James M. Cain: Hard-Boiled Mythmaker

David Madden

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Providing an overview of all of James M. Cain's fiction, including an analysis of the major themes of his entire literary career, the book examines Cain's impact on and importance in 20th-century culture, film in particular.

Book Details

Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Publish Date: Apr 28th, 2011
Pages: 240
Language: English
Edition: undefined - undefined
Dimensions: 9.10in - 6.10in - 0.90in - 1.20lb
EAN: 9780810881181
Categories: • Literary Figures• Mystery & Detective Fiction• American - General

About the Author

Madden, David: -

David Madden is the Chair of the SEESOX Steering Committee and Distinguished Friend
of St Antony's College, University of Oxford. A member of the UK Diplomatic Service for 34 years, he
has extensive experience of working in and with countries and places on the brink of break-up (former
6
Yugoslavia), those seriously divided (Berlin in the 1970s, Cyprus, Bosnia & Herzegovina after the war),
and those where regional tensions run high (South-Eastern Europe generally). He was successively
British High Commissioner in Cyprus, and Ambassador in Athens before retiring in 2004. He was directly
involved in Yugoslav affairs as Deputy Head of Eastern European Department in the FCO 1984-6,
Deputy Head of Mission in Belgrade 1987-90, (briefly) member of ECMM at its inception, and Political
Adviser to EUFOR 2004-6. His most recent books include Balkan Legacies of The Great War: The Past
Is Never Dead (with Othon Anastasakis and Elizabeth Roberts, Palgrave Macmillan, 2016).

Praise for this book

Madden, a leading scholar and novelist (The Suicide's Wife), with the help of Mecholsky, melds together two previously published critical works on the late novelist James M. Cain, whose seminal style helped define noir. Rife with comparisons to literary contemporaries Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, this book deeply analyzes intricacies of individual plots as well as the formulaic approach Cain used in creating his realist storylines and ruthless characters. A study on form and technique demonstrates Cain's ability to balance existentialism with compact prose in crafting the "pure" novel. Camus was understandably a fan, while Cain's narrative technique has influenced cinema from European neo-noir to perhaps most notably the Coen Brothers. In revealing psychoanalytical aspects ingrained in the novels, their very nature is astutely addressed. Prevalence of the American Dream draws parallels with Nietzsche as power struggles permeate Cain's rhythmic prose. Where Madden and Mecholsky together explore sexual conflict, a decidedly Freudian contrast emerges. This successful collaboration has produced a fascinating new study of an arguably under-appreciated American author.

This expanded edition actually takes the good stuff from two of Madden's earlier volumes on Cain and combines them. He also has added some new information, including recent material on Cain's later books such as Rainbow's End, Cloud Nine, and The Enchanted Isle. A new adaptation of Mildred Pierce recently debutingon HBO proves there is still much interest in his work, and The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity continue to thrill in print and on screen. This scholarly analysis of Cain is more for the academics.