This discussion of Glenn Dixon's second Nero Wolfe pastiche, No Body, was conducted on the Nero Wolfe mailing list beginning on June 10th, 2002. I posted the final chapter summary on June 20th. Mr. Dixon added some interesting parting notes, which a fan should read, on June 19th and June 21st, and the final post trickled in on July 10th.

Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapters 4 and 5
Chapter 6
Chapters 7 and 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Glenn Dixon's Notes

Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2002 21:26:15 -0400

Subject: GD: _No Body_ Introduction

_No Body_ is 31,000 words long, in eleven chapters, making it a little shorter than _Welcome to Death_. The story was written in 1997, but is set in the February immediately following WTD -- 1995 or 1996. (WTD took place in January of either 1995 or 1996 -- I don't think I mentioned that in our earlier discussion. Bad, bad discussion leader! <g>)

In a postscript at the end of _Not With a Whimper_, Mr. Dixon says that NB was "an exercise in learning to write better." And, in a recent post to this list, he added, "...the second story, _No Body_, was written Stout-style. It has not been revised beyond minor typing and grammatical errors since I wrote it."

"Myself," I said to myself, as I read this, "why would anyone want to write Stout-style -- without revision of correction?" I'd like to post a little more on this topic, maybe in the next couple days, but I don't want to delay the start of the NB discussion, so I'll leave it for the time being.

And Mr. Dixon added this: "Of the three stories, _No Body_ is, in my opinion, the best written. It is also the least liked by anyone." I'm afraid I agree with "anyone," but I still enjoyed the story.

Mr. Dixon has more information regarding the writing of NB, but it involves a spoiler, so you'll see it about halfway through the discussion.

On to Chapter 1....

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2002 21:41:36 -0400

Subject: GD: NB - Chapter 1

The first chapter is fifteen pages of a seventy-three page manuscript. Pour yourself a cup of coffee. <g>

SYNOPSIS

After what must be the most startling opening of any Wolfe story ever (discussion below), we find Archie in a glass skyscraper on Madison Ave, trying to extricate himself from an idiotic advertising exec named Anders Gessel. Archie isn't in the skyscraper to see Gessel. He's there to see George Rottfeld, thirty-four years old and filthy rich, thanks to an uncanny business sense. Also unmarried.

It's a month after the Skinner case (_Welcome to Death_). Wolfe has decided to renovate the office. (About time! It's been, like, seventy years! ) The problem is, Wolfe doesn't like commotion. So he's retreated, and Archie is in charge. Rottfeld called Archie about a possible job for Wolfe. With the office in its current state, Rottfeld can't come to West 35th, so Archie has gone to Madison Ave to find out what he wants. We hear that the cost of running the brownstone is now $500,000 per year.

Archie arrives for his appointment with Rottfeld, and is shown into the anti-room: A large, touchy-feely room dominated by a fireplace. This is Rottfeld's office. Rottfeld is there with his attorney, Manny Marley, a Jamaican. Archie spars briefly with Marley about an NDA.

Brass tacks time: Rottfeld is negotiating with one Chuck Orr, but Orr is hanging tough. Orr's wife (ex his secretary, name of Carol) is helping Rottfeld's side in this negotiation. Time is of the essence. But Carol Orr has disappeared. She has to be found "...today, or possibly tomorrow" or the wheels will fall off the deal. Rottfeld is acting instead of hubby Orr because Orr doesn't appreciate the urgency.

Carol has disappeared before, after agruments with Orr, but always to her sister's apartment. She doesn't seem to be there now. Archie doesn't want to get involved in a marriage problem, but when Rottfeld limits the job to finding Carol and delivering her to the office, Archie agrees. Rottfeld shells out a $100,000 retainer, which makes Archie suspicious: Why so much money for such a small job?

Archie phones home. Fritz complains that Wolfe can't appreciate his meals because of the construction. He then puts Archie through to the big man himself.

