« Davises | Main | Head Shots »
July 26, 2006
Book #49: The Thin Man
Somebody should check out this Dashiell Hammett kid, I think he's got a few good books in him. OK, The Thin Man is great, but reading a book from even just 75 years ago there have been cultural shifts that make it hard, sometimes, to discern subtext. For example, when Nick and Nora have a cigarette in bed together, I don't think that's supposed to signify anything (or is it?). But what really struck me was how much Nick drinks. Was that normal? I mean, it was the era of the three-martini lunch, yes? But he drinks a lot.
Posted by Fuzzy at July 26, 2006 2:03 AM
Comments
I recently (finally) read Stranger in a Strange Land, which is extra weird because it was written in 1962 and takes place, like, in the fuuuuuuuuturistic 80s.
Lots of weird little comments, like how when women get raped it's their fault, monogamy is some kind of fascism, and they totally drink like camels. I forgot hippies could be so openly hostile.
Posted by: Dan Telfer at July 26, 2006 7:57 AM