Yamamura, asking Deacon whether he can provide an alibi for Colquhuon, says:
"'Vas you dere, Sharlie?'" (p. 57)
- which is an obvious quote. Google discloses:
When the straight man (originally Ben Bard, but later Cliff Hall) expressed skepticism, the Baron replied with his familiar tagline and punchline: "Vass you dere, Sharlie?" This catch phrase soon became part of the national lexicon.
-copied from here.
I am getting bogged down in period details. The reading of the text as a mystery novel has slowed to a standstill. But I am a Poul Anderson enthusiast, not a detective fiction fan.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I too am a Poul Anderson enthusiast, if not on as augustly high level as you are! However, Poul Anderson wrote and intended PERISH BY THE SWORD as a mystery, so it's only right to give some thought to analyzing PERISH as a detective novel, to deciding how well it succeeded as part of that genre. Esp. when compared to then contemporary mystery writers such as Rex Stout, Margery Allingham, John Dickson Carr, Agatha Christie, etc.
Sean
Post a Comment