Wolfe turns the case down flat, pointing out that "...any task that demands such a large retainer is surely flagitious." Flatigious, BTW, means grossly wicked, scandalous, or shameful. It can also mean extrememly brutal or vicious. A strong word. Wolfe states flatly that Rottfeld is in love with Carol Orr, and fears a _menage a trois_ <g>. Archie levers Wolfe by claiming that the retainer has already been deposited in Wolfe's account, by electronic transfer. Wolfe accepts the job rather than return money already in his hands.

Archie is introduced to Chuck Orr and his attorney, Chester Garre. These are two big, strong guys -- wrestlers in college -- with casual, even playful personalities. Archie spends an hour questioning them about Carol. Orr isn't concerned about Carol -- he thinks she's just at her sister Connie's place. Connie is single and has an apartment in West Manhattan. Orr produces a photo of Carol. Naturally (this is a Wolfe story) she's beautiful.

When Archie is alone with Rottfeld again, he pops the question: "Are you in love with Carol?" And the other shoe: "Is she in love with you?" Rottfeld says no to question #2, but yes to question #1. Score one for Wolfe!

DISCUSSION POINTS

The four opening paragraphs of this story are probably the most startling of any in the corpus or any pastiche (not that I've read them all). I didn't even get to the fourth paragraph before I started over again, shaking my head and thinking, "Has Dixon lost his mind?" When I read further, I laughed. What an opening! Stout's opening were, well, workmanlike. Get the preliminaries out of the way, and get into the story. The opening of this story is like a ice-water shower.

So... it isn't like Stout's openings? Not workmanlike? Is that a problem? This goes back to something I talked about in the discussion of WTD: Should a pastiche writer be slavishly confined to a mold left by the original (unconfined) creative personality? A mold whose bounds were defined merely by the happenstance of the creator's death? Or can the pastiche writer stretch that mold, within the confines of what the original creator might have done, or at least approved of. And how does the pastiche writer know what are the confines of the original creator? Intelligence guided by experience, naturally <g>.

I think Rex Stout would have approved of this opening. I think he would have been delighted. Not that I knew the guy myself <g>.

And I think Stout would have been delighted with satirizing celebrity endorsments of products they don't use or even approve of. We all remember "Orchids to you" from the corpus.

Moving on, Archie says he generally doesn't like fireplaces. I was a little surprised by this -- I thought everyone liked a fireplace <g>. Is this dislike of fireplaces mentioned in the corpus anywhere?

(Editor's note: During the discussion of No Body, no one answered this question of mine, I believe out of a kind-hearted desire to not embarress me in front of the entire list. Because, of course, Wolfe's dislike of open fires is emphasized in the opening chapter of Gambit, during the famous dictionary-burning scene. Bad, bad, discussion leader!)

Wolfe is taken aback when Archie tells him that the retainer has been deposited electronically. "They can put money into someone's account that way?" He knows so much, and yet so little. It's as amusing as the scene in TBM when Wolfe asks when the morgue closes.

In this chapter we find Archie's intelligence "...guided by my experience and my stomach."

DIXON VS. STOUT

We have another minority in a professional position: Manny Marley. It remains to be seen if he will be better developed than Linnings/Lennings in WTD.

IMHO, the writing in this first chapter sometimes seemed forced, as though Dixon was trying too hard to "write well." WTD had a flow that felt natural (and NB will seem more natural in subsequent chapters), but this chapter felt... I don't know... I can't put my finger on it. Consider this line: "...A combination of the blues and depression wrapped up in a package delivered with a comfortable chair." Or: "...Walls convered with fiery shadows that were playing hockey, silently skating around the still figures cast by the soft lamps." Archie! What's happened to you? <g>

FAVORITE QUOTES

During the WTD discussion, I mentioned that Americans usually address each other by first names as soon as they've met. So I loved Archie's line, to Gessel:

>>"You can call me Mr. Goodwin."<<

Wolfe, on (not) taking a case connected with marriage:

>>"We can afford skepticism, and need not wallow in the bogs of the forlorn."<<

More Wolfe: Jumping from a twelfth floor window...

