I have said that The Pure And The Hated is a cross between crime fiction and horror fiction. That is because the events in it involve an intersection of styles. While it is more crime than horror, the reason there is an overlap is what I am exploring in these articles. I believe crime fiction, especially Noir fiction lends itself to hybrid genres. In these articles I have explored the themes of horror fiction and how it has evolved. I now … [Read more...]
The Double: Richard Godwin On the Idea of Split Personality
In The Pure And The Hated the idea of split personality is a central theme. It relates to what identity is and how irrational impulses may drive a character. As I trace the roots of horror fiction in Gothic and look at how it has evolved, I want to look at some of the themes of the genre. The theme of the double occurs early on in works such as Poe’s story William Wilson, in which the protagonist encounters his negative doppelganger. It is … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin on the Gothic Roots of Horror
There is much that is Gothic in The Pure And The Hated, my novel about the past, about revenge and lawlessness. In many ways revenge may be seen as lawless justice. As I examine what horror fiction means to us and how it relates to crime fiction, I want to trace its roots. I want to show that the two genres are not that distinct. In the latter part of the eighteenth century there was flowering of Gothic literature in England that ran … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin on Horror Fiction
In this series of posts I want to look at what links horror fiction and crime fiction. The posts are part of the launch of my Vermont based novel The Pure And The Hated. I have spent several years if my life in Vermont. My wife is from the state and the novel is set there. While it is a crime novel, it is also Noir, it is a revenge tragedy, and it is part horror. What do we mean when we talk about horror? What is it that horrifies us? The … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin: The Bad Guy in Crime Fiction
Savage Highway is about bad guys and the breakdown of law and why justice fails. In a lawless world revenge is justice. I want to discuss other authors here before I focus on the novel itself. Savage Highway is about the frontier. Both of the authors I will be discussing today portray bad guys in a variety of ways. In Burke we have the pairing of two lawless cops, Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell. And Purcell is an extreme example of the bad … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin on the Trends in Crime Fiction
TRENDS IN CRIME FICTION, Richard Godwin. Savage Highway is about lawlessness and revenge, the breakdown of justice and disorder within the human psyche. Where does it sit in the crime fiction canon? Somewhere between James Lee Burke and Elmore Leonard. It is also about the frontier and its endurance within the American psyche. In a series of posts about the novel and writing generally I will look at what Savage Highway is about, and the … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin Discusses Lawlessness in Crime Fiction
LAWLESSNESS IN CRIME FICTION, Richard Godwin. An author frequently gets asked how did you come to write this book? In a way this post tackles that but in the wider context. This forms part of a series of posts about Savage Highway. I wrote Savage Highway because I wanted to explore lawlessness and injustice, but also for the reasons I discuss here. Historically debates about art and its cultural significance are thematically cloned … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin: Internationally Acclaimed Crime Fiction, Horror and Noir
"There is recognition and alienation wrapped up inside horror. Extreme crime evokes a horror that is more real than something a reader knows does not exist." --Richard Godwin in A thin line between Crime and Horror Fiction for The Thrill Begins Richard Godwin is the critically acclaimed author of Apostle Rising, Mr. Glamour, One Lost Summer, Noir City, Meaningful Conversations, Confessions Of A Hit Man, Paranoia And … [Read more...]
A Conversation With Richard Godwin: Author Interview for the A Twist of Noir Blog
"When I sit down to write a story I do not plan, sometimes it can start with a voice, a character talking, or an image, a variety of forms that seem to be demanding growth. Sometimes a story takes shape immediately and others need pruning." - Richard Godwin for A Twist of Noir on June 5th, 2012 Source: http://a-twist-of-noir.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/conversation-with-richard-godwin.html Richard Godwin is know for his noir, mystery, and horror … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin’s A Thin Line Between Crime and Horror Fiction
"I was invited to share my thoughts with you about the line between crime and horror fiction. Many purists argue that they are two distinct forms. I disagree. My own writing has often been described as a blend of crime and horror fiction, and I want to look at what the connections are." - Richard Godwin for The Thrill Begins on April 12th, … [Read more...]
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