The Fallen Worlds of Graham Greene and Raymond Chandler as Represented in The Third Man and The Big Sleep

نوع المستند : العلوم الانسانیة الأدبیة واللغات

المؤلف

إدارة الدراسات العليا، كلية الآداب، جامعة المنصورة، الدقهلية، مصر

10.21608/artman.2025.354714.2942

المستخلص

In light of their shared rejection of the puzzle-oriented norms set forth during the Golden Age of detective fiction and their inclination towards a more realistic approach in their crime narratives, this research aims to compare The Third Man by the British author Graham Greene and The Big Sleep by his American peer Raymond Chandler. This study focuses on the profound understanding demonstrated by both authors regarding the significant role that crime fiction plays in highlighting societal decay and corruption, rendering the twentieth-century cities of Vienna and Los Angeles fertile grounds for crime and illicit activities. In The Third Man and The Big Sleep, Chandler’s hard-boiled heroes and Greene’s morally ambiguous characters illuminate a landscape marked by disillusionment and corruption, reflecting the tumultuous socio-political climates of their times. Through a comparative analysis, this research elucidates how both authors employ their distinct narrative styles to criticize societal norms, ultimately presenting a nuanced understanding of their protagonists as embodiments of a fallen world grappling with moral decay and existential despair.

الكلمات الرئيسية

الموضوعات الرئيسية