>>"...is ultimately the only solution open to those who blunder into marital tangles."<<

Yikes!

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Hi Wolfellows,

--- Gregory Smith <beaglewriter@att.net> wrote:
> The four opening paragraphs of this story are probably the most startling of any
> in the corpus or any pastiche (not that I've read them all). I didn't even get to
> the fourth paragraph before I started over again, shaking my head and
> thinking, "Has Dixon lost his mind?" When I read further, I laughed.
Actually I was wondering whether you would quote this text in your review. It's brilliant. The only thing keeping you from doing it is the intention not to spoil the fun I suppose.

> What an opening! Stout's opening were, well, workmanlike.
> So... it isn't like Stout's openings? Not workmanlike? Is that a problem? This
I disagree somewhat. Stout often opens with an 'auftakt' - at least that's what it reminds me of - like Archie concluding a story we don't know yet with a sentence, then going back a couple of days telling the antecedents as well as introducing Wolfe and the household reaching the point of the first sentence in time. It's often elegant, humorous etc. So Dixon's opening isn't an exact copy of Stout's but congenial.

> goes back to something I talked about in the discussion of WTD: Should a pastiche
> writer be slavishly confined to a mold left by the original (unconfined) creative
> personality?
No. He/she has to stick to the ideas, the characters, the soul of the original but there must be room for his/her own creativity. Not 'I bet Stout wrote it' but 'Stout could have written it...'. Of course these are just theories, in practice every pastiche deserves inspection.

> I think Rex Stout would have approved of this opening.
I agree.

=====
All the best,

Beer of Werowance AKA Miklos Kallo
<beerowance@yahoo.com>

For the list of Noms taken and rules check
http://www.extra.hu/beer or http://www.nexus.hu/mic/beer

> The first chapter is fifteen pages of a seventy-three page
> manuscript. Pour yourself a cup of coffee. <g>

I seem to write long openings. One must get in all the backgound that makes a Wolfe story, plus make something happen before the reader is interrupted with a chapter break.

> The four opening paragraphs of this story are probably the most
> startling of any in the corpus or any pastiche (not that I've read
> them all). I didn't even get to the fourth
> paragraph before I started over again, shaking my head and thinking,
> "Has Dixon lost his mind?" When I read further, I laughed. What an
> opening! Stout's opening
> were, well, workmanlike. Get the preliminaries out of the way, and
> get into the story. The opening of this story is like a ice-water
> shower.
>

This story has some literary elements such as foreshadowing, allusions, satire, irony, symbolism and other buzzwords. Watch for references to smoke, haze, steam, fog, etc. The giant ad (sorry, Mr. Wolfe) Archie sees outside the elevator means something. So does the fireplace in the office and how it got there. Don't puzzle too long over the meanings--in the case of the advertizement you wouldn't be expected to know until, perhaps, later. I'll explain it in a couple of days.

> IMHO, the writing in this first chapter sometimes seemed forced, as
> though Dixon was trying too hard to "write well." WTD had a flow
> that felt natural

Gregory makes a good point. I really liked the free-for-all spontaneity of WTD, and that is not present in this second story. The astute reader may detect a slightly discordant note as early as this chapter. There seems to be something wrong; something one can't quite put a finger on. For example, Archie seems to be edgy. Archie tells Wolfe a direct lie: the retainer is all ready in Wolfe's account. This is not Archie's style. And Wolfe takes a case that seems dangerously close to some sort of domestic squabble. Archie's mind wanders uncharacteristically, and at the end of the chapter Archie uses a Wolfe-word: 'meretricious'--again not Archie's style. The dissonant opening paragraphs are carried (more quietly) through the rest of the chapter.

Regards,
Glenn Dixon
Thumbs Meeker

Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 19:16:03 -0400

Subject: GD: NB - Chapter 2 Repost

I originally posted this Tuesday evening, but it looks as though it may not have gone through, possibly due to a problem with the list. I apologize to anyone who's getting this for the second time.

