David Madden (1) (1933–)

An excellent review of the pulp fiction writers and their literary aims. There are important short chapters on Raymond Chandler, the themes of the gangster novel and the Hollywood novel (from different authors). I have a hobby interest in writers about the city of Los Angeles, so this is a valuable book to add to my collection. This collection of essays was written in the late 60s but is unique for its focus on a writing style now thought to be antique. I really was impressed by the deft writers who contributed to this volume.… (mais)

This book was created as a teaching tool. It includes what are supposed to be some of the most-taught poems in a slender 132-pg volume. I found it enjoyable as a reader of poems because it provides easy access to some favorites, from Blake's "The Tyger" and Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" to Lucille Clifton's "Homage to My Hips" and Dorothy Parker's "One Perfect Rose." It makes for a light bedside book of poems and that's where I intend to keep mine.

The book is arranged alphabetically by author, which creates some interesting juxtapositions: "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is followed by Carolyn Forche's "The Colonel," Keats' "To Autumn" is followed by Galway Kinnell's "Blackberry Eating," and Rich's "Diving into the Wreck" is followed by E.A. Robinson's "Mr. Flood's Party."

It's easy to pick at what selections are included or excluded, especially in such a slim volume. I think the editor has done a good job but would fault him for including only one prose poem and for 2 of the 3 Rich poems being from the 1950s (the volume was published in 2001). Other odd choices were made, but I'm happy to have so many familiar poems that I've enjoyed in such a handy package. It could easily be taken on a trip, kept in a glove compartment, taken along for a doctor's appointment. At 6 x 9" and only 1/4" thick, it would fit in many women's purses and would be in danger of getting lost in a beach bag or picnic basket.… (mais)

James M. Cain is well known to readers of noir fiction from his masterpieces of the 1930s and 1940s. He defined and perfected the genre of dark crime fiction, and his work gave rise to many imitators and numerous movies. However, as fiction deemed to be merely “popular,” Cain’s work long escaped notice from those in academic circles who devote their time to analyzing fiction of the highbrow variety. David Madden is a notable exception; as a faculty member at Louisiana State University, he has long been interested in Cain’s work and its place in American literature and popular culture.

Cain’s Craft is a collection of six essays by Madden loosely centered around Cain’s early fiction and the movies it spawned. Most of the material has been published previously (in a very scarce 1970 book) but it was revised and updated for this volume. The text of this book is reproduced in typewriter font without justified margins.; thus it has the feel of an inexpensive desktop publication.

The six chapters are as follows. Chapter 1, "The Tough and Proletarian Novelists of the Thirties,” compares Cain’s “The Postman Always Rings Twice” with Horace McCoy’s “They Shoot Horses Don’t They” and B. Traven’s “The Death Ship.” (Readers may know B. Traven from his “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, and film- lovers will be familiar with the corresponding movie as well as the one from McCoy’s novel). Chapter 2 traces Cain’s career as a novelist, focusing in particular on his earlier work. The account is brief, but offers a useful summary.

Chapter 3 is entitled “Cain and the Movies of the Thirties and Forties.” I was interested to find how many movies were based on Cain's novels, notably including films that bear different titles than their progenitors. As portrayed in this book, Cain was far from a success as a screen-writer. The successful movies taken from his novels were adapted by others; for example, Raymond Chandler wrote “Double Indemnity.” Chapter 4, “Cain and the ‘Pure’ Novel” discusses Cain’s best novels in terms of their themes, content, and technique. Surprisingly, Maddow ranks “The Butterfly” (a largely forgotten work) with Cain’s best work (a judgment with which few readers are likely to agree).

Chapter 5 compares Cain’s “The Postman Always Rings Twice” with Camus’ “The Stranger.” The comparison may seem odd, but Cain’s work was well - regarded in France and is thought by some to have influenced Camus’ writing. Madden finds surprising and intriguing similarities between those two novels. Chapter 6 compares Cain’s “Serenade” and Wright Morris’ “Love Among the Cannibals”, in an attempt to explore aesthetics of popular culture in terms of craft and technique. I found this comparison to be rather strained. However, the comparison does raise questions about why some works are deemed literary while others are dismissed as popular fiction. Madden’s early attempts to outline criteria for analyzing “popular” fiction have been advanced and superceded, now that the study of popular culture (for better or worse) has gained legitimacy in US academia.

I acquired and read this book because I love Cain’s early fiction, and sought to understand it in terms of its content, impact, influence, and its place in popular culture. I gained a few insights, but would recommend it only to the most earnest of readers. The material from this book and an earlier book by David Madden recently has been revised and expanded in Madden’s 2011 “James M. Cain: Hard-Boiled Mythmaker,” a book probably more worthy of the reader’s time.… (mais)