Different eras give rise to their own style. Easy and carefree when the country is on the rise, or deeply pessimistic during wars, depressions and crises. Noir, which appeared in the 18th century, periodically rises to the peak of popularity, reflecting the processes taking place in society.
Noir in literature: a bit of history
For the first time, they began to talk about this genre in France in the 18th century in relation to the Gothic English novel. After many years of oblivion, the genre of noir, "black" in French, revived again in the 1920s in America. Noir detective novels became a subgenre of the then popular "cool" crime novels.
The first authors who worked in this style were D. K. Daley, D. Hammett, a little later they were joined by C. Williams, D. Keane, D. Ellroy, L. Block, T. Harris and a number of others. Their novels were perceived as "pulp fiction" and were printed mainly in magazines, as well as in inexpensive paperback books.
Until the 1950s, novels written in this genre were not very popular in America. But the 50-60s are recognized as the heyday of noir in literature. Millions of copies published "The Girl from the Hills" by Charles Williams, "Cassidy's Beloved Woman" by David Goodies, "House of Flesh" by Bruno Fischer.
French literary scholars have designated the style of the works of American authors as "noir". In America, this term first appeared in 1968 in the book "Hollywood of the 40s" by film critics J. Greenberg and C. Haem.
In American literary criticism, the concept of "noir" was not used until 1984. It was concretized and introduced by B. Gifford in the preface to J. Thompson's novels, where he admitted that these works were written in the noir genre.
Noir in literature: features
Feature of works in the genre of noir, their difference from "cool" detective stories is that the main character is not an honest detective, but a victim of a crime or even a criminal himself. The entire work is permeated with hard realism and cynicism, slang is widely used, there are sex scenes that aroused the disapproval of some Americans, there is an image of a femme fatale destroying love relationships.
In the 30-50s, K. Woolrich worked fruitfully in the noir genre in America. He is even called "the father of the black romance." He wrote many short stories and novels, which were later recognized as an example of this genre.
Many of the novels were used in the creation of films called "film noir". Among them there are such famous ones as "A Window to the Courtyard" by A. Hitchcock, "The Leopard Man" by J. Turner. The 90s saw a new peak in the popularity of noir literature, caused by its successful adaptation by filmmakers.
Film noir
The first films in the noir genre appeared in America in the 40-50s of the 20th century. The years of war, the Great Depression, gang wars gave rise to a kind of black and white ribbons. In a difficult economic situation, their low cost was a big plus. They were filmed on the night streets, no special effects were used.
Films in this genre, like literary works, are characterized by pessimism, cynicism, and the gloom of the narrative. These tapes live up to the noir name even more: they are overwhelmed with dark frames and black color.
Images that allow identifying the genre pass from film to film: thieves, prostitutes, corrupt police officers. And all this against the backdrop of a dark night city, flickering lanterns and incessant rain or snow, like ash, swallowed by endless darkness.
The films are based on a crime or detective story. A stern detective in a black hat pulled down over his eyes and a black coat with his head plunges into intricate stories. There is no positive hero image and no happy ending. The happy ending of such a film is that the main character remains alive. Although, according to the rules of the genre, he is usually wounded and is on the verge of life and death.
The vamp woman is playing her game. She makes the main character fall in love with her, so that she can later use him for her own purposes. And then she herself falls in love with him. Much attention in such films is paid to the psychological experiences of the suffering protagonist, who committed a crime, and is now in a life-threatening situation. Thus, he evokes pity and even sympathy for the viewer.
Noir today
By the end of the 20th century, film noir had turned into psychological thrillers and dramas. It is also used in computer games.
Nowadays we can say that noir in the form as it was before no longer exists. Now there are almost no black-and-white films, and color films are not able to create that “black” atmosphere that was reproduced in the middle of the last century.
But this genre has not disappeared: neo-noir has formed in art. A sense of deep pessimism, a sense of hopelessness inherent in noir, is present in many novels and films by contemporary authors. Humanity has not got rid of wars, catastrophes and tragedies, so the time has not yet come to forget what noir and black are in art that reflects life.
