In this term paper, I am going to argue that the reason for the gender conflict as well as the gender development in hard-boiled detective fiction can be found in the historical background and historical incidents of which the United States suffered during the Twenties. Further, I will support Seesslen’s claim that, after World War I, there was the public’s desire for a more honest and harsh view of America which is fulfilled by the post-war realism used in hard-boiled fiction.
For this, I will try to outline the realism in Dashiell Hammett’s "The Maltese Falcon" (1930) as a representation and/or critique of the United States in the 1920s. This particular novel is used because it can be seen as representative for many other hard-boiled fictions and the hard-boiled genre in general as Dashiell Hammett’s work redefined crime fiction. His stories mark an obvious shift from the classical detective story in which the detective is the main crime solver in middle-class suburban places, to an urban space in the United States where organized crime, gangsters and corruption pervade the city.
The characters involved in "The Maltese Falcon" will help to draw a certain connection between the historical development of the United States and the development of men and women in hard-boiled fiction. For that reason, in chapter 2, I will try to define the hard-boiled genre and in which way its plot structure and themes are shaped by the historical events and social issues of that time.
In chapter 3, I will present the two archetypal characters, the Femme fatale and the tough guy, in hard-boiled fiction. Because both of them can be found in "The Maltese Falcon", I will use this novel to analyse masculinity, or more precisely, the protagonist Sam Spade, and femininity, mainly Brigid O’Shaughnessy, in chapter 4 and 5.
By means of the conclusion in chapter 6 I will summarize the main results in order to support my thesis that the hard-boiled fictions’ plot, especially the gender identities, mirror historical incidents and social developments the United States underwent during 1920 onward.
In addition, I will put the insights on femininity and masculinity in hard-boiled detective fictions in a broader context concerning the film industry and the hard-boiled fiction’s impact on following genres, just like Film noir.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THE HARD-BOILED GENRE
3. ARCHETYPAL CHARACTERS IN HARDBOILED FICTION
3.1 TOUGH GUY
3.2 FEMME FATALE
4. MASCULINITY IN THE MALTESE FALCON
5. FEMININITY IN THE MALTESE FALCON
CONCLUSION
WORKS CITED
Objectives & Research Focus
This paper examines how hard-boiled detective fiction serves as a realistic representation of American gender identities, specifically analyzing the construction of masculinity and femininity in Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon within the context of post-war social developments.
- Analysis of the hard-boiled genre as a reflection of historical and social crises in 1920s America.
- Deconstruction of the "tough guy" and "femme fatale" archetypes.
- Examination of Sam Spade’s masculinity and his rejection of traditional emotional vulnerability.
- Evaluation of Brigid O’Shaughnessy’s role as a character defying Victorian feminine ideals.
- The relationship between literary gender representation and the emergence of Film noir.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Tough Guy
As already mentioned before (Chapter 2), there is always a male protagonist involved in the hard-boiled fiction, more specifically, the so-called tough guy. The cowboy of nineteenth-century American mythology is not only replaced (Abbott 6), but also relocated to the industrialized American city, combined with the influence of modernist themes of fragmentation and alienation (Abbott 2). Unlike the individualized hero who liberates himself from the suffocating society in nature and wilderness, the tough guy finds no freedom, perhaps is not even looking for it, as it is no longer an option in the modern city and for the modern man since the tough guy is a figure of modernity, from his up-to-the-minute speech to his fast, unsentimental lifestyle (Abbott 6). Abbott describes him further as a rootless figure reflecting modernist themes of alienation, homelessness and melancholia (6).
Due to World War I, most families had to live without a head of the family and women started to work which gave them new responsibilities (Werner 32). As a consequence, women expected new rights whereas men returning from war expected gender roles and their family lives as usual (Werner 32). Hence, men developed a feeling of inferiority and uselessness to which literature promptly reacted as hard-boiled fictions mainly discuss men in situations which they can neither understand nor solve (Werner 33). Therefore, alienation affects mainly war veterans since they had a hard time to integrate themselves not only because the women's new responsibilities gained during the war period, but also because they were used to execute an order (Werner 23), whereas now, they have to make decisions on their own. Accordingly, the sudden freedom of decision-making challenged the men (Werner 32).
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the historical context of gender role shifts in the post-war era and establishes the research goal of analyzing hard-boiled fiction through Hammett’s work.
2. THE HARD-BOILED GENRE: Traces the origins of hard-boiled fiction as a response to the rapid urbanization and changing socio-economic conditions in the 1920s.
3. ARCHETYPAL CHARACTERS IN HARDBOILED FICTION: Defines the core figures of the genre, specifically the alienated "tough guy" and the subversive "femme fatale."
4. MASCULINITY IN THE MALTESE FALCON: Examines Sam Spade as a prototypical hard-boiled figure who maintains power and emotional distance to protect his perceived masculinity.
5. FEMININITY IN THE MALTESE FALCON: Investigates the character of Brigid O’Shaughnessy as a representation of female ambition and her subversion of traditional Victorian social roles.
CONCLUSION: Summarizes how hard-boiled narratives act as mirrors for American societal anxieties and their lasting impact on the film industry and genre development.
Keywords
Hard-boiled fiction, Masculinity, Femininity, The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett, Gender identity, Tough guy, Femme fatale, Film noir, Post-war, Alienation, American literature, Social roles, Detective fiction, Modernity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores how hard-boiled detective fiction, specifically The Maltese Falcon, functions as a realistic representation of shifting American gender identities and social anxieties in the 1920s.
What are the core themes explored in this work?
The central themes include the crisis of masculinity among men post-World War I, the breakdown of Victorian feminine ideals, urban alienation, and the impact of the social environment on literary character archetypes.
What is the central research question?
The paper addresses why there was a sudden change in man's and woman's identity in the 1920s as depicted in hard-boiled literature, and how this relates to historical and social events of that time.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The author uses a qualitative literary analysis approach, drawing upon historical context, gender theory, and scholarly critiques from literature and film studies to interpret character archetypes.
What content does the main body of the paper cover?
The body covers the definition of the hard-boiled genre, the development of the "tough guy" and "femme fatale" archetypes, and a close reading of Sam Spade and Brigid O'Shaughnessy in Hammett's work.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include hard-boiled fiction, gender identity, post-war era, masculinity, femininity, and archetypal character analysis.
How does the paper differentiate the 'tough guy' from previous literary heroes?
Unlike 19th-century heroes who found liberation in nature, the hard-boiled 'tough guy' is a creature of the industrialized city, characterized by alienation, rootlessness, and emotional detachment.
In what way does the 'femme fatale' represent a shift from the 'Angel in the House' ideal?
The 'femme fatale' is described as self-confident and psychologically strong, rejecting the Victorian image of the graceful, self-sacrificing wife to seek her own goals and agency.
Why does the author conclude that Sam Spade treats Brigid O'Shaughnessy so harshly?
The author argues that Spade's harshness is a defensive reaction to protect his masculinity, which feels threatened whenever a woman invades the "masculine" sphere of crime and control.
What is the relationship between the analyzed novels and Film noir?
The author notes that the narcissistic and defeatist codes found in hard-boiled fiction were directly absorbed by the Hollywood film industry in the 1940s and 50s, influencing the development of the Film noir genre.
- Citar trabajo
- Anonym (Autor), 2017, Hard-boiled Fiction as a Realistic Representation of American Gender Identities? Analyzing Masculinity and Femininity in "The Maltese Falcon", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1043521
