---
vhend1234@aol.com wrote:
> I did my Master's thesis in English on Henry
James
> and his brother William
> James, the "Father of Modern Psychology," and I
have
> to say that under Henry's
> "labored, labyrinthine style" is an intricate
and
> insightful illumination of
> human nature that could not be accomplished in
a
> simple manner. His style
> suits his meaning. Henry James is the master!
I
> hope no one is thinking that
> Hammett is a better writer. More popular, more
fun,
> okay.
> Vicki
******************************************************* While
James is undoubtedly "the master," his writing style, unlike
Mark Twain's for instance, is not timeless. I doubt a writer
working today could be popularly successful using James'
style of sentence structure. His style of story telling is
another matter. James really was a master of plot peopled by
rich character studies. I suspect it was this that Hammett
alluded to as inspirational. Certainly Hammett's sentence
structure is specific and direct. Hemingway, another
"master," named Hammett as his inspiration for the terse,
descriptive sentences for which Hemingway is, himself,
remembered.
While nowhere as prolific as Henry James, I do think Hammett
is coming into his own. In his modest way, he may have been
America's strongest 20th Century influence on world
literature. Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Faulkner,
Lewis, not to mention Robbe-Grillet, all were among his
readership. Several of them cited him as an artistic
influence.
James M. Cain, on the other hand, declared that he had read
no more than a paragraph of Hammett in his life. The Hammett
influence was constantly being thrown at Cain by
critics.
When you say you hope no one thinks Hammett a better writer
than James, how is anyone to realistically judge except by
academic standards which, by their nature, are in flux? I can
clearly remember when the Beatles were derided by every
critic. Today, they're taught in every music school alongside
Gershwin & Porter.
I think the time may be now that James is seldom read outside
of the ivy covered walls. This list is proof positive that
Hammett is read by all walks of life, yet it is by no means
difficult to find a college course devoted to his work and
the work of those he inspired.
Who's "better" and what makes them "better" may not be a very
valuable discussion.
Patrick King
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