RARA-AVIS: Re: Chandler on Woolrich

From: jacquesdebierue ( jacquesdebierue@yahoo.com)
Date: 03 Feb 2008


--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, harry.lerner@... wrote:
>
> In an effort (perhaps a feeble one) to tie this thread into another
> recent one, it seems fair to say that Woolrich was hardly formulaic.
> But, did his work tend to have a specific kind of form? Was his
> penchant for risk-taking his way of staying true to his own form?
>

I would say that the did have more than one formula, and his formulas allowed for many variations. One writer who took after Woolrich in his early career was John D. Macdonald, a great experimenter who eventually straightened out and settled into McGee's world. The difference is that John D., unlike Woolrich, doesn't strike me as unstable. The effect of Woolrich's authorial voice can be chilling.

Best,

mrt



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