--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, DJ-Anonyme@... wrote:
"
>
> While it may be a new term, your (correct in my
mind) application of it
> to Thompson shows that the lit it applies to is not
new. His books are
> full of psycho/sociopaths who are deluding, or
trying to delude, others
> and sometimes themselves.
>
> And it's an ongoing tradition, Dave was too modest
to suggest his own
> Fast Lane as a great contemporary
example.
A long time ago, some reviewer (I think it was in the Village
Voice) termed Charles Willeford "the king of psycho pulp",
which is close enough to "psycho noir". The term is well
applied to Willeford's Burnt Orange and Custard, and of
course to several of Thompson's best novels and to Dave's
Fast Lane. It wouldn't apply to Goodis, though. Kent
Harrington's _Dark Ride_ is another fine example of psycho
noir, as are some of Jason Starr's books (in this case, the
psycho element is less overt because Starr's style is more
distant and objective than Thompson's or Harrington's).
Best, and congrats to Dave on his new novel.
mrt
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 27 Jul 2007 EDT