or through the movie script.
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By being able to recognize one-liners in noir literature and movies, it can be seen how famous phrases are still integrated and engrained into society
today. One-liners are often re-cycled in later literary works or films and even found in the advertising industry.
American noir literature and film noir also has a specific style of dialog. There are many kinds of idiomatic expressions used that are explicit to this particular mood. In the
films, it is also necessary to pay attention to the tone, body movements, and character interactions. This type of dialog affects the interactions between the characters in a noir
literary work or film. The ways the characters in these novels and movies converse reflect the historical backdrop of World War II themes, fear of foreigners, alienation, etc. Therefore, the
style of dialog can be considered a representation of the mood of the World War II period. As the characters of these kinds of movies generally have certain traits, it is pertinent
to be able to get inside the characters’ heads and know how to empathize with various predicaments that the characters may be facing. The dialog, interactions, character traits,
settings, among other aspects can familiarize viewers with the time period and main concepts found in the movie. These kinds of literary works and movies are also beneficial to promote
cultural understanding of the time period when the novels were written and movies were made. The noir period is very fascinating to study as it encourages one to be engaged
authentically with the language use of 1940s and 1950s noir movies and noir literature. Numerous cultural insights can further be contributed by analyzing a noir literary work from
one of numerous literary theoretical perspectives.
1.4 Interest in the Study
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http:screenplayexplorer.comwp-contentscriptsCasablanca.pdf . “Casablanca”. Accessed on February
12
th
, 2014. Web.
I am interested in exploring the development of American noir literature and movies in the 1940s and how that development came about as a reflection of societal beliefs and
changes in the wake and aftermath of World War II. Two of the most prolific writers of
American noir literature of this time are James M. Cain see Appendix 1 and Raymond Chandler see Appendix 2. I have decided to focus on a few of the more well-known works
by James M. Cain: The Postman Always Rings Twice see Appendix 3 – same title as in the film version, Double Indemnity see Appendix 4 – same title as in the film version, and
Mildred Pierce see Appendix 5 – same title as in the film version; and Raymond Chandler: The Big Sleep see Appendix 6 – same title as in the film version, and Farewell
My Lovely – called Murder My Sweet see Appendix 7 in the film version to compare the
themes and character traits as a reflection of societal beliefs at that time. There are also other important writers of this genre, but they are from outside the
period I would like to research. Dashiell Hammett is an important writer of this genre, but his more significant works are from the 1930s. He is equally as famous as Cain and Chandler,
but since most of novels were written before World War II, I decided not to cover his works, as the society sentiment between his literary works and the 1940s film adaptations are slightly
different. However, he had a great influence on Cain and Chandler. Cornell Woolrich is an important crime writer of the mid-20
th
century that had many of his short stories and novels turned into noir films as well. Mickey Spillane is another noteworthy writer popular for the
Mike Hammer character in many of his works. I did not opt to write about him as most of his literary accomplishments are from the 1950s and 1960s, although he is also considered a
prominent figure of American noir literature. Many other significant such as David Goodis and lesser known writers are also part of American noir literature. Even Joseph Conrad,
Ernest Hemmingway, and William Faulkner contributed several noteworthy novels during
the classic noir period. However, Cain and Chandler are more well-known and have even had several of their works turned into screen adaptations. Cain’s and Chandler’s literary works
and the film adaptations are more closely related with the World War II era.
1.5 Integrity of the Thesis as a Literary Work
