Battle of the Titans: Hammett vs. Chandler - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T10:58:23Zhttps://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/battle-of-the-titans-hammett?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A258705&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThe chart is interesting, but…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-12-24:537324:Comment:2590872010-12-24T15:43:21.334ZJackBludishttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JackBludis
The chart is interesting, but does the "mention" of a writer indicated his or her quality or just the popularity?
The chart is interesting, but does the "mention" of a writer indicated his or her quality or just the popularity? Thanks, Eric. Hammett was cer…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-12-20:537324:Comment:2587892010-12-20T20:30:54.130ZTerrence McCauleyhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/TerrenceMcCauley97
<p>Thanks, Eric. Hammett was certainly deeper than some casual readers give him credit. I'm glad you're aware of that fact. I only wish his demons hadn't robbed him of his ability to write more.</p>
<p>Thanks, Eric. Hammett was certainly deeper than some casual readers give him credit. I'm glad you're aware of that fact. I only wish his demons hadn't robbed him of his ability to write more.</p> Thanks for the clarification,…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-12-20:537324:Comment:2587882010-12-20T20:25:51.839ZTerrence McCauleyhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/TerrenceMcCauley97
<p>Thanks for the clarification, Dana. I was pretty sure it was Chandler, but I didn't have time to double check before I typed it out. Glad you re-read and enjoyed Chapter 8.</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification, Dana. I was pretty sure it was Chandler, but I didn't have time to double check before I typed it out. Glad you re-read and enjoyed Chapter 8.</p> Pretty sure you're paraphrasi…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-12-20:537324:Comment:2587872010-12-20T19:46:36.589ZEric Christophersonhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/datahog
<p>Pretty sure you're paraphrasing Chandler there. Hammett was a serious student of fiction and philosophy based on what we know he read (e.g., Henry James, Hemingway, Ford Madox Ford) and what appears in his writing. The famous Flitcraft parable in The Falcon is clearly inspired by a philosopher, Charles Sander Peirce, and I think Sam Spade was an existentialist.</p>
<p>Pretty sure you're paraphrasing Chandler there. Hammett was a serious student of fiction and philosophy based on what we know he read (e.g., Henry James, Hemingway, Ford Madox Ford) and what appears in his writing. The famous Flitcraft parable in The Falcon is clearly inspired by a philosopher, Charles Sander Peirce, and I think Sam Spade was an existentialist.</p> Of course, I had to get my co…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-12-20:537324:Comment:2587852010-12-20T19:41:05.202ZDana Kinghttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanaKing
<p>Of course, I had to get my copy of THE HIGH WINDOW from the shelf and read the beginning of Chapter 8. Beautifully done. I particularly like "old men with faces liie lost battles." I know guys like that, know exactly what he's talking about.</p>
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<p>It was Chandler who said that about Hammett. From THE SIMPLE ART OF MURDER:</p>
<p><span class="class4">Hammett gave murder back to the kind of people that commit it for reasons, not just to provide a corpse</span></p>
<p>Of course, I had to get my copy of THE HIGH WINDOW from the shelf and read the beginning of Chapter 8. Beautifully done. I particularly like "old men with faces liie lost battles." I know guys like that, know exactly what he's talking about.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was Chandler who said that about Hammett. From THE SIMPLE ART OF MURDER:</p>
<p><span class="class4">Hammett gave murder back to the kind of people that commit it for reasons, not just to provide a corpse</span></p> To paraphrase another writer …tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-12-20:537324:Comment:2587622010-12-20T15:51:19.292ZTerrence McCauleyhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/TerrenceMcCauley97
<p>To paraphrase another writer (I can't remember who, but it wasn't me): 'Hammett gave the detective back to the people.' Doyle and Christie wrote about crimes among the elite solved by the elite. Hammett made his detectives (Sam Spade, Nick Charles, The Continental Op, etc.) real people with real flaws and concerns. He refined the genre and made all future advances in detective/crime fiction possible.</p>
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<p>Chandler clearly had a much longer, productive career and made the genre…</p>
<p>To paraphrase another writer (I can't remember who, but it wasn't me): 'Hammett gave the detective back to the people.' Doyle and Christie wrote about crimes among the elite solved by the elite. Hammett made his detectives (Sam Spade, Nick Charles, The Continental Op, etc.) real people with real flaws and concerns. He refined the genre and made all future advances in detective/crime fiction possible.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Chandler clearly had a much longer, productive career and made the genre grittier and real. While both men battled booze their entire lives, I think Chandler worked harder at the quality of his writing. The beginning of Chapter 8 of The High Window is one of my favorite passages in the noir genre.</p> Ah! :)tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-12-19:537324:Comment:2587102010-12-19T15:54:29.808ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
<p>Ah! :)</p>
<p>Ah! :)</p> I don't ;)tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-12-19:537324:Comment:2587082010-12-19T15:49:26.809Zcj forresthttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/cjforrest
<p>I don't ;)</p>
<p>I don't ;)</p> How do you know that?tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-12-19:537324:Comment:2587052010-12-19T15:38:38.072ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
<p>How do you know that?</p>
<p>How do you know that?</p> Elmore Leonard kicked the cra…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-12-19:537324:Comment:2587022010-12-19T15:02:09.811Zcj forresthttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/cjforrest
<p>Elmore Leonard kicked the crap out of John Brown. Smart street dialogue prevails over the absurd. Leonard has of course been writing longer than Brown, but who cares. This is a win for the good guys.</p>
<p>Elmore Leonard kicked the crap out of John Brown. Smart street dialogue prevails over the absurd. Leonard has of course been writing longer than Brown, but who cares. This is a win for the good guys.</p>