feel free to take your own shots at
Chandler or Thompson or Holding or Himes, all of whom I
worship in various ways
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