Davis on Chandler

[Heikki Raudaskoski]

Will try to write something on the subject as soon as I can but here's a
link to the CoQ chapter "Sunshine or Noir?" including the Chandler stuff:
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/architecture/ockman/pdfs/davis.pdf

Also some TRP references.

Heikki

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009, Carvill, John wrote:

> I'm gonna go and read some more of what Davis has to say on Chandler. So
> far I don't much care for it! I had heard of 'City of Quartz' and given
> my ignorance of all things Californian, would have hoped to get round to
> reading it some day, particularly in the light of IV. I get the feeling
> that a lot of the mud Davis throws at Marlowe/Chandler could as easily
> be thrown elsewhere. Not that there aren't uncomfortable hints of, if
> not racism, homophobia etc., then lets say dubious attitudes, on
> display. But branding Marlowe/Chandler a 'racist' or a 'homophobe' is
> reductive at best. Calling him a Fascist just calls eveything else you
> might say into question - it's just so far off base.
>
>
> > Though Philip Marlowe tries to do the honorable thing, the world as it
> is prevents him from doing so.
>
>
> Disagree. More like the other way round. Marlowe does do the honorable
> thing (in as much as there's a clear cut case as to what the honorable
> thing to do is), but the world as it is threatens to prevent him doing
> so. That he wins out in the end, however partially, that he comes out on
> the other side with his own humanity, if not his faith in humanity in
> general, intact, well, that could be taken as a metaphor for what we all
> can hope to achieve, at best. I think Chandler intends Marlowe as a
> slightly exaggerated version of what a man can aim to be, in a corrupt
> and rotten world.
>
> I also question how literally and absolutely you seem to be painting
> Marlowe as a tarnished knight. We recogise the quest narritive trope,
> yes. But the time travel thing I'm not si sure of. Marlowe is not
> medieval, he is of his own time. He may feel out of synch with the tenor
> of the times, but that doesn't mean he has teleported in direct from
> Camelot.
>
>
> Cheers
> J
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