Nathan asked:
"The first question I have, though, is this interpretation of
noir really "new" as the marketing copy suggests, or is this
just a new packaging of an old idea?"
That was my first reaction when reading the promo summary.
For instance, we've often discussed noir in relation to
redemption and transcendence. In fact, Kerry, for one, has
made numerous arguments that this is the key issue of noir,
though he sees noir as embodying the impossibility of
transcendence, which counters the claim this copy says the
book makes that noir embodies redemption. I'm more than
willing to say noir engages the issue of redemption, but how
often does the protagonist achieve it? That's not a
rhetorical question: How often do noir books end with the
protagonist redeemed? Of course, it's different with classic
noir movies since the Motion Picture Code so often
required/imposed a positive ending, like the completely false
last shot of the otherwise fantastic Pickup on South
Street.
Mark
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