----- Original Message ----- From: "JIM DOHERTY" <
jimdohertyjr@yahoo.com>
> If you thought Hammett's narrative style in
HARVEST
> was impersonal, you'll find that it'll seem warm
and
> cuddly compared to FALCON. FALCON is one of the
best
> examples I've ever seen of waht one writing
instructor
> I had called "the camera/tape recorder" mode
of
> narration. Nothing is spelled out except what
can
> concretely be seen and heard. All emotions,
thoughts,
> interior monologue, etc., are things the reader has
to
> infer.
Film constraints pretty much enforce the adage "show, don't
tell" (I qualify that statement because somebody's sure to
point out 'voice over' as a
"telling" technique), which appears as gospel in most fiction
writing guides. Showing is always richer than telling, and
Hammett was well aware of this. It's what makes FALCON
resonate, and must have helped enormously with the adaption.
Incidentally, Hammett employs the antithesis of a nickname by
referring to the protagonist of THE GLASS KEY by his full
name at all times, IIRC. Now that's impersonal.
Al
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