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The Big Sleep | Study Guide

Raymond Chandler

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Course Hero. "The Big Sleep Study Guide." Course Hero. 8 Jan. 2018. Web. 30 May 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Big-Sleep/>.

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Course Hero. (2018, January 8). The Big Sleep Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved May 30, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Big-Sleep/

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Course Hero. "The Big Sleep Study Guide." January 8, 2018. Accessed May 30, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Big-Sleep/.

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Course Hero, "The Big Sleep Study Guide," January 8, 2018, accessed May 30, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Big-Sleep/.

The Big Sleep | Infographic

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

Philip Marlowe, Chapter 8 ead men are heavier than broken hearts. Sources: Down These Mean Streets a Man Must Go: Raymond Chandler’s Knight by Philip Durham, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Raymond Chandler by William Marling Copyright © 2018 Course Hero, Inc. Greenhouse Symbolizes artificial virility and masculinity powered by wealth Stained-Glass Window Reflects both Marlowe’s chivalric code and his cynicism Books Stand for communication, coded ideas, and hidden deception Context Overview Motifs Main Ideas Themes Symbols Vivian’s spoiled, unbalanced, and violent younger sister; used to getting her way Carmen Sternwood Alluring, well-educated, and manipulative daughter of Sternwood; heavy gambler Vivian Regan Aging, ailing millionaire;protective but ineffectual blackmailed father General Sternwood Hard-drinking, fast-talking, incorruptible private detective and modern-day white knight Philip Marlowe Main Characters Though Chandler didn’t create the hard-boiled detective, he gave the genre an archetype in Philip Marlowe, the wisecracking, urban knight who is both street-smart and incorruptible. Chandler looked to create realistic, multidimensional characters in a gritty world where people get hurt and crime pays very well. RAYMOND CHANDLER1888–1959 Author Sex is used as a weapon, lure, or trap, but Marlowe remains above temptation. Sexuality Marlowe encounters rampant corruption in decadent 1930s Los Angeles. Corruption To solve the case, Marlowe must read and understand coded clues. Language Aging millionaire General Sternwood hires detective Philip Marlowe to resolve an attempt to blackmail him over his daughter Carmen’s gambling debts. As Marlowe investigates, the case deepens, leading to several deaths and exposing serious dishonesty in 1930s Los Angeles. An HonestDetective in aCorrupt World THEMES English Original Language 1939 Year Published Raymond Chandler Author The Big Sleep Mystery Novel
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