Re: RARA-AVIS: Profesionals and amateurs

From: Al Guthrie ( allanguthrie@ukonline.co.uk)
Date: 25 Feb 2003


----- Original Message ----- From: "Kerry Schooley" < gsp.schoo@skylinc.net>

> It was an aside Al. If I understand correctly, you'd inverted what you
feel
> are the usual viewpoints of noir and hardboil?

You have misunderstood, Kerry.

I wrote:
<<You find out if you write a parody (as I've just done) that it's difficult
<<to convince if you write noir from the detective's viewpoint or hardboiled
<<from the victim's.

The parenthesis refers to writing a parody, not to the subsequent clause. In other words, "write a parody, as I've just done", and not "that it's difficult to convince (as I've just done)". The latter would be quite an achievement. The first half of the parody ("Little Red Riding Hood") is hardboiled, the second half noir. What I meant is that my task would have been much more difficult had I not switched point of view for the noir half, or tried to write the first half from the viewpoint of the PI's attractive client.

>Second inversion: parody,
> which uses exaggeration and the inversion of customary viewpoints to
> achieve humour and revelation.

I've certainly exaggerated, but I haven't inverted customary viewpoints. Should I have? All the Chandler parodies I've read are written from the PI's viewpoint. There again, maybe it's me that's out to lunch.

Al

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