SYNOPSIS

Archie hoofs it back to the brownstone, making some calls on the way. Wolfe is disgusted because the renovations have spoiled his enjoyment of his food. Archie reports. Wolfe is impressed by the description of the anti-room. It turns out that there's a four-star restaurant in the skyscraper, and Wolfe has the idea that Fritz will use its kitchen to prepare a meal, and Wolfe will dine in the anti-room. Oh, and by the way, Wolfe has solved the mystery: "Mrs. Orr is at her sister's apartment, hiding out from something or someone. That is manifest." Archie simply has to go and reel her in: "You will soon embark on your charming quest for the damsel."

It's up to Archie to make all the arrangements, which he does.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Lon Cohen has now been bumped to an office even _bigger_ than his boss's. How does one swing that, I'd like to know? I sit in a cube in the middle of a cube farm. My boss has an office with a window. I'd settle for just an office. Heck, I'd settle for just a window <g>.

I *really* enjoyed the interplay between Fritz and Andre Domengeaux. Fritz is such a wonderful character, and here he gets to entertain us a little. It's too bad he's relegated to a bit role in most of the corpus. How about a story in which Fritz plays a central role? Plot suggestions, anyone?

DIXON VS. STOUT

Wolfe is leaving the brownstone, but it's not for business (well, obstensibly it is, but really it's for comfort and food). Considering the problems caused by the renovations, it's entirely in character. In fact, I'd say it's amazingly in character. One sign of a good understanding of a character is knowing, when two of the character's traits are in conflict (food vs. home), which will prevail, and how.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Lots of good lines in this chapter. Archie describes the traffic as "crawling in caterpillar waves." Ah... been there, done that <g>.

Archie again:

>>The words had taken a wrong turn somewhere, and had become mixed up with the signals from his stomach.<<

Wolfe, concluding his instructions for Archie:

>>"Use your magnificent skills to assure acceptance."<<

And part of Archie's reply:

>>"I was waiting for more instructions, like having Mayor Giuliani wait our table."<<

Archie's answer, when Rottfeld protests that Wolfe never leaves his office:

>>"He doesn't. His office has left him."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Excellent! I'm enjoying your reports as much as I enjoyed reading the story.

--W

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gregory Smith" <beaglewriter@att.net>
To: "Wolfe List" <wolfe-list@mirror.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2002 4:16 PM
Subject: GD: NB - Chapter 2 Repost

> I originally posted this Tuesday evening, but it looks as though it may
not have gone through, possibly due to a problem with the list. I apologize
to anyone who's getting
> this for the second time.
>
> SYNOPSIS
>
> Archie hoofs it back to the brownstone, making some calls on the way.

At 07:16 PM 6/13/2002 -0400, Gregory Smith wrote:

I originally posted this Tuesday evening, but it looks as though it may not have gone through, possibly due to a problem with the list. I apologize to anyone who's getting this for the second time.

First time for me.You certainly are tenacious, sir, for which I wish to thank you! You are doing a fine job.

Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 18:13:03 -0400

Subject: GD: NB - Chapter 3

SYNOPSIS

Archie heads over to sister Connie's apartment, pondering on the way if Rottfeld might be entitled to a refund of part of his $100,000. Archie rings the bell, and Carol Orr answers the door herself. Oops! It's not Carol, it's Connie. Carol and Connie are twins. "Funny that Orr didn't mention how much alike they looked." Yeah, Archie, I wondered about that, too.

Archie gets himself invited in, and deduces that Carol is hiding in the bedroom. After questioning Connie in a half-hearted way, he comes right out and says he wants to check the bedroom. Connie calls him a weasel and attacks. Physically. She's a girl with a lot of spirit. But eventually she caves and leads Archie to the bedroom, where indeed Carol is hiding.

Carol is badly bruised from a fist to the face, which is why she's hiding. Archie asks if her husband did it, and Connie answers for her that "Of course he did." Carol defends her husband -- he's "not a weasel" -- but she can't show her face in public with those bruises.

