Abstract
In this article, the writer examines the book "The Big Sleep", the first in a series of 'Phillip Marlowe' crime novels by Raymond Chandler. The writer relates that the story unfolds through the narration of Marlowe, a private detective hired by the dying millionaire General Sternwood to solve a mystery blackmail case for the meager sum of twenty-five dollars a day. The writer concentrates on the discussion about the complex and contradictory character of Phillip Marlowe, focusing on his psychology. The writer analyzes the way Marlowe thinks and speaks and looks at what that can tell the audience about his relationship to the Sternwoods, to the world of crime he encounters, and to Los Angeles.

From the Paper
"To gain an insight into the actions of Marlowe it is first necessary to understand the context of his milieu. As early as the 1920s Los Angeles had become a commodity. The centralisation of the American Film Industry had created a city that traded the American Dream. It was marketed as Hollywood and suburban communities in the desert became immensely popular. This picture perfect ideal was shattered in the 1930's with the Wall Street collapse becoming an increasing disaster and the Great Depression gripping the nation. Now the picture perfect town had become another city where incomes dropped and unemployment was rising. Crime was rampant and dignity was lost, people only had cynicism and disillusionment for the future."

Tags:Marlowe, Sternwood, American, Dream, Knight

Abstract
This paper looks at some of the specific locations in the texts and their metaphorical significance before taking the discussion of urban representation to a wider scope by looking at Chandler's depiction of the Los Angeles and its inhabitants. It also examines the author's use of media and architecture as symbols of facade in both novels.

From the Paper
"Firstly, Chandler paints an image of Los Angeles as a "new center-less city in which the various classes have lost touch with each other because each is isolated in his own geographical compartment." As an urban sprawl, Chandler's Los Angeles accommodates a social structure that is similarly sprawling away from any central sense of community. "Neighborhoods are irrationally segregated from each other...and expensive ones like...Idle Valley are made inaccessible to those without cars or credentials." This quotation raises two important observations. The first is the significance of the name Idle Valley. As a valley it geographically shelters its inhabitants from exterior influences, presumably the citizens of the greater metropolis of Los Angeles and of the lower classes. "

Tags:angeles, architecture, crime, facade, hollywood, los, modernism

Abstract
This paper evaluates the comparing and contrasting aspects of the theme of dysfunctional family relationships in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and "The Big Sleep" by Raymond Chandler. The paper explains that the main comparison between these two mysteries is that they contain the element of greed as the focal point of family dysfunction and the resulting murders that are committed within the families conflicts.

Tags:chandler, sleep, doyle

Abstract
At first glance, "Ceremony" by Leslie Marmon Silko and "The Long Goodbye" by Raymond Chandler seem to have nothing in common. The former represents the psychological struggle of Native Americans in their search for identity in the United States, while the latter seems the usual detective story Marlowe has created. This paper, however, points out that there are several underlying motives and structures that do not make an attempt at comparing the two works futile. One would be a comparison between the two main characters, while another may compare the story's plot and the irony techniques that the writers use.

From the Paper
"Tayo's suffering is physical, but, most of all, emotional and psychological. His distress does not come only from his imprisonment in Japan during the war, but also from his torment related to his place as a half Native American in the American post-war society. Integration seems, in the beginning, impossible for Tayo. This comes from his double ethnicity which means that he may be rejected by both societies. In many ways, this is something that Leslie Marmon Silko has experienced herself."

Tags:tayo, native, american, marlowe

Abstract
This paper explains that the plot of "The Big Sleep" which revolves around blackmail and murder, does not strictly adhere to the old mystery tradition of solving the problems in logic and deduction but rather deals with the psychological complexities of people who exist in an underground, liminal world and for whom life is more of a burden than a gift. The author points out what stands out above the rottenness is the profound sense of helplessness and hopelessness which pervades the lives of most of the characters, including detective Philip Marlowe, who comes off with a brash air of conceited self-confidence and an equally loud aura of indifference. The paper suggests that Marlowe's character is the embodiment of Chandler's essential message: Hope to divert disaster, even when you shouldn't be bothered to care and even when no one else seems to care but you.

From the Paper
"Chandler describes his goal in creating Philip Marlowe to be that he is "the hero, he is everything...a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man...a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability...a lonely man." Oates, on the other hand, describes him as "a cult figure of enviable sexual allure," whose primary appeal to the reader is that he is every man's "wish-fulfillment fantasy," and in turn the "essence of virility" for every woman. Yet this assumption carries a dissonant note. Chandler's obvious downplaying of Marlowe's personal sexuality is more likely intended to steer the reader to the greater nature of his quest: the search for integrity among the living who inhabit this strange, cruel, dispassionate world of 1930s Los Angeles."

