Harry Lavender free essay sample

Tough, concise PI – â€Å"I leapt airborne into space† †¢4) Cynical and hyperbolic PI – â€Å"as long as I didn’t start haemorrhaging from the eyeballs, things would be all right! †¢Opening segment of novel is subverts the conventions of the genre – â€Å"I woke up feeling like death. The blonde slept on. Thank god the black suit was hanging in the wardrobe†. By using no specific gender, the reader is coaxed into assuming the protagonist is a male, like all conventional hard boiled detectives. This is intentional, with Day questioning traditional constructions and perceptions of gender roles both within and outside the conventions of the genre. †¢Claudia serves as a feminist ideal, whilst not preaching or acting as a politically correct prototype. We become aware of Claudia’s sexuality and vulnerability through her relationship with Steve. †¢The pop culture genre allows Day to physically map the city of Sydney. Day exposes the corruption of the city as a direct contrast to rural areas, where incidentally Claudia’s children happily reside †¢Claudia unveils Sydney from an insider’s perspective, yet endows it with a sense of the exotic that only outsiders usually perceive. We will write a custom essay sample on Harry Lavender or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page †¢This text provides a new way of examining ourselves, our city and the values that dominate our ideology Christy Hong – Is The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender a typical detective genre? †¢A novel of literary merit that subverts the male dominated detective genre †¢Day appropriates the traditionally male dominated genre of the hard boiled detective whilst obeying its conventions †¢The culprit of the novel is a major character and kills for personal, sycophantic reasons †¢Sex love. Claudia is too cynical to fall in love, but is not averse to carnal pleasure, as her liaison with Steve Angell demonstrates. †¢Crimes are explained rationally – no room for fantasy, and banal situations are avoided †¢Day subverts the genre – Claudia is tougher than the toughest traditional male detective and not at all feminine. †¢Claudia – cynic, quick wit (â€Å"Here’s $50. Give the bastards a run for my money†), tempered, assertive, self-reliant, sexually unrestricted, hard drinking and tough – characteristic of Phillip Marlowe, the quintessential male detective †¢Claudia’s painful past (â€Å"a girl too tall for her age†), unhappy childhood (father abandoned family) and adulthood (divorce, and two children living with her ex Greg). This humanity presented Claudia as a good feminine model. Day has not created an extreme, politically-correct feminist hero, but a realistic feminist one, suitable for today’s society. Claudia does not preach about equality of opportunity, she practices it. †¢Carol Rawlins highlights the novel’s feminist perspective, as she is also tough, intelligent, aware, rational, unsentimental and honest, and adds depth to the characterisation of Claudia. †¢Sydney is depicted as the heartbeat of crime and pleasure, a place of corruption, violence and evil; that contrasts well with the portrayal of the country as a place of innocence, goodness and Utopian paradise.