Pulp Fiction and the Organization of Genre

Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon can be quickly defined through presupposed genre labels: Mystery, crime, detective fiction, and according to Wikipedia, the film version of this book can be labeled as the first film noir production, which would likely make this book an early example of text noir, I guess. It is, in fact, an awesome piece of mystery literature, coaxing the reader to try to figure out what is going on before Sam Spade does. Whether you do or not, it is fantastically engaging, which is important for any mystery novel.

As a crime novel, differing slightly from the mystery marker, it involves the perspective of a slightly crooked cop who is unafraid to get his hands dirty. Another genre marker that is derived from this is the hard-boiled crime fiction marker, often involved with police. And that's exactly what we are given: a hard-boiled cop! It's probably not a stretch to assume it is an early pioneer of this marker too, especially after a confirming Wikipedia entry. Even if it isn't the first, it is certainly one of the most influential hard-boiled books on the market.

As with any good book (or film), it's important to note the use of sub-genres that further help to define this within the realm of literature. It's use of the objective point-of-view could arguably be a marker of its genre, and the varying character archetypes (the femme fetale, a traitorous and conniving Brigid, as well as the overly flamboyant Joel Cairo) could also be markers of the overall genre. Spade's relationship with his late partner Archer's wife, Iva, and later his dangerous relationship with Brigid, gives this an air of both romance and thrill(er), supporting themes that are never far from Hammett's mind. The rather unseen (and quite dead) Archer is himself a unique marker for this story, serving until the very end as a consciousness for Sam, allowing him to end both of his reckless relationships throughout the novel. He could be considered the voice of reason to the viewer as well, which would make him something of a genre marker, I think.

"You're a damn good man, sister," he said and went out.