James M. Cain: Hard-Boiled Mythmaker

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. (July)