History Creator / RaymondChandler

Chicago-born and London-raised, Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was a former oil executive fired from his job due to the Great Depression before becoming one of the most influential writers of HardboiledDetective fiction, through seven novels, many short stories, and a number of essays, of which the most famous is 1944's "The Simple Art of Murder". He also had an influence on the developing FilmNoir, both indirectly through adaptations of his novels, and more directly through a stint as a Hollywood screenwriter (he wrote the screenplays for ''Film/DoubleIndemnity'', ''Film/TheBlueDahlia'', and ''Film/StrangersOnATrain'').

Chicago-born and London-raised, Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was a former oil executive fired from his job due to the Great Depression before becoming one of the most influential writers of and on HardboiledDetective fiction, through seven novels, many short stories, and a number of essays, of which the most famous is 1944's "The Simple Art of Murder". He also had an influence on the developing FilmNoir, both indirectly through adaptations of his novels, and more directly through a stint as a Hollywood screenwriter (he wrote the screenplays for ''Film/DoubleIndemnity'', ''Film/TheBlueDahlia'', and ''Film/StrangersOnATrain'').

Chicago-born and London-raised, Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was and is one of the most influential writers of and on HardboiledDetective fiction, through seven novels, many short stories, and a number of essays, of which the most famous is 1944's "The Simple Art of Murder". He also had an influence on the developing FilmNoir, both indirectly through adaptations of his novels, and more directly through a stint as a Hollywood screenwriter (he wrote the screenplays for ''Film/DoubleIndemnity'', ''Film/TheBlueDahlia'', and ''Film/StrangersOnATrain'').

-->-- ''[[http://www.en.utexas.edu/amlit/amlitprivate/scans/chandlerart.html The Simple Art of Murder]]'' (1944)

* RightHandCat: In "Finger Man", the corrupt politico (and BigBad of the story) Frank Dorr has a large, black Persian cat on his desk, which he pets and plays with throughout his first conversation with the detective protagonist. The cat actually plays a role in the plot besides just characterizing the villain: [[spoilers:when negotiations go south, the detective grabs the cat and throws it at Frank Dorr, then grabs Frank's gun during the resulting confusion.]]

* PatchworkStory: Chandler cannibalised previous short stories of his when creating his first two novels, and used elements of them for further novels, with the expectation that his magazine stories would disappear and never be seen again -- he was mildly dismayed when they were collected in anthology form following the success of his later novels. The level of cannibalisation varied, from whole plots to select passages and descriptions. The novels go beyond simple SelfPlagiarism, however, as Chandler would usually try to build on what he had previously written, streamlining some plots while making rendering more complicated, and adding depth to character motivation and the detective's insights over the course of the investigation. The lengthy descriptive passages, originally added to increase the page count, became the stylized, almost meditative {{Private Eye Monologue}}s Chandler is known for.

* PatchworkStory[=/=]SelfPlagiarism: Chandler cannibalised previous short stories of his when creating his first two novels, and used elements of them for further novels. The level of cannibalisation varied, from whole plots to select passages and descriptions. Chandler would usually try to build on what he had previously written.
* PrivateEyeMonologue: He was a master at these.

* PrivateEyeMonologue
* PurpleProse: subverted. Chandler's descriptive writing evokes this, but his own skill makes it rise above that trope. Attempts to copy or parody his way with descriptive words tend to turn into Purple Prose.

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->"But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid."

* ChandlersLaw: The TropeNamer and [[TropeCodifier Codifier]], set down by Chandler in his essay "The Simple Art of Murder": ''when in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.''[[note]]''Not'' the famous [[FirstInstallmentWins earlier]] one, quoted all over the place (including this very page), which is longer and a lot more aggressive about tearing into "classic" mysteries; this was a later, shorter piece sharing the same title and general themes but a lot more self-deprecatory about Chandler's own pulp writing.[[/note]] Typically it's hired goons (sometimes {{Dirty Cop}}s) busting in on Marlowe in his office. True to form, they often provide the impetus for Marlowe to start investigating the case in earnest, since if it was worth sending goons to try and warn him off, somebody must have something to hide.

