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Kevin Cadle
Ms. Gardner
English 10H/Period 4
7 November 2016
Revolutionary Detective Novel: Annotated Bibliography

Cox, J. Randolph. "American detective novels." In Werlock, Abby H. P., ed. The Facts On File

Companion to the American Novel. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literature.

Facts On File, Inc.

www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?

ItemID=WE54&WID=103186&SID=5&iPin=CANov0993&SingleRecord=True.

The article by J. Randolph Cox, author of many successful novels including Dashing Diamond

Dicks, highlights the typical form of a basic detective novel, with a crime occurring first,

followed by a series of clues eventually leading to the criminal. Generally, the detective is able to

use the clues to catch the criminal, despite his best efforts to escape punishment. A detective

novel contains a large spectrum for authors to work, giving them more control and navigating

room, as they can efficiently shift the point of view, delineate characters, and build up suspense

while moving through the plot.

Hammetts The Maltese Falcon closely models the generic layout explained by this article, being

that he was able to decipher the crime based on accidental clues; however, he added other aspects

to his novel, creating a more complex storyline and contributing to the idea of his revolutionary

detective novels. Similarly, he clearly seemed in complete control of the novel and wrote it

accurately and realistically, while creating and using unique characters to contribute to the

deceptive plot; this assists in developing readers understanding and appreciation for the book in

that there is validity and a consistent pattern in his story, adding to Hammetts title as a founding

father of detective literature.

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Kelly, David. "Critical Essay on 'The Maltese Falcon'." Novels for Students, edited by Ira Mark

Milne and Timothy Sisler, vol. 21, Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&sw=w&u=sant95918&v=2.1&id=GALE

%7CH1420064890&it=r&asid=86ae09e24b309629a013e45bd7d33d95. Accessed 6 Nov. 2016.

This critical essay written by David Kelly, an American poet and creative writing educator,

provides the reasoning why Hammetts The Maltese Falcon is elevated among other novels

of the time, which is his extensive interest in constructing Samuel Spades character. It

outlines Hammetts witty decision for purposely writing the story in the third person: the

readers are unable to hear Spades true feelings and emotions and therefore, leaving the

readers guessing and confused about his true character. His probable lack of self-awareness

makes his character even harder to understand, and he turns out being a completely

different man than he pretended to be throughout the case.

In the detective novel, the idea of the unknown true identity of Spade adds another layer of

deception onto the already misleading and confusing case Spade is faced with, further

emphasizing the power of deception and allowing readers to grasp the numerous problems

detectives face. The article effectively explains why Spade was able to deceive the other

characters so easily, helping readers recognize and follow some of his unusual actions

throughout the book. This text enables readers to fully understand Spades true character

and the actions needed to achieve a desired goal in the deceptive detective field.

Layman, Richard. "Hammett, Dashiell." In Anderson, George P., Judith S. Baughman, Matthew J.

Bruccoli, and Carl Rollyson, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature: Into the Modern:
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18961945, Revised Edition, vol. 3. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literature.

Facts On File, Inc.

Richard Layman, president and editorial director of Bruccoli Clark Layman, highlights

Hammetts extensive career as a detective to help support his family and his experience in the

military, fighting in World War I and II. After suffering a significant injury, he was released from

warfare and entered the world of writing; here, Hammett successfully sculpted a steady life for

himself and his wife, a nurse he encountered during his time in a hospital in Tacoma, Washington

after the war. Hammetts added sense of reality to his revolutionary novels created a new style of

writing, ultimately allowing his writing to stand out among the other novels of his time.

This revelation of Hammetts background and experience in the field of detectives explains the

striking sense of reality present throughout The Maltese Falcon; his understanding of the

secretive job allows him to incorporate accurate, precise details concerning the topic of detective

work. Not only are aspects of the tasks exact, but also the actions of the characters, adding to the

validity of the work as a whole. This biography of Hammett emphasizes the reason for the

success of his writing, ultimately being a career in the detective field; this fact allows Hammett to

include the real world in his works, ultimately creating a clear and more enjoyable experience for

readers.

McGregor, Jena. "The Addictive Power of Money." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. 10

January 2014. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2014/01/10/the-

addictive-power-of-money/

Jena McGregor, a Washington science teacher and columnist for the Washington Post, created an

article concerning an experiment conducted by multiple scientists regarding the effect and power
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money has on people. In the experiment, the scientists asked students to construct as many

origami paper planes as they could, and some were awarded money based on their performance,

while others received random amounts of money. Most people placed a significantly high value

on the importance of received money and desired to create more planes in an attempt to acquire

more wealth, revealing peoples greed and the overpowering impact money holds.

This experiment relates to an issue in The Maltese Falcon, as the price of the black bird is the

driving force behind all the actions throughout the book. The article clearly expresses the power

money holds, which is demonstrated in Hammetts novel as characters even become unfazed by

death as they pursue money; this new understanding of moneys power allows readers to develop

a stronger comprehension on the extreme actions taken by characters. The article helps readers

see the impact of wealth on real people, adding more reality and validity to The Maltese Falcon.

Server, Lee. "Hammett, Dashiell." Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers. New York: Facts On File,

Inc., 2002. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?

ItemID=WE54&WID=103186&SID=5&iPin=PFW095&SingleRecord=True.

The biography of Hammett by Lee Server, an American writer and graduate of New York

University Film School, emphasizes Hammetts substantial success in the field of detective

novels, as he revolutionized that genre of writing. The article reveals Hammetts multiple

novels were the first to incorporate the real world in the mystery genre through precise

diction and language, as well as realistic and authentic detectives. Being coined as a

founding father of the hard-boiled crime story, this biography indicates he introduced a

new, distinctive style of writing that ultimately changed American mystery storytelling.
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Servers biography brings attention to Hammetts extensive career prior to becoming a

successful author as a detective; this allows readers to possess a stronger understanding of

the novel because all the details are precise and realistic. Readers area able to understand

and appreciate the novel and strenuous work of detectives, knowing that the story is

completely accurate. This text is largely helpful in creating a better understanding in that it

reveals the aspects of the real world in his novel, offers factual evidence to defend the points

made, and clearly explains Hammetts ability to revolutionize detective literature; these

reasons allow a reader to thoroughly comprehend and enjoy his works.

Symons, Julian. "The Maltese Falcon." Novels for Students, edited by Ira Mark Milne and Timothy Sisler,

vol. 21, Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?

p=LitRC&sw=w&u=sant95918&v=2.1&id=GALE

%7CH1420064892&it=r&asid=bc87539eef94d170a9d85dc36dde4260. Accessed 6 Nov. 2016

The critical essay written by Julian Symons, a British crime writer and poet, as well as an author

of social and military history and biographies, explores the reasoning behind The Maltese

Falcons success as a novel, including the fast and constant tempo, careful attention to each

character, and the symbolism. It outlines the black falcon as a symbol of illusory wealth in the

novel pertaining to the destructive power of greed, revealing the object had no significance, but

the message it carried possessed its true meaning,

Symons essay emphasizes the deeper message in The Maltese Falcon, as it carries a stronger

lesson about the power of greed, rather than being simply a crime novel. The falcon, a symbol of

delusive wealth, helps portray this message, being that every character pushes each other to the

extreme in hope of acquiring the small black bird, an idea clarified in the essay. This critical essay
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clearly conveys the true message of the detective novel, giving readers a stronger and lucid

understanding of the book as a whole.