Mark sed:
> I used to be a big fan of Ellroy's, but I'm less and
less
> thrilled with him. I think he added greatly to the
medium with his
> morally complex characters, but I'm becoming
increasingly uncomfortable
> with his use of certain language and attitudes, then
glibly excusing
> himself with, "They talked/thought like that in
those days." Well, who
> chose to set his book in those days?
I'm certainly not gonna defend Ellroy's use of language and
the like. It bugs some readers and others like his stuff
notwithstanding (count me among the later). But Mark, I'm
sure you're not saying that because things weren't kosher
back then, they shouldn't be written about. If anything, the
more things change, the more they remain the same in terms of
language, un-correct depictions of women and minorities and
the like. Hell, just look at the RICO suit filed against the
LAPD.
Ellroy is a jerk. No argument from me. But he's not the only
one who writes about the attitudes and uses the language that
I think you're talking about.
Chandler didn't write about those attitudes in stronger terms
'cause he just couldn't get away with it back then. Even so,
Marlowe could use the racial epithets with the best of
'em.
Tribe
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