Bronze Dame

Abstract

The Bronze Dame is an experiment, in which I attempt to blend the rigorous structuring of the East with the itinerant, gritty styling of the West. Many early, twentieth-century, Western influences can be found in my protagonist, Allen Crosse. Crosse is a blend of Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade and Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, infused with the voice and countenance of Humphrey Bogart (who filled the shoes of both grim detectives on the Silver Screen). Crosse's world is inspired by the colorful language of Robert E. Howard and peopled with an eccentric cast, which aspires to the emotional and physical diversity of the casts in both Orson Welles' Touch of Evil and Michael Curtiz's Casablanca. I attempt to fill my work with characters as contrastingly different as those portrayed by Jack O'Halloran, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre. I also attempt to give the narrative pace the uniquely complex, consistently interesting tone of Anton Karas' Harry Lime Theme, which is featured throughout Carol Reed's The Third Man. Reed's Third Man showcases the snappy, intelligent dialogue of Graham Greene's screenplay--a display I endeavor to emulate. In terms of the East, I adhere to the traditional English formatting rules for the structuring of haiku (the vehicle in which I tell my tale): three lines, with a syllable count of five, seven, and five, in the first, second, and third line, respectively. However, I choose to omit the obligatory kireji (pause) that comes at the end of either the first or second line, opting instead for pauses when and if I see fit. I also choose to omit the kigo (season word), in which the renga (reference to the natural world) is set. The result is a terse, tightly edited voice that tells the story of a witty, perceptive hero, who, in Chandler's words, is the best man in his world, and a good enough man for any other. True to form, the hero prevails--but not without losing a piece of himself to his dark, female antagonist in the process. This is where The Bronze Dame strives to set itsel