Re: RARA-AVIS: can noir writers advocate social reform?

From: jimdohertyjr ( jimdohertyjr@yahoo.com)
Date: 26 Nov 2006


The original question was, does a book with a politically progressive viewpoint (or any political viewpoint), which would, absent the political agenda, be classified as noir or hard-boiled (however those are defined), automatically become NOT noir or NOT hard-boiled because of the political agenda.

So the question of how noir/hard-boiled is defined is really beside the point, because, if the original premise is correct, HOWEVER it's defined, it's automatically not noir once the main purpose of the author becomes advocacy for a particular political point.

And whether or not Thompson is political is beside the point, because even if he is, if the premise is correct, the conclusion could just as easily be that Thompson wasn't hard-boiled/noir, after all.

My position, and, if I'm reading he responses correctly, the group consensus is, advocating social reform does not render a work that would otherwise be regarded as hard-boiled/noir something OTHER than hard-boiled/noir.

Or am I misinterpreting the responses?

JIM DOHERTY
 



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