The mention of Russell James reminded me of something I wrote
down at Bouchercon. Someone on the panel about "new
noir"--perhaps Victor Gischler--gave James's definition of
noir: "a desperate protagonist struggling in vain against the
fates." Does anyone have the exact quote, or a source? It's
good.
Aha, never mind, I think I found it:
| Noir fiction is doom-laden and pessimistic. It may have
humour, it will
| have action, but at the tale's black heart will be a
character trapped
| in a situation from which there seems to be no escape. Some
purists
| would go so far as to say there must be no escape. The
plight of a
| desperate man (it usually is a man) fighting in vain
against the fates
| marks out noir fiction and gives it its savour.
Source: "So You Want to Write Noir?" by Russell James on Mr.
Guthrie's NOIR ORIGINALS:
http://www.allanguthrie.co.uk/sywtrn.htm
Bill
-- William Denton : Toronto, Canada : http://www.miskatonic.org/ : Caveat lector.
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