Re: RARA-AVIS: Hardboiled politics

From: Etienne Borgers ( wbac1203@wanadoo.be)
Date: 21 Jul 2003


Even if this debate around politics in HB/Noir is interesting, it hit a few times the "words barrier", as foreseen. But fortunately without totally slipping away. The confusion is essentially due by some key words which are
(and this could be foreseen) used with different meanings by different debaters. First, politics: I, and others, used the word in its broader meaning, not referring to partisan or militant opinions of people referring to existing politic parties (present or past). Others saw it exclusively as applications of the political life in organized countries... Second, fascism, anarchy, leftism, marxism : difficult words to handle as they designate important intellectual movements AND applied politics by political parties. And confusion will rage... It's like confusing the Christian philosophy with the history of the Catholic Church, the historical and philosophical approach of Marxism with Stalinist Communism, the Anarchist movements with chaos... the list is long, and complex. Just figure out, at the end of the 19th century started a stream of thinking called "Communisme Libertaire" (could be translated as:Antiautoritarian Communism) that will lead to the existence of political factions; the name marries words that will become two notions the most antagonist of the 20th century: Anarchism and Communism...

So, except for obvious examples of applied "field" politics in some novels
(like in the sub genre: kill the commies, so popular during the American 40-50s), our analysis would be better by staying at the upper level of these words mentioned here above.

E.Borgers Hard-Boiled Mysteries http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6384

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