Jim wrote:
>Maybe it would have been interesting if Chandler
had
>continued the notion, but the fact is that
Chandler
>already did what Chandler would have done,
decide
>POODLE SPRINGS wasn't working, abandon it, and write
a
>short story in which Marlowe takes up with a girl
he
>figures is too good for him.
Not necessarily. Chandler's last few years were a mess
professionally and personally, unproductive and erratic, full
of alcohol and botched suicide attempts and contradictory
statements. Did he actually abandon POODLE SPRINGS, as Tom
Hiney's biography suggests, or did he just put it aside for a
while and then run out of time? One theory is that THE PENCIL
wasn't written in that Lost Weekend time, but merely polished
up and sent out for some quick cash.
Did Chandler ever say anywhere (and was he drunk at the
time?) that he was really abandoning POODLE SPRINGS for good,
or just that he was having trouble with it? He was so full of
doubt, grief, self-pity and booze by the end that even what
he said wasn't always a clear indication of what he
meant.
(Damn, I wish I had all my books with me)
I'm not saying Chandler didn't abandon it, just that we don't
really know. And maybe (probably?) he wouldn't have been able
to pull it off. Maybe Parker actually did a better job of it
than Chandler could have at that time. It's hard to say, but
I still like the idea of Marlowe finally getting the girl for
once, even if it's not the girl I picture him with.
--
Kevin
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 29 Dec 2004 EST