Hardboiled fiction is a literary genre sharing some of its characters and settings with crime fiction, whose typical protagonist is a detective battling the violence of organized crime that flourished during Prohibition in the United States from 1920 to 1933 and its aftermath, while contending with a legal system grown as corrupt as the crime it prosecutes. Rendered cynical by this cycle of violence, hardboiled detectives are often antiheroes, a lineage that includes Dick Tracy, Philip Marlowe, Nick Charles, Mike Hammer, Sam Spade, Lew Archer, Slam Bradley, Dan Turner and the Continental Op.
Facts
Place of OriginUnited States, where the style flourished during and after Prohibition, 1920 to 1933. 1 Notable ExampleDashiell Hammett, who popularized the style over the course of the 1920s after Carroll John Daly pioneered it. 1 Defining TraitA cynical antihero detective who battles the violence of organized crime while contending with a legal system grown as corrupt as the crime it prosecutes. 1 FAQs
How does hardboiled fiction differ from noir fiction?
Noir looks inward at psychic breakdown; hardboiled looks outward at institutionalized social corruption.
The two are closely associated and similar in tone, but critic Eddie Duggan, quoted in a study of David Goodis, separates them by focus. In noir the primary focus is interior: psychic imbalance leading to self-hatred, aggression, sociopathy, or a compulsion to control those with whom one shares experiences. Hardboiled instead paints a backdrop of institutionalized social corruption, which suits its typical detective, who battles organized crime while dealing with a legal system as corrupt as the crime itself.
Connections
Associated With
Features Author
Source Wikipedia: Jim Thompson (writer)
Source Wikipedia: Raymond Chandler
Source Wikipedia: The Big Sleep
Source The Maltese Falcon (novel) (Wikipedia)
Form Of Genre
In the Other Atlases
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Hardboiled (Wikipedia)tier 2
Sources
1. Hardboiled (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
The genre's typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence of organized crime that flourished during Prohibition in the United States (1920-1933) and its aftermath, while dealing with a legal system that has become as corrupt as the organized crime itself.
The Maltese Falcon (novel) (Wikipedia)
Features Author: The Maltese Falcon, Lead section, genre sentenceQuote, Features Author: The Maltese Falcon, Lead section, genre sentence
It is considered part of the hardboiled genre, which Hammett played a major part in popularizing.
Wikipedia: The Big Sleep
WikipediaFeatures Author: The Big Sleep, Infobox, genre fieldQuote, Features Author: The Big Sleep, Infobox, genre field
Genre: Hardboiled detective, crime
Wikipedia: Jim Thompson (writer)
Features Author: Jim Thompson, Infobox, genre fieldQuote, Features Author: Jim Thompson, Infobox, genre field
Genre: Crime fiction, hardboiled, pulp, autobiography, suspense, literary fiction
Wikipedia: Raymond Chandler
Features Author: Raymond Chandler, Infobox, genre fieldQuote, Features Author: Raymond Chandler, Infobox, genre field
Genre: Crime fiction, suspense, hardboiled
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.