Title: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Publication Year: 1939
Plot: Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family. Before the complex case is over, he’s seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love.
Miscellaneous: The novel was “cannibalized” from two of his previous stories, “Killer in the Rain” and “The Curtain.”
My heart is very full after this meeting. The readers LOVED Chandler’s masterwork of detective fiction The Big Sleep. We had an enthusiastic conversation around it. The first thing the readers gushed about what the language, of course. Not only is the dialogue top-notch, but Chandler has some rather poetic moments, like when he describes the ocean or even something like death (spoiler, the Big Sleep = death). The first bit of our discussion was just bouncing around from page-to-page, reading passages we had underlined and found memorable–it was a lot of fun. As we got talking more about the novel, we wondered about Marlowe’s past. With his alcoholism, what burdens from his past are plaguing him? The readers also commented on the balancing act he performs: he doesn’t open up emotionally when others are around. There are a few moments when he’s alone and lashes out, but aside from that he constantly masks his feelings, whether it is with alcohol or his quips. He is quite defensive of himself and his role.
One connection that I hadn’t thought of, but one of the readers pointed out, is the detective’s name, Marlowe. The first book we read in this group was Heart of Darkness, and the main character’s name in that is Marlow. We had to discuss what similarities they might have. Both characters dive deep into a corrupted world, they become a part of it, so to speak. Chandler says Marlowe is a “part of the nastiness” at the end of the novel.
There is a web of characters that somehow make the novel more lifelike. Marlowe’s original mission is complicated by the people he meets and the roads he goes down. The readers related that to their own lives. People come and go, and sometimes our attention is taken by them for a brief moment. Chandler is not so concerned with plot, but more with characters and atmosphere. We all agreed that works to the novel’s benefit. We weren’t too concerned with the novel getting resolved in a neat little now because, hey, that’s not always what happens in real life. For example, we don’t find out who killed the chauffeur, and we don’t really know what Ms. Regan has over Eddie mars, two things that are unsolved as the novel ends. But they are not fundamental to enjoying the novel or getting caught up in the story and the characters.
Chandler telegraphs his code of ethics of detectives at the end of the novel. In Chandler’s eyes, the detective is a man of principle and does what he is supposed to do. In a way, Chandler laid the groundwork for generations of detective fiction that follow. Marlowe’s stoicism, attitude towards females, and even his attitude towards homosexuals all go towards building up an ethos for a literary detective. In closing out the discussion, we talked about Marlowe as a “knight” of sorts. Did he rescue some damsels? Is he heroic? You’ll have to decide for yourself when you read it.
Next week, we’re reading 1990’s The Devil in a Blue Dress, an updated take on the detective novel that is sure to give us a peek at a different side of things.
Please feel free to share your thoughts on Chandler, his work, and anything else related in the comments!
I also try to provide some supplemental reading materials in the form of papers, essays, and Q&As. Here is a link to an essay from 2003 by Megan Abbott (a great crime writer in her own right) on masculinity with Philip Marlowe.
Until next time,
E.
You can purchase The Big Sleep from these places: