Re: RARA-AVIS: Hemingway noir

From: Al Guthrie ( allanguthrie@ukonline.co.uk)
Date: 23 Feb 2004


----- Original Message ----- From: "Valerie E. Polichar" < valerie@ucsd.edu>
> My personal opinion: I see a lot of noir in Hemingway's short
> stories. It comes across (for me) in two ways: the fact that, in many
> of his stories, the characters are inexorably locked into fates they
> can't escape; and the structure of his writing itself. I think his
> short-sentence, plain-spoken language influenced scores of noir writers.
> Great punch can come from describing the most desperate of
> situations in emotionless, ticker-tape phrases.

It can indeed, but I'd suggest the hardboiled epithet is a better fit. Emotionless noir, to my mind, is an oxymoron.

Al

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