Kerry Schooley wrote <snipped>:
> I think you are right to be flabbergasted Jim,
because a complex morality
> is at the heart of noir. That is why humanity is
"doomed", or an
atmosphere
> of doom, as we defined the genre earlier. I think
noir fiction is crime
> writing underscored by two basic
assumptions:
>
> 1) that there is no value in an easily attained
morality.
> 2) more often than not we will make bad
decisions.
************ Your proposed relationship between noir and
morality is interesting, Kerry. I've struggled for a long
time to find some relationship and haven't been
successful.
Quite a while ago I read somewhere that Gresham's NIGHTMARE
ALLEY is a morality story about what happens when you do
evil. At the time I thought there was something suspicious
about that. I believe Gresham's drift is that Stanton had no
darn choice in what he did. Noir started to look like
pessimistic determinism. A lack of remorse in most noir, even
at the end when screws are turned, made me question any kind
of moral message.
I'm still not totally convinced, but reading your take on it
is interesting.
miker
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