The American Roman Noir: Hammett, Cain, and Chandler

by William Marling

Book Overview

A study of classic hard-boiled fiction and film in the contexts of narrative theories and American social and cultural history. The book integrates economic history, biography, consumer product design, narrative analysis and film scholarship. William Marling is the author of Dashiell Hammett.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 082031658X
• ISBN13: 9780820316581
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: University of Georgia Press
• Length: 306 Pages

Customer Reviews

Best Study of Noir Literature I've Read!

William Marling's fine book is a wonderful introduction to the field of hard-boiled detective fiction for the serious scholar. He traces the historical background of noir fiction, provides several case studies of central texts, and gives biographies of Hammett, Chandler, and Cain. He respects the genre without being fawning. This book is very readable and academically sound at the same time.