British Noir: The Crime Fiction of W. W. Jacobs.
Saved in:
| Title: | British Noir: The Crime Fiction of W. W. Jacobs. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Hoppenstand, Gary |
| Source: | Journal of Popular Culture (Wiley-Blackwell). Summer98, Vol. 32 Issue 1, p151-163. 13p. |
| Subjects: | Noir fiction, Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark), 1863-1943, British authors, Literature, Popular culture |
| Abstract: | This article explores the noir tradition in the crime fiction of British author W.W. Jacobs. Jacobs is recognized as the author of The Monkey's Paw, a popular horror story, but during his lifetime he was regarded as a master of the humorous short story. Though the majority of his short stories and novels were written as humor, he did also publish some 20 macabre tales. Several of these tales, such as The Monkey's Paw, are horror stories, while others, including Sam's Ghost and The Vigil, highlight a blend of both horror and humor. The novel, In the Library, reveals yet a third dimension of Jacobs' macabre writings. In its use of setting, character and plotting, this tale in many ways reads like noir. A number of Jacobs' short stories, in fact, parallel the type of crime fiction popularized by American pulp magazine author, Cornell Woolrich. A terrible sense of imprisonment is also a major theme of Jacobs' noir tale, The Interruption. |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
| Abstract: | This article explores the noir tradition in the crime fiction of British author W.W. Jacobs. Jacobs is recognized as the author of The Monkey's Paw, a popular horror story, but during his lifetime he was regarded as a master of the humorous short story. Though the majority of his short stories and novels were written as humor, he did also publish some 20 macabre tales. Several of these tales, such as The Monkey's Paw, are horror stories, while others, including Sam's Ghost and The Vigil, highlight a blend of both horror and humor. The novel, In the Library, reveals yet a third dimension of Jacobs' macabre writings. In its use of setting, character and plotting, this tale in many ways reads like noir. A number of Jacobs' short stories, in fact, parallel the type of crime fiction popularized by American pulp magazine author, Cornell Woolrich. A terrible sense of imprisonment is also a major theme of Jacobs' noir tale, The Interruption. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 15405931 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/j.0022-3840.1998.3201_151.x |
