In a message dated 3/29/02 8:10:33 PM,
blumenidiot@21stcentury.net writes:
<< Remember that hard boiled has developed from the
pulps and popular fiction, not what is called great
literature. It's up to you to define best. >>
Mark,
Thanks for taking the time to give me
your views on this issue. I really appreciate the effort. I
disagree with virtually everything you said, but it was
helpful to have you say it.
There's nothing magical or even all
that difficult about defining terms and agreeing on them.
People do it all the time about subjects more mundane and
more esoteric than the one at hand. Also, the fact that
hard-boiled fiction came from the pulps rather than some
higher literary realm does not render it too pedestrian to be
assessed. In my opinion, strong hard-boiled fiction can stand
up against any other fiction.
The problem here (if it is a problem)
is that you guys are deep into "do your own thing" on
choosing this list, but you want to give it a name that will
make it sound like the RARA-AVIS group has spoken out with a
collective voice about which hard-boiled characters are best.
That's not what's happening. What we're really doing is
creating a hundred different lists using a hundred different
criteria and then we're adding up the votes as though the
totals really meant something.
The list you referred to may or may
not have been created with clear criteria; I don't know how
they did it. They could have come up with all of the examples
you laid out either way. I've pushed for clarity because I
believe that the collective knowledge and wisdom of this
group could produce some insightful choices if we could only
agree about what it was we were choosing.
I've said enough on the subject now,
and to tell you the truth I've lost interest in the exercise.
You're obviously having a good time doing whatever it is
you're doing, so I won't nag you anymore.
Jim
Blue
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 29 Mar 2002 EST