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One thing I'd add to the article is that a key feature of the Marlow novels is their meandering plots. I read once that Raymond Chandler stories are about the j
by version_five 5y ago
One thing I'd add to the article is that a key feature of the Marlow novels is their meandering plots. I read once that Raymond Chandler stories are about the journey, not the destination, so basically you're following Marlow around as he does stuff (that is mentioned in the article). The stuff he does is locally interesting, and it makes the stories good. But judging the stories based on their plot synopsis doesn't really get you anywhere. I've read all the Marlow novels, a while ago now, but I'd be challenged to give a decent summary of any of them. Its about the individual scenes.
- smackeyacky 5y agoThis is very much my experience of those novels. Not quite as opaque as Conrad's "Heart of darkness" but I get the idea that you are supposed to be as much in the dark about what is happening to Marlowe as Marlowe is himself. It helps with the immersion.
- twelvechairs 5y agoTV has shifted this way, where its now common to have long running series where different writers, directors, etc. across every episode. Everything is logical in its immediate context but can seem illogical in the broader context of the entire series/show.
- mixmastamyk 5y agoYes, lots of characters change at random, just when you think you know them.
- version_five 5y agoI find this in a lot of Netflix shows, where the season is ostensibly building to some revelation about who the killer or mole or whoever is, but each episode plays out like it was based only on prompts from the previous ones and not according to some planned story arc. At the end you don't see everything fall into place, you learn that there was a relationship that was not alluded to in any way through the rest of the season that suddenly makes someone the killer.
- wrp 5y agoExquisite Corpse the miniseries! It might be interesting to do that deliberately.
- fenomas 5y agoYeah, he talks a lot about this in his essays - one quote I liked was "a good mystery is one you'd read even if the end was missing". He was definitely rebelling against the classical mystery format, where every clue must be clearly presented so that the reader can guess whodunit.
- 02020202 5y agoi could say the same thing about poirot. not books but the suchet series. in the end, poirot can never, ever, produce a proof to jail the killer or thief. it's all about the journey, as you said.