Miker, I place West within a specifically Jewish tradition.
To the classic "I'm getting screwed", this tradition
adds
"And I'm a schmuck". In Goodis, you just have the getting
screwed thing. There is no irony. It's an important
difference. Another difference is that West was a much more
sophisticated writer than Goodis, more cerebral. With Goodis,
you get the raw picture of the loser thrashing about; with
West (as with Willeford, an important parallel), you get a
smart and articulate observer telling you about the
schmuck.
Regards,
MrT
=====
"The difference between the right word and the almost right
word is the difference between lightning and the lightning
bug." Mark Twain
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