Bruce wrote:
That subject interests me, too. Does anyone have any
suggested reading for 19th and early 20th C literary
influences for early noir writers?
**************
Besides the existential writings, I have often (ad nauseum?)
pointed to the American Naturalists as the foundation of
noir. If you are interested in this, I would recommend
reading Stephen Crane's MAGGIE: A GIRL OF THE STREETS. Tough.
Dark.
The following is from an article I wrote on existentialism
and noir. Hip boots are recommended.
The foundation of existentialism was laid by the Danish
religious philosopher Soren Kierkegaard around the middle of
the 19th century, and was reinforced by the writings of
Dostoevsky, Hesse, Kafka, and Nietzsche. It coalesced in the
long shadow cast by World War I, and gained momentum in the
Great Depression and Second World War that followed.
Existentialism rejects absolutes and defines a man by the
choices he makes in life. Unchained from the canons of the
past, a man is free to create himself in his own image.
Although this appears to be a liberating philosophy, a closer
examination reveals a darker side. The authority behind all
one's former beliefs crumbles, and the comfort and security
of knowing what is right and wrong, what is valuable and what
is worthless, collapses into a nihilistic void. Because one's
social group probably still believes something close to his
discarded views, the person faces alienation from his peers.
To make things even uglier, the choices by which a person
must redefine himself are necessarily limited by
circumstances and society. By restricting the choices a
person can make, society limits what a person can be, setting
the individual in an antagonistic relationship with society.
This is the essence of the noir experience.
miker
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