The Difference between Hardboiled and Noir > Likes and Comments

I think the following Wikipedia article on hardboiled fiction had something interesting to say regarding the difference between two subgenres of crime fiction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardboiled

Hardboiled writing is also associated with "noir fiction". Eddie Duggan discusses the similarities and differences between the two related forms in his 1999 article on pulp writer Cornell Woolrich. In his full-length study of David Goodis, Jay Gertzman notes: "The best definition of hard boiled I know is that of critic Eddie Duggan. In noir, the primary focus is interior: psychic imbalance leading to self-hatred, aggression, sociopathy, or a compulsion to control those with whom one shares experiences. By contrast, hard boiled 'paints a backdrop of institutionalized social corruption'".

That's a really perceptive distinction. The protagonist of the noir book we are reading this month in The Snow Was Dirty is a good example in that he is a complete psychopath. Goodis' protagonist in Dark Passage on the other hand is put in a bad position because of a corrupt justice system, a good example of a hardboiled trope.

Thanks for that,Dan. That explains why I like Hardboiled and not Noir(with a few exceptions).

I like that sharp distinction — the interior vs. institutional angle.

I've always thought of noir as a stepchild of tragedy — watching people make bad choices and seeing where they lead.

You want to kill this woman’s husband so you can build a great life together? Okay. Let’s see how that ends.

Dan wrote: "I think the following Wikipedia article on hardboiled fiction had something interesting to say regarding the difference between two subgenres of crime fiction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardboi..."

This is actually a fantastic breakdown... I have struggled with where to put my own writing as it isn't strictly noir, hardboiled, or cyberpunk... it is something that crosses all those genres in one way or another. For instance my protagonist has an old school gangster code of ethics (noir and hardboiled facets) in a near future world where Bitcoin is the currency (cyberpunk). He isn't really a sociopath, but someplace in the vicinity. Now, there are characters in the book (soon to be books) that are 100% psychopaths... Nicky often thinks with the wrong head and it leads him down some dark paths (noir).