--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Bill Crider"
<bcrider@h...> wrote:
> Ross Macdonald (have we ever had a Macdonald month?)
was certainly
aware of
> Archer's lack of dimension. Didn't he once say
something
like, "When he
> turns sideways, I can hardly see him"?
And that goes back to what I said about THE IVORY GRIN. While
Archer is more fleshed out in this one than in most novels
(prior to THE BLUE HAMMER), he's already starting to detach
from the story, becoming more the narrator and the catalyst
than the central character.
Whereas Marlowe is well-rounded (as someone pointed out) and
we see the characters from his point-of-view - ie. Chandler
writing his protag's view of the world - Archer becomes more
of a lens for the reader. MacDonald uses him to put the
characters on display and let the readers make their own
judgments.
And I do agree about THE BIG SLEEP. Put a gun to my head and
tell me to pick between THE MALTESE FALCON and THE BIG SLEEP
(Now there's a no-lose scenario, unless you refuse and take
the bullet), I'll pick TBS every time. I can see most people
asking for a coin to flip, though.
Jim Winter
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