[Last updated on: Thu Sep 5 22:37:50 EDT 2002]
Welcome to RARA-AVIS, the mailing list devoted to the
discussion of hardboiled and noir writing!
| "And to you, Miss O'Shaughnessy, adieu. I leave you the
rara avis
| on the table as a little memento."
-- Caspar Gutman in Dashiell
Hammett's THE MALTESE FALCON
List mail should be addressed to rara-avis@icomm.ca. There
are two versions of the list available: the regular version,
where you get each message as other subscribers send them
out, and the digest version, where you get all the mail in a
big lump once or twice a day.
Please read all of this, and save the instructions on how to
unsubscribe from the list.
(The following notes are adapted from the the XML4LIB mailing
list rules, at http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/XML4Lib/.)
POSTING POLICY:
1. All messages must relate, even if only slightly, to
hardboiled and noir writing. Possible topics for discussion
include:
- Just what is hardboiled
fiction?
- How does it relate to film noir
and/or the pulps?
- Does Ross Macdonald belong in the
triumvirate with Chandler and Hammett?
- Who are the best modern
practitioners?
- Are there any truly hardboiled
women writers?
- How does the genre fit into modern
literature?
- Let me tell you about the new Jason
Starr book!
- Matt Helm: he's nothing like Dean
Martin.
- What's happening in non-English
noir writing?
Movies are best discussed in relation to the written word:
adaptations or screenplays by hardboiled/noir writers are all
right, but film noir in general is better discussed in other
mailing lists or newsgroups. RARA-AVIS is based on the
written word. Everything on the list should be about
hardboiled or noir writing, or directly related to it. That
won't make a shortage of topics of conversation.
2. Please introduce yourself to the list, but first lurk for
a couple of weeks to get a feel for how it works. Then speak
up!
3. The list isn't a forum for unpublished writers. Usenet
newsgroups such as misc.writing are more appropriate for
that. There isn't much talk by writers about themselves on
the list because it's a place for devotees to speak as
friends. A writer you like may be on the list! We're all
equal in our love for hardboiled and noir writing.
4. Trim as much quoted text as possible from your replies
(this definitely includes the footer added to the bottom of
each message).
5. Very small advertisements, from list members, of new
hardboiled or noir books they have written, edited, or
published, are welcome.
6. Do not send virus warnings. Please visit
Symantec Security Response: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html
CIAC Hoaxbusters: http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/
if you hear about a new one. If you think you received a
virus through the list, please mail the listowner. It has not
happened yet and measures are in place to make sure it never
will.
7, Insulting or baiting behaviour will not be tolerated. The
list is set so that replies go to the list, not the sender,
but you can change this. Off-topic mail should also be
directed to the sender, not the list as a whole.
8. Only plain text messages will be broadcast. No MIME
attachments are allowed (binaries, audio files, Word
documents, etc.) and HTML mail will be rejected. Please
see
Configuring Mail Clients to Send
Plain ASCII Text:
http://www.expita.com/nomime.html
for how to configure your mail program. If you have a
photograph, drawing, sound clip or video clip you'd like to
share, please put it in an FTP site or on a web page, and
announce it. If you can't do this, either offer to send it to
people upon private request, or ask if someone would be kind
enough to make it publicly available.
LIST BEHAVIOUR:
This is taken directly from the introduction to the XML4LIB
mailing list (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/XML4Lib/)
and it is equally valid here:
* Say something substantial. Simply
saying "I agree" (in so many
words) or "I disagree"
(in so many words) does not meet this
guideline. Specific
technical questions are, however, quite
appropriate, as are brief
answers to such questions.
* Say something new. Mere redundancy
will not convince an opponent
of their error.
Explaining the same argument differently in an
attempt to make them see
the light has not been proven to be an
effective strategy.
* "Getting the last word" is for
children. We're all beyond the
age when we should be
concerned with being the one to end the
argument. Just because
you are the last to speak doesn't mean
you won the
argument.
* Agree to disagree. The likelihood
of convincing someone to
change a strongly held
opinion is nil. State your case, but give
up on the idea of
converting the heathen.
* Take "conversations" off the list.
When list interaction becomes
two-sided (two
individuals trading comments or arguments) it is
a sign that you should
take the discussion off the list and
correspond with that
person directly. If the discussion was of
interest to the general
membership you will see others posting
on the topic as
well.
* Remember that you are being judged
by the quality of your
contributions. No matter
whether you are employed or not, or a
certain age, or have a
certain education, you can create a good
professional reputation
by how you contribute to a large
electronic discussion
like Web4Lib. On the other hand, you can
ruin your reputation even
faster and easier.
* NEVER send email in anger. Go ahead
and compose a message in
anger, since that may
help you work through what you're angry
about, but don't send it.
Sleep on it. You will nearly always
decide to not send it or
to recompose it. There's a reason for
that.
* Be civil. Treat others how you wish
to be treated. No matter how
insulting someone is to
you, you will always look better to the
bystanders (of which
there are many, I hasten to remind you) by
responding
politely.
* Respect the rights of others. An
electronic discussion is a
commons. Your right to
post ends at the right of others to not
be insulted, badgered, or
to have their time needlessly wasted.
HOME PAGE:
The list's web site is at:
http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/
It has some bibliographies and information taken from the
list.
ARCHIVES:
The list is archived at
http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/archives/
There is no FAQ for the list, but the archives can be
searched. They are the best place to start for questions
about bibliographies, pseudonyms, publishing dates,
authorship and so on. They also contain reviews and opinions
on many writers and their works.
HISTORY:
The list began on 5 January 1997.
READING LIST/THEME OF THE MONTH:
We have a reading and discussion forum going, where we all
read a story or novel or author at the same time. All
comments are welcome--list members range from interested fans
of the genre to people doing their Ph.D. on a particular
writer. You can find out what story we're on at
http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/reading.html
iCOMM:
Please take a moment to browse iComm's web site. It's
at
iComm provides free Internet services to non-profit and
charity groups and has donated the resources necessary to run
this list.
QUOTES:
| It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, mid October,
with the
| sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the
clearness of the
| foothills. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark
blue shirt, tie
| and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks
with dark blue
| clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I
didn't care
| who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private
detective ought to
| be. I was calling on four million dollars.
- opening lines to THE BIG SLEEP, by
Raymond Chandler
| "How c-could you?" she gasped.
| I only had a moment before talking to a corpse, but I got
it in.
| "It was easy," I said.
- closing lines to I, THE JURY, by Mickey
Spillane
-- Signed,
William Denton <buff@pobox.com> The List-Owner
-- William Denton : Toronto, Canada : http://www.miskatonic.org/ : Caveat lector.
-- # To unsubscribe from the regular list, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to # majordomo@icomm.ca. This will not work for the digest version. # The web pages for the list are at http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/ .
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