If I may "clarify" my earlier "dumb" point:
I found the first pages of _The Thin Man_, replete with
drinking, tedious, tiresome. To me nothing was "moving
forward." Of course, this is my complaint with _A Tale of Two
Cities_. As Mr. Dickens was paid by the word for each weekly
installment, I understand the verbosity and elaboration on
setting.
I prefer beginnings like Mr. Cain's _Double Indemnity_ . Mr.
Cain took twelve lines of type (Vintage trade edition) to
take me right into his life and the physical setting.
I was disappointed when, in his later novels, Cain often
strayed from this.
Mr. Hammett's _Maltese Falcon_ and _Red Harvest_, books I
like, both get off to a first-page start.
Now if I could just write beginnings like those in D.I.,
M.F., and R.H. ..........
--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, Michael Robison
<miker_zspider@...> wrote:
>
> Channing wrote:
>
> Hammett nearly died on different occasions from
his
> binge drinking.
>
> ************
> I don't see The Thin Man as a predominantly
funny
> book. It shows a character submerged in
alcoholism
> and apathy. There is a deep sense of
loss.
>
> miker
>
>
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 06 Oct 2007 EDT