Mario wrote:
"We need to refine the concept: are we talking about noir as
style
(which includes atmosphere) or about a typology of characters
and situations?"
Mario, you put into words something that has been nagging at
me throughout this discussion. Are we talking about story or
presentation?
Sure, there are plenty of stories prior to those we accept as
noir that have noirish plotlines. But are they told in a noir
style? Although Willeford based the story of Cockfighter on
Homer's Odyssey (as did the Coens in the movie O' Brother),
is the model noir? I think not.
I guess that's why I think of the city when I think of noir.
It's those shadows (and yes, I may be retro-fitting filmic
elements onto its literary source material). However, as
Marianne so eloquently pointed out, it's not just buildings
and doorways that cast shadows. So I guess it was more a
statement of my own taste than of genre that the city is a
character. Maybe, the setting is a character?
Mark
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