Saturday, November 21, 2009
The Lady in the Lake
In the novel, The Lady in the Lake, the main character, Detective Marlowe is trying to solve a mystery about a missing wife. He interviews many characters throughout this book and we have a large amount of details about each character in the novel. Do you think that as part of Marlowe's detective role, the detailed aspect of all the characters is a good quality of the book? Compared to the other books and novels we have read in class, do the details of each character make the novel easier to grasp and/or more enjoyable to read?
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I think that detectives in general are constantly aware of specific details that others not in that field would not neccissarily see. If they miss these details they might not be able to figure out things that they have been hired to do. It definantly makes this novel more interesting because it engages the readers and makes them care about the characters they read. I like being told the details of every character becuase i like to participate in solving mystery of the novel as it unfolds. It makes it more interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteChandler's matchless concise style, wit and sophistication adds to the reading. Chandler illustration his character with turn of the dime presents, the expressions, the common use of similes, seems to help one build a mental picture of the scene, brittle but revealing contrast are also brilliantly used.
ReplyDeleteSince the genre of the novel Lady in the Lake is a mystery it is important for the author to provide many details for the characters. With the abundance of details the reader is able to fill in the shoes of detective Marlowe because we are given the same information. Having the ability to know as much as the main character allows us to observe from his point of view creating a more interesting read. The variety of details provides us with more visual images that illustrate the plot. I think the details within the novel are necessary in order for the audience to grasp the book. The novel is a puzzle in which we connect each piece of detailed information together creating a more enjoyable read.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this book is easier to read than the others we have read. They all examine details in their own different way. The Lady in the Lake is flooded with details about rooms, places and faces, all because Marlowe is a detective. But Lolita examined details in every action of Lolita as an obeject of the author's affection. And The Heart of Darkness used descriptive detail about the exotic land that was being traveled. This book's use of detail is a great aspect being that it is a detectives book, written from a detective's point of view. Most of the details allow us to become part detective, we can easily piece the clues together without Marlowe blatantly pointing them out for us.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this book is easier to read than some of the books we have read in class but I do not think that the descriptiveness of the novel makes it more enjoyable. Since the story is a mystery, not only is Marlowe trying to gather clues to figure out the culprit, but the reader is also trying to figure it out as well. This is why I think the descriptive nature of the novel is a necessity and not something that the author decided to do just to make the novel more interesting to the reader
ReplyDeleteWhat is interesting about the details given to us in this book is that the main character provides them, rather than an outside narrator. His emphasis on details is probably a sign of his position as detective and it helps the reader to grow accustomed to the idea of taking everything as a possible clue to the plot and to the mystery. Sometimes, for me, the descriptions are a little too wordy which makes the read a little less smooth, but it does allow the reader to create a more detailed mental image of each scene in the novel. In this way, we feel like we are in on the case. Marlowe tells us everything he sees giving us a limited perspective, but his limited perspective which gives us the feeling we know a little more than we normally would when reading a novel through first person narration. The book creates a narrative through the detective process. We, as readers, are observing and piecing together elements of the story, some of which are clues, to establish a theme, and eventually the conclusion of the mystery.
ReplyDeleteI think knowing more characters about a book, is more interesting and intense for the reader. At times it can be very confusing to who's who in the book, but it gives us some type of mysterty, trying to figure out who this character is; or is he guilty; did he kill the woman? Etc...I felt that knowing more characters in the book was more enjoyable to read. A detective is basically interviewing all these different individuals, and it makes you want to read more about anyone else that comes into the path of Detective Marlowe.
ReplyDeleteMarlowe's detective role allows us to see a more detailed description of the many characters he interviews, which sometimes isn't a bad thing. The extra details sometimes is a negative thing, because sometimes a reader can read a paragraph and know what the character is all about. Using detailed descriptions helps us with this novel, because we are getting more mental images of what the character looks like. I like mystery novels,and this novel made me feel a sense of urgency to read more, and solve the puzzle.
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ReplyDeleteSince the main character Marlowe is a detective, I think the large amount of detail is an important aspect in the novel. It allows readers to better understand what it is that he's inspecting, and could possibly help us realize how the people, places, or things he's studying are connected to the crime. I admit though that at times, this can be a rather boring quality of the novel. I feel it would be less acceptable if it weren't for the genre of the book. However, because it is a mystery, it is tolerable and in fact, a key point in the story. It is also an important aspect because the story is only being told from Marlowe's point of view. This allows us to get inside the mind of the other character's or understand his surroundings better.
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