Archie calls Lily Rowan to find the name of the best makeup artist in Manhattan. It's Jill Smith ("Jill Smith? Not Madame Orczy or something?"), whose salon is at 40th and Park. Archie asks Lily to pull some strings to get them an appointment, and bundles Carol and Connie into a taxi. Carol is "disguised" in sunglasses and a red and yellow silk scarf.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Connie Orr's apartment building, in West Manhattan, is described as having twin towers and a skywalk that connects them, within view of the park. Does this building really exist? Does anyone know what it might be?

In chapter two's discussion, I mentioned a writer understanding a character. In this chapter, I liked this line, from Archie: "She wasn't looking away from me because she hated the sight of my face. No female hates the sight of my face."

I mentioned early in the WTD discussion that Saul was a convenient device for Stout: We readers know that Saul can do anything, so Stout could use him to accomplish tasks that might have seemed impossible otherwise. IMHO, Lily Rowan was the same thing: A literary device. Moving in high and wealthy circles, Stout could trot her on stage to get things done when he needed to something to happen, and couldn't or didn't want to think up a way to make it a part of the plot. Dixon's use of Lily in this chapter illustrates my point, and I believe is perfectly consistent with Stout and the corpus.

Archie has promised to take Lily to the Flamingo to dance to the sounds of Mary Lou and the Clouds of Joy. For those of you who aren't hip on the history of Jazz, The 12 Clouds of Joy was a real band, based in Kansas City, and Mary Lou Williams was really the band's pianist and creative inspiration, from 1929 until she left in 1942. Although the Clouds went downhill after Mary Lou left, she continued to have a brilliant career as a musician, and was a central figure on the Jazz scene for decades after. I had been under the impression that Mary Lou Williams died in 1981, but I must have been misinformed, since she's obviously reunited with the Clouds and was playing at the Flamingo in 1995/96 <g>. I've posted a couple pictures on my Web site. The first is a portrait of Mary Lou taken in her early days with the Clouds (she was a looker -- worthy of inclusion in a Wolfe story <g>). The second is a photo of the original Clouds, with Mary Lou front-and-center:

http://underdogishere.com/dixon/marylou.jpg
http://underdogishere.com/dixon/12clouds.jpg

DIXON VS. STOUT

Archie asks Connie if she deserved to be hit by her husband. That was really disturbing. I don't think I'm being PC when I say there couldn't have been any circumstances under which she deserved it. And it isn't in Archie's character. And I don't think it added anything to the story. What's it doing in there, anyway?

FAVORITE QUOTES

Archie's, regarding Lily:

>>"I had met her in my bullfighting days..."<<

Brought a smile to my lips <g>. Really, the entire exchange between Archie and Lily was so perfect.

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

> I mentioned early in the WTD discussion that Saul was a convenient device
for Stout: We readers know that Saul can do anything, so Stout could use
him to
> accomplish tasks that might have seemed impossible otherwise. IMHO, Lily
Rowan was the same thing: A literary device. Moving in high and wealthy
circles,
> Stout could trot her on stage to get things done when he needed to
something to happen, and couldn't or didn't want to think up a way to make
it a part of the plot.
> Dixon's use of Lily in this chapter illustrates my point, and I believe is
perfectly consistent with Stout and the corpus.

I think you're right in this. It makes good sense.

Hello everyone Schwartz here.

First, thanks Greg for leading the discussions. I don;t think I would have gotten around to reading Mr. Dixon's stories otherwise.

It is Chapters 3 and 5 that I find my first strong, er, objections to Glenn's additions to the corpus.

See below for my Chapter 3 comments; I will reply to the Chapeter 5 discussion as well.

Schwartz
----- Original Message ----- >
> DISCUSSION POINTS
>
> DIXON VS. STOUT
>
> Archie asks Connie if she deserved to be hit by her husband. That was
really disturbing. I don't think I'm being PC when I say there couldn't
have been any
> circumstances under which she deserved it. And it isn't in Archie's
character. And I don't think it added anything to the story. What's it
doing in there, anyway?

