--- jacquesdebierue <
jacquesdebierue@yahoo.com> wrote:
> How about the "behavioral" changes in
masculinity,
> say, among the PIs
> and other heroes of hardboiled land? Me, I
think
> Ross Macdonald gave
> the kiss of death to the macho warrior, at least
in
> the PI subgenre.
>
> Have we come a long way from Three Gun
Terry,
> Cardigan and Mike
> Hammer? I somehow doubt that those types
of
> operatives would go over
> well today.
>
> Overall, I think crime writing has gotten much
more
> realistic, in a
> sense, it is much better today - not to deny
the
> attractions of the
> older, pulp-style heroes, of which I'm a great
fan
> and will always
> remain so.
******************************************************
Speaking of realism and behavioral changes, in a conversation
about James Bond recently, it was pointed out to me that in
espionage, bi-sexuality is a requirement. both Mata Hari and
T.E. Lawrence had this ability. While we see reference or
implication in the work of Graham Green, John LeCarre, and
Frederick Forsyth, it is seldom referred to directly in books
about spies. Yet when brought to my attention, it is
obviously an important tool in an arsenal of political con
artists.
While I agree that realism is heightened in modern writing,
plot cohesion seems much less important today. Books are more
often character driven. Plots tend to meander and resolve
anyway they happen to. Less and less do you get the
well-packages tale that comes from THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS
TWICE, or THE KILLER INSIDE ME. When a modern book does offer
a good story populated by realistic characters, people find
out about it fast and it becomes an instant classic, putting
a great stress on the writer to come up with and equal or
better follow up.
Patrick King
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