Possibly because of my age when I read it, the torture scene
that has probably lingered the longest with me is the cane
chair scene in Casino Royale. Few of today's torture scenes
seem to linger with me very long.
But torture is certainly nothing new in noir. In fact, didn't
Spillane regularly get complaints like this? I've got a
vintage cover of one of his books with Velma strung up and
being tortured on the cover that certainly plays up the
fetishitic apsects.
Yes, today's examples are certainly more detailed, partly
because they can in today's market, partly because they have
to to distinguish themselves as readers reach saturation
levels. As always, though, it's the talent, not the
explicitness (although some are very talented in their
explicitness -- for instance, some of the beatings Bruen's
Jack Taylor has taken has made me cringe, but they're
essential to the character and series) of the writer that
really shows through.
Mark
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