The hard boiled genre-pepper Flashcards
Why did Chandler dismiss what he called “english cheesecake manor” detective novels?
Because they are contrived (Artificial and hard to believe) and whimsical.
What did he think Hammett was a writer?
spare, frugal, hard-boiled, writing scenes that seemed never to have been written before.
What did Chandler say about himself and Hammett?
That they wrote realistic fiction.
is the hard-boiled genre predominantly an american form?
Yes, in response to the social, political and economic conditions in the US from 1920s and upwards.
Is the hard boiled language that of the streets, the pool rooms and the union halls? Neutral and objective?
Yes, it is a street language, which the working class could relate to.
Is the hard-boiled genre neutral and objective`?
No, according to Pepper the hard-boiled writing is always inflected with political assumptions, even where these assumptions are unclear or indeed contested.
What are ogdon claims about the hard-boiled genre?
That it is best understood as a spesific way of seeing the ideological viewpoint; that of the straight white male.
What does Breau characterise hard-boild as?
A cultural fantasy that is predcated on discreet racial, sexual and gendered identities
What does Pepper argue that hard-boild really is?
a reaction to exisisting structures of power and an attempt to reconstitute (change) white masculine hetereosexual hegemony.
Does Pepper think
all hard-boiled is inherently male or masculinst ?
No,
What has the US novel always been intrested in?
The manipulation of the law by big business- insurance companies and gambling syndicates.
Why is hard boiled seen as an important vehicle of marxist or social criticism?
Because it depicts corruption at the heart of US political and economic life.
What does Hammett’s “red Harvest” demonstrate?
That a civil society cannot sustain itself in the abscense of a strong,functioning state. The hard-boiled must act in the interest of the state and the law.
What is the state for Antonio Gramsci?
Competing power blocs clash and vie for position. The state as policeman are invoked when its authority or boundaries are directly threatned
What does Hegel observe in the elements of the philosphy of right?
Social instability and visible punishment of criminals is linked. The repressive power of the state becomes more evident when society is unstable (ie. when the political leaders are in fear of loosing control).
