The Maltese Falcon
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Why is the Maltese Falcon read today?
Demetrius
(last edited
Dec 17, 2017 05:14PM
)
Dec 16, 2017 07:32AM
"Why is the Maltese Falcon read today?"
One article states, " Dashiell Hammett’s works are read because they offer less intricate puzzles in a bigger philosophical context." © Michael Rockler 2009
Do you agree? Are there other reasons why it is read, and liked?
One article states, " Dashiell Hammett’s works are read because they offer less intricate puzzles in a bigger philosophical context." © Michael Rockler 2009
Do you agree? Are there other reasons why it is read, and liked?
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If you want to learn how to write, study the masters. Hammett was a leading crime genre pioneer, and TMF is regarded as his best work.
It's an intriguing story with a blistering plot that was made into a film classic that's been on the top 100 list of both American literature and film for decades.
It deals with timeless issues, such as greed, resisting authority and inter-gender trust. It also reveals social mores of the milieu such as gay bashing and misogyny.
It is a valuable study for budding writers and students of literature, and not exclusively for the crime genre for plot and character development.
See my review for other details:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It's an intriguing story with a blistering plot that was made into a film classic that's been on the top 100 list of both American literature and film for decades.
It deals with timeless issues, such as greed, resisting authority and inter-gender trust. It also reveals social mores of the milieu such as gay bashing and misogyny.
It is a valuable study for budding writers and students of literature, and not exclusively for the crime genre for plot and character development.
See my review for other details:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Maltese Falcon is one of my favorite books of all time and I keep going back to it. Every time I do I am brought back to those great old movies of the 1940's, where the action is intense (but not bloody!), the dialogue crisp, and the characters conflicted between good and evil and when it is time to back off the fence.
I was struck, while watching the Bogie film, after reading the book the first time, how the director stayed true to the book, dialogue and all. That was a rare commodity back then.
As to why it is still read today? I think Monty hits the nail on the head. The same reason Raymond Chandler is still viable for today's readers, as well.
I was struck, while watching the Bogie film, after reading the book the first time, how the director stayed true to the book, dialogue and all. That was a rare commodity back then.
As to why it is still read today? I think Monty hits the nail on the head. The same reason Raymond Chandler is still viable for today's readers, as well.
It is one of the first, if not the first, to fuse historical fiction with hard-boiled crime. Add to this great dialogue, superbly drawn characters and you have a recipe that Hollywood was never going to pass up.
In my own series of mystery novels I included the former Pinkerton man, Hammett, in one of the stories - 'The Frisco Falcon' - this is an original story but also a homage to one of my favourite writers...
Jack Murray
In my own series of mystery novels I included the former Pinkerton man, Hammett, in one of the stories - 'The Frisco Falcon' - this is an original story but also a homage to one of my favourite writers...
Jack Murray
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