* ChandlersLaw: The TropeNamer and [[TropeCodifier Codifier]], set down by Chandler in his essay "The Simple Art of Murder": ''when in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.''[[note]]''Not'' the famous [[FirstInstallmentWins earlier]] one, quoted all over the place (including this very page), which is longer and a lot more aggressive about tearing into "classic" mysteries; this was a later, shorter piece concerned with the same general themes but a lot more self-deprecatory about Chandler's own pulp writing.[[/note]] Typically it's hired goons (sometimes {{Dirty Cop}}s) busting in on Marlowe in his office. True to form, they often provide the impetus for Marlowe to start investigating the case in earnest, since if it was worth sending goons to try and warn him off, somebody must have something to hide.

* ChandlersLaw: The TropeNamer and [[TropeCodifier Codifier]], set down by Chandler in his essay "The Simple Art of Murder": ''when in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.''[[note]]''Not'' the famous one, quoted all over the place (including this very page), which is longer and a lot more aggressive about tearing into "classic" mysteries; this was an earlier, shorter piece concerned with the same general themes but a lot more self-deprecatory about Chandler's own pulp writing.[[/note]] Typically it's hired goons (sometimes {{Dirty Cop}}s) busting in on Marlowe in his office. True to form, they often provide the impetus for Marlowe to start investigating the case in earnest, since if it was worth sending goons to try and warn him off, somebody must have something to hide.

* ChandlersLaw: The TropeNamer and [[TropeCodifier Codifier]], set down by Chandler in his classic essay "The Simple Art of Murder": ''when in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.'' Typically it's hired goons (sometimes {{Dirty Cop}}s) busting in on Marlowe in his office. True to form, they often provide the impetus for Marlowe to start investigating the case in earnest, since if it was worth sending goons to try and warn him off, somebody must have something to hide.

* ChandlerAmericanTime: Named by Creator/StephenKing in Chandler's honor in his short story "Umney's Last Case", and typified by countless pastiches of Chandler's work over the years. For his own part, Chandler simply wrote about the time in which he lived, exaggerated for poetic effect.

* ChandlerAmericanTime: Named after Creator/StephenKing in Chandler's honor in his short story "Umney's Last Case", and typified by countless pastiches of Chandler's work over the years. For his own part, Chandler simply wrote about the time in which he lived, exaggerated for poetic effect.

* FriendOnTheForce: Marlowe was formerly with the DA's office himself, and occasionally befriends some of the more honest cops he meets. The only one to appear in more than one of the books, however, is Bernie Ohls, longtime investigator for the DA, and he and Marlowe part on bad terms in ''Literature/TheLongGoodbye''. Red Norgaard and Detective Randall, both of whom appear in ''Literature/FarewellMyLovely'', are mentioned in later books but do not reappear (Red Norgaard had quit the force at the time, but is revealed to have been rehired before being drafted). UnseenCharacter Violets M'Gee is also namedropped several times, but only when Marlowe needs to give a big client a reference.

* GambitPileup: Chandler's detectives often crack the case by finding some tangential intersection between two crimes, with the sheer corruptness of Los Angeles/Bay City's criminals, corrupt cops, and wealthy elite resulting in a good deal of RightHandVersusLeftHand attempts to hamfistedly cover up one crime leading to [[PullTheThread an obvious thread to pull]] which ends up leading the detective to the real culprit.

* ChandlersLaw: The TropeNamer and [[TropeCodifier Codifier]], set down by Chandler in his classic essay "The Simple Art of Murder": ''when in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.'' Typically it's hired goons (sometimes {{Dirty Cop}}s) busting in on Marlowe in his office. True to form, they often provide the impetus for Marlowe to start investigating the case in earnest, since if it was worth enough for someone to send goons to try and warn him off, there must be something worth finding out.

* ChandlerAmericanTime: Named after Creator/StephenKing in Chandler's honor in his short story "Umney's Last Case", and typified by countless pastiches of Chandler's work over the years. For his own part, Chandler simply wrote about the time in which he lived, only mildly exaggerated for poetic effect.