On Sat, 25 May 2002 10:04:33 +0100 "Peedie Monk"
<
peediemonk@ukonline.co.uk> writes:
>
> Russell James pointed out something in an interview
a few years ago
> and I've
> never been able to look at crime fiction the same
way since. Like
> yourself,
> he stated that there are two categories. He called
them "crime"
> and
> "anti-crime". And there's some crossover between his
classification
> and
> yours. Basically, his theory goes, most so-called
crime novels are
> "anti-crime" novels. In other words, solving the
crime is paramount
> (police
> procedurals and PI novels, for example). "Crime"
novels, on the
> other hand,
> are written from the viewpoint of the criminal or
victim (gangster
> novels,
> Woolrich, Cain, Goodis, Thompson, Brewer, Russell
James), whose
> plight is
> paramount. In this category, policemen or detectives
only feature
> as
> peripheral figures, if they feature at
all.
Yes, it's odd how crime fiction has to: 1. Be creative enough
to keep you interested yet 2. Hit certain marks that you have
become comfortable with in order to satisify your taste for
the genre.
Sure, writers can play around here and there, but they still
have to maintain many of the conventions of the genre.
randy
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