SCHWARTZ ==>> I agree with the above, but I think even less in Archie's character (but much less important) is the use of the word 'supercilious' in the first paragraph, and his describing the apartment building as "...complete with ionic columns...". As far as I can remember, the only time Archie would use twenty-five cent words was in an attempt to one-up Wolfe. It's just not his style.

>
> FAVORITE QUOTES
>
> Archie's, regarding Lily:
>
> >>"I had met her in my bullfighting days..."<<
>
> Brought a smile to my lips <g>. Really, the entire exchange between
Archie and Lily was so perfect.

SCHWARTZ ==>> Couldn't agree more. This is how Archie communicates best.

Not to be confused with the Mighty Clouds of Joy (a gospel group), who I saw recently in Indianapolis...

The Man About the Chair

-----Original Message-----
From: Gregory Smith [mailto:beaglewriter@att.net]
Sent: Friday, June 14, 2002 5:13 PM
To: Wolfe List
Subject: GD: NB - Chapter 3

Archie has promised to take Lily to the Flamingo to dance to the sounds of
Mary Lou and the Clouds of Joy. For those of you who aren't hip on the
history of Jazz,
The 12 Clouds of Joy was a real band, based in Kansas City, and Mary Lou
Williams was really the band's pianist and creative inspiration, from 1929
until she left in 1942...

Hi Wolfellows,

--- Gregory Smith <beaglewriter@att.net> wrote:
> Archie asks Connie if she deserved to be hit by her husband. That was really
> disturbing. I don't think I'm being PC when I say there couldn't have been any
> circumstances under which she deserved it.

Why not? She could be a kung-fu master attacking his husband.

That's the problem with PC overdid; you actually replace one prejudice with another. The reason must be pricks of conscience because of the mistreatment of black people, women etc. - I actually think it's a great idea but the way it evolves into some kind of new bigotery is dissatisfying.

=====
All the best,

Beer of Werowance AKA Miklos Kallo
<beerowance@yahoo.com>

For the list of Noms taken and rules check
http://www.extra.hu/beer or http://www.nexus.hu/mic/beer

Beer of Werowance <beerowance@yahoo.com> wrote:

>>Why not? She could be a kung-fu master attacking his husband.

That's the problem with PC overdid; you actually replace one prejudice with another. <<

I see your point. But I still find it disturbing. Maybe it's the way he phrased it, agressively suggesting that she might have deserved it. Maybe he should have said, "What happened?" or "What went on?" Then, if she answered, "Well, I was swinging a baseball bat at his head at the time," he could say, "You brought it on yourself."

Gregory Smith

Date: Sat, 15 Jun 2002 19:51:15 -0400

Subject: GD: NB - Chapters 4 and 5

Four and five are short chapters, so I've combined them.

SYNOPSIS

Jill Smith is going to take care of Carol and Connie personally. But first, she wants to call the cops. "That woman has been battered." Archie does some serious schmoozing to keep the authorities out of it, at least for the time being.

Archie phones home. He wants to escort Connie and Carol to the dress shop and then to the dinner. Saul can drive Wolfe from the brownstone to Rottfeld's office. Wolfe says no, Saul has other business. Archie must leave the ladies with instructions and return home to play chauffeur. Archie demurs, fearing that if he doesn't play sheepdog, the ladies may change their minds and scoot. Wolfe says, "Pfui."

Archie checks on the progress of the makeup. The ladies seem to be enjoying themselves. Archie leaves them with trepidation and instructions to get new outfits and show up for dinner at 7:00. He exchanges cell phone numbers with Carol, and leaves.

DISCUSSION POINTS

I had to read this line twice (I'm more a Fred than a Saul), but once I got it, I found it amusing: "Two attractive women... not willing to give men an opportunity to strut?" In other words, the women aren't going to strut. They're going to sit back and watch the men strut. It created a delicious image of Rottfeld, Orr, and Garre high-stepping, peacock style, back and forth in front of Connie and Carol as they sit on a settee. <g>

DIXON VS. STOUT

Nothing to report.

