The Critical Response to Dashiell Hammett

(Hardback)

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As author of Red Harvest, The Maltese Falcon, The Thin Man, and other works, Dashiell Hammett is one of the most popular American writers of detective fiction. The critical response to his work has been diverse. Edmund Wilson saw little merit in his novels, while Raymond Chandler pointed to Hammett's originality and artistry. While some critics have considered it foolish to search for deeper meanings in his novels, many others have praised his writings as profound social and literary documents. Spanning more than 60 years of critical response, this collection includes contemporary reviews of Hammett's novels from the 1920s and 1930s as well as more than 20 full-length essays representing diverse critical approaches and assessments. It is the first collection of critical essays devoted to Hammett's work. Included are essays by major novelists such as Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald, along with pieces by influential literary critics such as Edmund Wilson and John G. Cawelti. Moreover, two of the essays were written specifically for this volume. An introductory essay traces the development of Hammett's literary reputation, and an extensive bibliography lists sources for further reading.

Reviews

Christopher Metress [has] done an admirable job in providing the reader with a group of essays and selections that not only convey insight into the works of Hammett but also illustrate several critical approaches....The chronology at the beginning of the Metress book is most useful in tracing Hammett's life and his writing career....The book [itself] is substantial, attractively bound, and easy to handle.-Paradoxa
"Christopher Metress has done an admirable job in providing the reader with a group of essays and selections that not only convey insight into the works of Hammett but also illustrate several critical approaches....The chronology at the beginning of the Metress book is most useful in tracing Hammett's life and his writing career....The book itself is substantial, attractively bound, and easy to handle."-Paradoxa
"Christopher Metress [has] done an admirable job in providing the reader with a group of essays and selections that not only convey insight into the works of Hammett but also illustrate several critical approaches....The chronology at the beginning of the Metress book is most useful in tracing Hammett's life and his writing career....The book [itself] is substantial, attractively bound, and easy to handle."-Paradoxa

Author Bio

CHRISTOPHER METRESS is Assistant Professor of English at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. His interests include 19th- and 20th-century American literature, detective fiction, and literature of the American South. His many articles have appeared in journals such as Studies in the Novel, Studies in Short Fiction, Essays in Literature, and South Atlantic Quarterly.