THE BIG SLEEP Written By: Raymond Chandler Presentation By: Tyler Shalvarjian.
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THE BIG SLEEPWritten By: Raymond Chandler
Presentation By: Tyler Shalvarjian
BACK COVER TEASER
Philip Marlowe, a private detective, is hired by General Sternwood to
investigate what is supposed to be a simple blackmailing case. Marlowe
soon realizes that this is a deeper case than what he first perceived, as
Sternwood’s daughters both end up becoming major parts of the case.
Despite the complexity, he jumps straight in, targeting and following his
first suspect, an owner of a “bookstore”. This, unfortunately, does not last
long, as his suspect is murdered. The murder leads Marlowe nowhere and
his case is postponed shortly. However, after another mysterious murder,
Marlowe is able to find a few leads. His case is jumpstarted once again
and he begins to learn about the circumstances surrounding each murder.
BACK COVER TEASER CONT.
He finds that each successive murder has a connection to the
first murder which lead him nowhere. Nearly stumped, Marlowe
is confronted by a seemingly innocent man who offers his help to
Marlowe in exchange for a sum of money. Marlowe realizes that
he is becoming a target in the blackmailing case, and that he
must “take matters into his own hands” in order to ensure his
safety. This murder mystery is seemingly over, but what later
ensues, changes the entire plot of the story. The masterful end to
the confusing novel is all due to Marlowe’s ability to decipher the
case from stage one. Follow Philip Marlowe as he disassembles a
case of many false fronts and reassembles the puzzle that makes
up the entirety of this blackmailing case.
NOVEL SETTING
West Hollywood, California
1930s-1940s
3765 Alta Brea Crescent (General Sternwood’s Mansion)
Majority takes place during the nighttime
Very descriptive:• “The air was thick, wet, steamy and larded with the cloying smell of tropical
orchids in bloom. The glass walls and roof were heavily misted and big drops of moisture splashed on the plants. The light had an unreal greenish color, like light filtered through an aquarium tank. The plants filled the place, a forest of them, with nasty meaty leaves and stalks like the fingers of newly washed dead men. They smelled as overpowering as boiling alcohol under a blanket” (Chandler 8).
Weather
DETECTIVE PHILIP MARLOWE
Private Detective
Only honest person throughout the novel
Helps others before helping himself
Tough, resilliant, focused; resists temptation
Does not do things for money (paid very little), only for
enjoyment
Smart, clever; much like Sherlock Holmes
SIGNIFICANT PASSAGE
“You were dead, you were sleeping the big sleep, you were not
bothered by things like that, oil and water were the same as wind and
air to you. You just slept the big sleep, not caring about the nastiness of
how you died or where you fell. Me, I was part of the nastiness now. Far
more a part of it than Rusty Regan was. But the old man didn’t have to
be. He could lie quiet in his bed, with his bloodless hands folded on the
sheet, waiting. His heart was a brief uncertain murmur. His thoughts
were as gray as ashes. And in a little while he too, like Rusty Regan,
would be sleeping the big sleep” (Chandler 206).
RAYMOND THORNTON CHANDLER
Born in Chicago, Illinois; spent his childhood years in Plattsmouth,
Nebraska; moved to London, England in 1900
Educated in England but did not attend university
Worked an admiralty job, during which he published his first poem (1907)
Became a reporter for the Daily Express and the Bristol Western Gazette
newspapers
Moved to Los Angeles in 1913 - Along the way he strung tennis rackets and
picked fruit
Worked at the Los Angeles Creamery for four years and enlisted in World
War I in 1917
RAYMOND THORNTON CHANDLER
After the war, Chandler worked for the Dabney Oil Syndicate but was fired due to
his alcoholism, absenteeism, promiscuity with female employees and threatened
suicides
During the Depression, Chandler turned to writing to earn a living
Taught himself to write pulp fiction by studying the Perry Mason story formula of
Erle Stanley Gardner.
Chandler's first professional work: "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", published in Black
Mask magazine in 1933; First novel, The Big Sleep, published in 1939
After second novel’s success (Farewell, My Lovely (1940)), became a screenwriter
Attempted suicide in 1955, but was unsuccessful and died from pneumonial
peripheral vascular shock and prerenal uremia
MY RECOMMENDATION
Did not know what to expect
LA Noir – set in Hollywood
Philip Marlowe – Protagonist
Eddie Mars – Antagonist
Characters in-between
Rusty Regan Puzzle
MY RECOMMENDATION CONT.
Logical/typical mystery plot
Misleading at times
Mysterious, dark tone
Everybody is out to get you
Corruption
I recommend this novel.
NOVEL INFORMATION
Genre: Detective/Crime Novel; LA Noir
Reading Level: High School (11-12)
Length: 211 pages
Point of View: First Person
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