RARA-AVIS: Noir and Randisi's response to Penzler, Kerry, Brian, Jack and MRT

From: Eric Chambers (nqexile@yahoo.com.au)
Date: 16 Sep 2010

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    RJR says:

    > If the key to Noir is that the "protag" comes to a tragic

    > end, where's the suspense? Doesn't there have to be a ghost

    > of a chance that he might prevail? <

    This has got me thinking. The joy of reading Noir is in the writer's storytelling. You should never be able to see exactly what's coming, even though you know what kind of ending there will inevitably be. Sort of like a chess game or the sweet pain of watching your football team play their heart out and still lose. The character and the situation have to be belivable. The central character in Noir isn't an out and out villian like Hannibal Lector, otherwise the reader is not going to care. It's a little like watching a collision between two cars. It's that thing about your mind going into slow motion while you are watching.

    I'm probably not making much sense.

    Eric

          

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