Literary Masters: Dashiell Hammett

by Layman, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780787639648
• ISBN10: 0787639648
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-12-01
• Publisher: Gale / Cengage Learning

Summary

Gale Study Guides to Great Literature are a unique reference line composed of three series: Literary Masters, Literary Masterpieces and Literary Topics. Convenient, comprehensive and targeted to current coursework, the guides put authors, titles and topics into context for high school and college students as well as general researchers.

Not to be confused with uninspiring reference "notes" that spoon-feed students essay answers, the Gale Study Guides to Great Literature feature original material designed to compliment the research process. These series give educators and researchers a source featuring not only literary movements and biographical data but also discussions of significant cultural and historical aspects of literature.

The Literary Masters Series covers biographical details of an author's life, providing a point of reference that gives insight into experiences that may have influenced the author's subject matter and writing style. In the Literary Masters Series, look for these chapters:
-- About the Author
-- The Author at Work
-- The

Table of Contents

A Note to the Reader	ix
Alvin Kernan
Acknowledgments	xii
DASHIELL HAMMETT
Chronology of Events in Hammett's Life	1	(6)
About Dashiell Hammett	7	(36)
Why Study Hammett	7	(3)
Early Life: 1896--1922	10	(7)
The Writing Years: 1922--1936	17	(17)
The Aftermath: 1936--1961	34	(9)
Hammett at Work	43	(18)
Hammett's Era	61	(20)
Corruption and Crime	61	(3)
Policemen and Detectives	64	(8)
Alcohol and Drugs	72	(2)
Communism	74	(3)
Social Attitudes of the Time	77	(1)
Mass Media	77	(4)
Hammett's Works	81	(34)
Red Harvest	85	(9)
The Dain Curse	94	(5)
The Maltese Falcon	99	(5)
The Glass Key	104	(4)
The Thin Man	108	(7)
Hammett on Hammett	115	(23)
Hammett as Studied	138	(61)
Works Cited	168	(4)
Literary Tradition	172	(1)
Criticism	173	(26)
Resources for Hammett Study	199	(12)
Study Questions	201	(2)
Glossary of Literary Terms	203	(4)
Bibliography	207	(4)
Master Index	211