I've read a few more Chandler stories and thought I'd weigh
in on them. I've already given the thumbs down to
"Blackmailers Don't Shoot (1933)," and my opinion of
"Smart-Aleck Kill (1934)" is the same. I see them both as
cliche-riddled pastiches that reveal little of Chandler's
eventual talent. The atmosphere, the brooding protagonist,
and the sharp dialog that Chandler is famous for is virtually
nonexistent.
I believe that "Finger Man (1934)" is the first story that
Chandler was satisfied with later in life. It's his first
story narrated in first person. Even though I wasn't overly
enthused with it, there were still passages that showed
Chandler coming around. The first person narrative allowed
the cynical protagonist to get in some good shots: "I didn't
say anything. I was way past the age when it's fun to swear
at people you can't hurt." Or: "He was the kind of man who
liked to have a desk in front of him, and shove his fat
stomach against it, and fiddle with things on it, and look
very wise." And he was warming up to the simile: "As a bluff,
mine was thinner than the gold on a week end wedding ring."
The biggest problem with the story is that Chandler had a lot
riding on the plot, and it wasn't very convincing.
Not all the imitation work he did was poor. "Spanish Blood
(1935)," is a superb tribute to Hammett's MALTESE FALCON. The
writing is concise and objective, the characters are more
believable, and the dialog is more subtle and less cliche.
The very unsentimental detective, unusual for Chander, is
reminiscent of Hammett's Sam Spade. Is it a coincidence that
Chandler's detective's first name is Sam, or is it a tip of
the fedora to Hammett? Played against the FALCON, the ending
is a fine ironic twist. It's a fine story that goes beyond
the narrow requirements of pulp. My only complaint is the
endless description of the characters' eyes.
I read "Goldfish (1936)" quite a while ago, and I reported on
it then, so I won't go much beyond repeating that I thought
it was a good story. By easing off the logistics of a complex
plot, Chandler is able to concentrate on the mood and
atmosphere. In this story he hammers out a dirty sordid
background. Later he would attach an esoteric beauty to this
ugliness.
"Red Wind" is a beautiful bluesy piece. It was written in
1938, so Chandler's writing skills had several years to
mature since "Blackmailers," and his trademark style is
evident. "Red Wind" has got everything that Chandler is
famous for. The story is narrated in first person voice by a
tough yet romantic protagonist who moves in a dark world. It
starts out with his oft-quoted passage about the hot dry
Santa Ana, and how it touches everyone with madness. It's all
there, the cynicism, the simile, and the scenery.
miker
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail
- More reliable, more storage, less spam http://mail.yahoo.com
-- # Plain ASCII text only, please. Anything else won't show up. # To unsubscribe from the regular list, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to # majordomo@icomm.ca. This will not work for the digest version. # The web pages for the list are at http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/ .
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 15 Mar 2004 EST