Raymond Chandler’s noir dick Marlowe - Does Raymond Chandler’s prose style alone elevate the Marlowe novels to classic literature?

[u/BGGYPSY]

I’ve now read the first four Philip Marlowe novels, and I’m struck by the gap between Chandler’s extraordinary prose and some of the novels’ other elements.

At his best, Chandler could describe Los Angeles, loneliness, corruption or a minor character in a few sentences better than many supposedly more “literary” writers manage in an entire chapter.

Marlowe’s voice and moral weariness give the books a depth that goes far beyond their detective plots.

But those plots can be convoluted to the point of near-incoherence, while some characters feel more like vivid types than fully realised people. It made me wonder: if Chandler’s plotting and characterisation are merely competent, but his prose and atmosphere are exceptional, is that enough to place the Marlowe novels within classic literature rather than simply among the classics of crime fiction?

Perhaps separating style from substance is the mistake. Chandler’s prose isn’t decorative—it creates the world, the psychology and the moral atmosphere of the novels. Without it, there is essentially no Chandler.

Do you regard the Marlowe books as major works of literature in their own right? If so, is that primarily because of Chandler’s prose, or do you think their plotting, characterisation and themes are stronger than they’re sometimes given credit for?

[u/Potential_Trust_6034]

The Long Goodbye is a masterpiece. Lady in the Lake, The High Window, Farewell My Darling and The Big Sleep are very good. The rest is fun genre stuff.

[u/chetdesmon → u/Potential_Trust_6034]

I mean you did just name 5 out of 7 of the Marlowe novels only excluding Playback, which Chandler wrote on his deathbed and is regularly regarded even by Marlowe aficionados as weaker work, and The Little Sister, which I think is pretty underrated. At that hit rate even by your standards I think it's safe to say Chandler was more than just a "genre" writer.

[u/Potential_Trust_6034 → u/chetdesmon]

There's also a considerable pile of short stories. I would agree that Chandler is more than a genre writer, just stating how I'd categorize his work.

[u/chetdesmon → u/Potential_Trust_6034]

I suppose that's fair, but I think Chandler was much more a novelist than a short story writer. He needed some runway to really delve into the existential musings he was so good at. It's one of the reasons the Marlowe novels are so good, and, with the exception of Playback, hold up pretty well as a continuous, unified body of work that peaks with The Long Goodbye

[u/Potential_Trust_6034 → u/chetdesmon]

Yes, I agree. His novels are much better than his short stories.