Tags:psychological, underground, helplessness, conceited, message

Abstract
This paper provides three short essays that relate to the topic of mystery and detection novels and film noir. The paper looks at the hard boiled detective found in these genres. The paper refers to the work of Raymond Chandler, Dashiel Hammett, Walter Mosley and others, as well as to select films.

From the Paper
"The novels of Raymond Chandler, hard-boiled detective fiction in the vein of Dashiel Hammett focus on the experiences of detective Philip Marlowe. If Chandler's novels featuring Marlowe like "The Big Sleep" have a moral, the moral appears to be that there are intelligent and stupid criminals and law enforcement officials and those that are the most intelligent usually wind up victorious."

Tags:Raymond Chandler, film noir, Dashiel Hammett, Walter Mosley, Ross MacDonald, hard boiled detective, myth of America

Abstract
This paper explains that the protagonist, Squeaky, learns a valuable lesson about the worth of others by noticing that her brother, Raymond, who is "not quite right", runs well in the May Day race. The author points out that Squeaky seeing Raymond in a different light causes her to see not only herself in a different way, but also the character, Gretchen. The paper concludes that Raymond's simple act of running allows Squeaky to realize that everyone has something to offer, no matter how they may seem on the surface.

From the Paper
"Squeaky no longer sees Gretchen as competition; she sees her as someone with whom she has something in common. She writes, "Maybe she'd like to help me coach Raymond", which indicates that she wants to be her friend. With this thought in mind, as the winners of the race are announced, Squeaky and Gretchen exchange a "great big smile of respect between us. It's about as real a smile as girls can do for each other, considering she don't practice real smiling every day"."

Tags:race, caretaker, coach, competition, lesson

Abstract
This paper analyzes how revision affected the works of Raymond Carver: "The Bath" and "A Small Good Thing". The analysis includes an explanation of numerous techniques that Raymond Carver used.

From the Paper
"Revision: the despised word to students who have worked endlessly on a project. However, some people treat revision like a holy ritual. Revision is the process that can take organized ideas and turn them into a work of art. One revision is almost never enough to create a masterpiece. The revisions Raymond Carver did to The Bath while creating A Small, Good Thing are proof that revision can take something simple, turn it around, and create a masterpiece. "

Tags:bath, creative, english, good, prose, small, thing, writing

Abstract
This paper compares the two detective characters of Sherlock Holmes and Philip Marlowe which were created by Arthur Conan Doyle and Raymond Chandler respectively. The paper examines their characters and shows how they are different but how the authors styles are similar.

From the Paper
"The Wrong Pigeon is taken from Chandlers story the Matita One and its story is self evident through the name. Obviously about the syndicate going after the wrong man who is symbolically represented in slang with the word 'pigeon'. It is a carefully crafted tale that evokes the ambiance of Chandler's tales.

"Two of the most fascinating detectives that have been penned are Sherlock Holmes and Philip Marlowe. One can't help but be impressed by the characteristics that are unique go both men and sigh over their dynamic feats. Created by Arthur Conan Doyle and Raymond Chandler respectively these two have caught the imaginations of most of the readers that followed their feats. Yet, the two could not be more different."

Tags:theory, character, plot, private, eye, trends, authority

Abstract
This paper analyzes William Shakespeare?s most famous play, Hamlet in terms of detective fiction narrative. Hamlet is examined against 19th and 20th century works such as the Sherlock Holmes and Philip Marlowe stories, while the text of the play is presented and backed up as evidence of an inherent detective narrative. Some of the evidence concerns the Queen?s guilt, and Hamlet?s confrontation of the Queen in Act III Scene IV - as well as Hamlet?s madness and his relationship with Ophelia.

From the Paper
"Hamlet," says William Hazlitt, "is the one of Shakespeare's plays that we think of the oftenest." (Hazlitt, 197) The story, the plot of Hamlet is almost irrelevant: it is his character, and the way we interpret that character, that gives vital, universal meaning to Shakespeare's work over three hundred years later. As Hazlitt comments, "[Hamlet's] reality is in the reader's mind. It is we who are Hamlet." (196) Hazlitt's is a point of view I would like to discuss further. I would argue that Hamlet lends itself almost flawlessly to multiple interpretations, thus remaining a vital, active text that has become a cultural icon since it was first staged in 1600-1601."

Tags:chandler, detective, fiction, hamlet, holmes, murder, mystery, narrative, raymond, shakespeare, sherlock, theater, william