>
> > Yeah, I get that, but look up "dark" in
the
> > dictionary. Among the
> > definitions that relate to colour and the
relative
> > absence of light, you
> > will find "evil" and "sinister" as synonyms.
The
> > words "dark" and
> > "sinister" are themselves moral valuations. In
the
> > Canadian Oxford, at
> > least, but I doubt exclusively.
>
>I know, but I wanted to make clear that I'm not
using
>them in that sense, or at least not EXCLUSIVELY
in
>that sense.
There's a definition of sinister in which evil is not
implicit? My point being that the use of this adjective
applied to atmospherics implies a moral valuation.
Later you said:
But I would say that a world
(depicted with words in prose or with images in film) in
which disorder and injustice reign would probably be dark and
sinister, and a tough, colloquial hero who was able to impose
justice and order on such a world
(however temporarily), would probably be hard-boiled.
I'm not debating your definition of hard boiled. I think that
holds very well. And I don't think your statement above means
that the hero has to impose justice and order to be hard
boiled.
And yes, a world in which disorder and injustice reign is, in
human moral terms, dark and sinister. But the writer of noir
may use devices, other than a description of atmosphere to
convey the sense of disorder and injustice. Character and
plot, for instance. Or there may be times when the author not
writing noir uses a dark and sinister atmosphere to show that
their bright and shiny hero can restore order and justice to
the world. In the end, I think the shift to a world of
disorder and injustice serves any better than an atmosphere
that is dark and sinister, though they are definitely a route
toward the definition.
Similarly, a "fucked" or "screwed" protagonist, or that the
story has characters that could be described as "losers" is
not on the path but is again, in itself, adequate to define
noir. In this case we're saying that noir is defined by
characterization alone. Close, but no cigar, and definitely
not a Havana.
What makes a story noir is that it adheres to the view that
corruption is inherent in the human condition. It may be
endured, but it cannot be defeated. To be human is to be
corrupt. The joke is that only humans can recognize this (so
far as we know.) In this way we are all fucked, but not just
the losers among us. Even the winners are screwed. And yes
this often makes for a dark and sinister atmosphere, but only
as interpreted by humans, who often choose not to do
so.
The world may be chaotic and unjust, but as humans we haven't
the wit to understand how it works, entirely. Nevertheless,
we are corrupt enough to believe that we can improve upon it.
Only humans seem to have a sense of morality (again, so far
as we know--I am pretty sure that celery does not,) but any
morality that attempts to operate in a moral world (internal
or external, individually or collectively) is pointless. Who
needs rules that nobody breaks? So we're all fucked, and
that's damned funny unless you're a frog committed to the
pursuit of expanding human knowledge.
Character and atmosphere are devices used by storytellers,
but what makes a story noir is point of view. The point of
view that human corruption endures.
Now, an application. I haven't read much Vachs, but that
which I did read seemed to imply that child molestation is
the act of a few very bad, evil people. Eliminate those
people and this evil will be eradicated. Maybe I misread, but
if I did not, then Vachs is not noir.
Kerry
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Literary events Calendar (South Ont.) http://www.lit-electric.com
The evil men do lives after them http://www.murderoutthere.com
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