It depends what you mean by "religion". Defining it narrowly
here, as "high falutin mysticism" or, more charitably,
"something I would recognize as organized religion" and you
have a legitmate point. Hammett is not Chesterson, Chandler
is not Hammer.
Although if I remember my Spade and Marlowe, implicit in
those characters is a sense that they have a moral weight, a
push that sets them apart from their time. It's part of the
point. With Hammett it's ambiguously presented; Chandler sets
the conventional mold, though; Spillane takes it too a
certain logical climax; a guy like Ellroy begins to look at
it critically. I would argue from at least THE BIG SLEEP on
it's an intrinsic part of this kind of story's makeup.
Spillane did not cook up his approach out of thin air; he's a
good writer but not that good. I'd argue he emphasized thread
that were always there.
Is that religious? I don't know. It's probably something more
than "realistic", though. Chandler's not issuing precepts on
how to reorganize society; something else is going on. This
isn't THIEVES LIKE US. Although even THIEVES has more going
on than a
"give the money to the working folk" social realist tract,
I'd argue.
I think you mistake the symptom for the disease. The sexual
dysfunction is seen as Corruption, basically, and while it
admittedly stands out it ain't the only sin on display here.
This is more ambiguously presented in Cain and Hammett than
Chandler, and there's a lot of complicated reasons for that,
but I'd argue it's there nonetheless in all three. (I think,
for instance, that Hammett already assumes a fallen
world.)
I'm not so sure I'd call these men's work "religious" myself,
even by my own lights, as it's rather vague and inchoate. But
it's something like that. And that's not even bringing up
more straightforward noir writers like Woolrich or Goodis, or
books like McCoy's THEY SHOOT HORSES, which all have a deep
cosmic sense.
doug
--- Patrick King <
abrasax93@yahoo.com> wrote:
> You raise some interesting points. But note,
the
> great
> hardboiled and noir writers seldom mention
religion.
> Their morality is more obvious than
high-falutin
> mysticism. Also, referencing specific belief
systems
> was death to publishers until very
recently,
> especially in genre literature. In fact it may
still
> be. Chesterton and Green are the only two I
can
> think
> of who broke that rule yet were more or
less
> "successful." The sexual dynamic in
Hammett,
> Chandler,
> Spillane, and Cain is very interesting. You
drew
> several points from Falcon. Note that with
the
> exception of Spade, all the other major male
figures
> in the novel are various stereotype
homosexuals.
> That's how they avoid Bridget's clutches!
Chandler's
> world is full of alcoholics, drug
addicts,
> pornographers, sexual sadists, phoney psychics,
and
> women with serious psychological damage. All
of
> Cain's
> novels are about sex mania. Serenade, probably
his
> most interesting on many levels, was way over
the
> top
> when he wrote it. It deals with the sexual
dynamic
> in
> art and commerce. The protagonist is bi-sexual
and
> totally confused on that fact. That he regains
his
> sexual and artistic ability in an abandoned
church
> during a desert flash flood adds to the
symbolism.
> Serenade would make a great movie and today
one
> could
> film it without pulling punches. Personally,
being
> neither mystical nor superstitious, I don't
see
> religion per se being that significant to
these
> works.
> I'm sure one can and probably has written Zen
or
> Buddhist "noir" novels. Yokio Mishima, for
instance
> and Kawabatta. It's about common sense: If
lust
> leads
> to theft and murder, you're probably going to
have
> problems in any society whatever religion
prevails
> in
> it. No culture puts up with this kind of
behavior.
> One
> of the most tragic "noir" characters is Pat
in
> Recoil.
> This guy is genuinly trying to do well but he
can't
> extricate himself from his lousey fate. While
he's
> not
> a stupid character, and, in fact, he's very
street
> smart, he's not clever enough to see through
the
> people who simply can't help him and will
ultimately
> destroy him.
>
> Patrick King
>
> --- Frederick Zackel <
fzackel@wcnet.org> wrote:
>
> > I have been lurking during this discussion
of
> > transcendence, and I kept
> > wanting to bring up religion. I don't know
how
> you
> > can mumble about Western
> > Civ and any element of it without bringing
up
> > religion's 3000-year
> > overwhelming stranglehold.
> >
> > So, methinks, a noir protagonist thinks with
his
> > willie, and that dooms him.
> > Noir is about morality. The inevitability
is,
> well,
> > judgment day. I look
> > at noir writers and I see religion oozing
from
> them
> > like January maple
> > syrup. Hammett was a former Catholic, Cain was
a
> > gloating Catholic,
> > Spillane created the Hammer of God, and so
forth.
> >
> > Hammett created Spade, a blonde devil. Spade
is
> also
> > Sisyphus before Camus
> > tinkered with the myth. The Falcon begins
with
> Spade
> > in his office and ends
> > with Spade in his office. Spade's only moment
of
> > freedom is sending Brigit
> > over. Archer was doomed; he thought with
his
> > willie. Spade can transcend
> > his willie. Brigit counted upon Spade being
just
> > another guy thinking with
> > his willie.
> >
> > Hammett, a fallen-away Catholic, dead-stops
the
> > Falcon so that Spade tells
> > the story of Flitcraft. Flitcraft is a human
who
> > encounters Random Chance
> > in a universe he thought was orderly. (That's
what
> > Hammett's daughter says
> > about Flitcraft in her biography of her dad,
by
> the
> > way.) There is no
> > Intelligent Design. There is no Prime Mover.
The
> > Universe is Random Chance.
> > Spade, the gambler, casting his lot with the
drop
> of
> > the cards. (Einstein
> > said God doesn't play dice with the
universe;
> Spade
> > says, yeah, it's the
> > fall of the dice.) Spade could be telling
Brigit
> HE
> > is her Falling Beams,
> > or he could be telling her SHE is his
Falling
> Beams.
> > Works both ways, eh?
> >
> > Imagine Sisyphus with a gun.
> >
> > Could there be a Hindu noir novel? A
Buddhist
> noir
> > novel? Or only from the
> > Son of Abraham? What is the impact of
religion?
> As
> > for the politics, oh, I
> > think the role of politics in noir is
a
> red-herring.
> >
> > God, I'm glad I got all this out of
me.
> >
> > Fred Zackel
> > author of Cocaine & Blue Eyes
> > c/o Point Blank Press
> >
> > "They are too fast, too quick, they rip our
flesh
> > off, rip our arms off.
> > Sometimes it starts with just one. Sometimes
they
> > come in a pack. They
> > smell blood and meat, and they rush in and
join
> in.
> > There are so many of
> > them everywhere, patroling, cruising,
taking,
> > killing." ~ Voltaire
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________________
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Doug Bassett
dj_bassett@yahoo.com
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