AtD (37) pp.1040 ff. Thoughts on Lew Basnight, detective.

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

Against the Day is a meta-fiction, a fiction concerned with fictions. 
There are many parodies of genres that first saw the light of day 
in the era of Against the Day. The Crime Novel or Mystery is a 
genre that blossomed during the era of Against the Day, Sherlock 
Holmes being but the most obvious example. Dashiell Hammett,
an ex-Pinkerton, is more of the Hard-boiled Dick found in the 
States and closer to the mark for Lew. And of course, don't 
forget the previously cited Lew Archer:

          Profile

          Initially, Lew Archer was similar to (if not completely derivative 
          of) Philip Marlowe. However, he eventually broke from that 
          mold, though some similarities remain. Archer's principal 
          difference is that he is much more openly sensitive and 
          empathetic than the tough Marlowe. He also serves a 
          different function than Marlowe. Raymond Chandler's books 
          were studies of Marlowe's character and code of honor, while 
          Macdonald used Archer as a lens to explore the relationships of 
          the other characters in the novels.

          Archer's name is an homage to Dashiell Hammett: "Miles 
          Archer" was the name of Sam Spade's murdered partner in 
          The Maltese Falcon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lew_Archer

I keep turning back to The Crying of Lot 49 as something of a coda 
for Against the Day, Oedipa looking backwards at the detritus of a 
scene that manages to continue in darkness, a scene displayed 
in full daylight in AtD. Raymond Chandler's sense of place and the crude
mechanics of local political power infuse The Crying of Lot 49. In AtD the 
character of Lew ties together the central thread of the story---Scarsdale 
Vibe's "hit" on Webb and the family's response to to Webb's execution. 
The loose ends of that story are all tied up thanks to some smooth
teamwork between the psychic detective and the alchemical photographer.