tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36271824.post7137766210670782990..comments2024-03-25T10:22:04.995-07:00Comments on Ed Gorman's blog: Why I'm voting for Kevin Smith for PresidentEd Gormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06126267358266480356noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36271824.post-17440972765038757852007-06-29T20:46:00.000-07:002007-06-29T20:46:00.000-07:00The violence in the work of some of the classic au...The violence in the work of some of the classic authors like Thompson or Dan Marlowe never seems gratuitous or over the top in the manner of so many contemporary noir writers who think an exploding head and a blood-splattered windshield is the modern-day equivalent of a cartoon character slipping on a banana peel. One culprit behind this trend, in my opinion, is none other than Quentin Tarantino. Just as you say that many of the new novels are books based on other books instead of life, Tarantino's films mymic his predecessors' work behind a faux ironic smirk instead of expressing a genuine outlook on life. <BR/><BR/>His influence on the rest of popular culture (from the ever more gross films of people like Eli Roth to many of the recent noir novels) is likewise tangible. The characters in these neo-noirs usually conform to the stereotype we have of what a hitman or a tough guy is supposed to be like -ruthless, insensitive, sadistic - even if they're nothing but walking punchlines. It is clear to me that many of these writers have never experienced anything even remotely close to violence in their lives. This is why their fake and sadistic depiction of it in their novels is more like a childish enjoyment of the forbidden rather than any meaningful statement. I believe this reliance on the gross also operates as a distraction from their obvious lack of storytelling skills. This is particularly evident in the new crop of novels where it is mandatory to include an action scene on every single page of their three-page chapters.Gonzalo Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04947145087511918151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36271824.post-83425203354813512432007-06-29T20:40:00.000-07:002007-06-29T20:40:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Gonzalo Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04947145087511918151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36271824.post-7090682590768970102007-06-29T19:44:00.000-07:002007-06-29T19:44:00.000-07:00To me there's dark and dark. People such as Edward...To me there's dark and dark. People such as Edward Bunker and Jim Thompson and David Goodis and Derek Raymond weren't showing off or doing literary riffing on old forms. They were expressing legitimate world views. And most important of all thei visions were based on what they experienced/pervceived in their live. What I get tired of is the riffing you see that's based on novels rather than life. That's what I meant by parodistic. It's a kind of academic fiction, books unto books unto books. One name I should've mentioned was Tom Piccirilli. He's doing something very much his own and very my very dark but also very much borne of life rather than books. Thanks for writing. --Ed.Ed Gormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06126267358266480356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36271824.post-47386111141784498632007-06-29T18:05:00.000-07:002007-06-29T18:05:00.000-07:00It may be that our cynicism is just too great now ...It may be that our cynicism is just too great now to produce very likeable characters outside of cozies. I'm working through an argument that first 9/11 and our response to it has produced writers and books that are nihilistic and despairing. This is certainly true in the literary fiction. Crime fiction was always dark but is perhaps even darker now. I'd like to think I just need prozac but I don't find too many optimistic people out there.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.com