I was surprised to see William Faulkner's name as a nominee
for the reading
list. Opens a side question of whether what's been called
"Southern
Gothic," set typically in small towns and country, is in "our
field." If
so, should we consider folks like Erskine Caldwell and
Flannery O'Connor?
Graham Greene is a different case. His "Brighton Rock" (1938)
probably
ought to be included. It is a stunning piece of noir that
anticipated (and
influenced?) much that followed. I think it's a more
accomplished fiction
than "The Third Man," which may have been the other title in
mind. For
getting inside characters that make the reader feel
profoundly
uncomfortable, Greene has few peers.
Finally, with all the Ellroy fans on the list, why not
include one of his?
Many of us are interested, but have not yet taken the plunge.
The title
should probably be left to those who know his work--maybe
it's a question
of which title you Ellroy fans would be willing to
reread.
Bill Hagen
<billha@ionet.net>
#
# To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to
majordomo@icomm.ca.
# The web pages for the list are at http://www.vex.net/~buff/rara-avis/.