FAVORITE QUOTES

An Archie-ism:

>>"I was darned, and said so to myself...."<<

Wolfe, when Archie says, "You won't recognize me when next you see me":

>>"What a rare and wondrous event that would be."<<

Archie:

>>After staring at ladies' magazines for about three days, or maybe it was fifteen minutes...."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Hello. Schwartz here again.
----- Original Message -----
>
> DIXON VS. STOUT
>
> Nothing to report.
>

SCHWARTZ ==>> Archie isn't he kind of guy to throw around the word 'qulams'. In fact, I can see him ragging on a client for using it, never mind saying it himself.

> FAVORITE QUOTES
>
> Wolfe, when Archie says, "You won't recognize me when next you see me":
>
> >>"What a rare and wondrous event that would be."<<
>

SCHWARTZ ==>> I disagree. Wolfe saying, "What a rare and wondorous event that would be." is not really in character. He isn't above sarcasm towards Archie, please don't get me wrong, but my recollections of Wolfe's jibes are all of a drier sense. This was just too easy a line.

I think the last sentence of the chapter, when Archie (speaking of Connie) says, "I decided it might be worthwhile to work it so that someday I saw a look of passion in that face, the right kind", Mr. Dixon hits the ball out of the park. I think some of Archie's best lines, corpus-wide, come while he is either chasing, or making future plans to chase some woman.

Schwartz

Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 21:22:23 -0400

Subject: GD: NB - Chapter 6

SYNOPSIS

Archie arrives home to ferry Wolfe to dinner. They arrive at the glass skyscraper. Wolfe shakes Rottfeld's hand (I thought that was worth mentioning).

Archie checks on Fritz, up in the restaurant's kitchen. Fritz has agreed to prepare a dish for the restaurant's patrons, and the "...word had been spread that Fritz Brenner was in the kitchen."

Back downstairs. Orr, Garre, Gessel, and Marley have arrived or do arrive. Then Connie Wright shows up, in a dress "designed to make men strut," but sans Carol. "Carol will be here soon," she says, "start without her."

Archie collars Connie and asks where is Carol? Connie doesn't know. Carol took off to do "something she absolutely had to do." Carol had told Connie she'd phone Archie, and Connie thought she was doing just that as her cab pulled away. Now Connie and Archie are worried.

Archie apprises Wolfe, who instructs him to have Fred and Steve (still "Mr. Wyatt" to Wolfe <g>) cover Connie's and Orr's apartments. Archie kicks himself (figuratively) for leaving the women on their own.

Rottfeld is in a state. He didn't know Carol had a twin. He's been pining for Carol, whom he couldn't have, and now here's a twin who's unattached. What's he to do? As Archie says, "He had it bad."

DISCUSSION POINTS

Archie has a car of his own now. Was this ever mentioned in the corpus? It makes sense. If Archie did need to drive for personal reasons, I can't picture him tooling around in a boat like the old Heron. I see him in something small and sporty.

I imagined Archie looking quite striking in a white dinner jacket. And Wolfe: "If Wolfe ever decides to quit the genius business, he could rent out as a dandy for duchesses." I think this is the way we've all pictured Wolfe: Overweight but distinguished.

Archie is hoping to arrange dancing after the dinner. With Connie Wright, she of the flying fists? <g> There isn't any other possibility.

I'll leave the New York geography (Archie drives east on 34th to Madison) to those of you who know the city.

DIXON VS. STOUT

Dixon's Archie is colorful when it comes to personal hygeine: In WTD, he "descummed," while in this story he "hosed off the body, scraped the whiskers...."

Fritz has now become popularly famous. Andre Domengeaux admires him, Archie calls him a "famous chef" when talking to Connie, and when word spreads that he's in the restaurant's kitchen, the dish that he's overseeing sells out. I like this. I think it's a great development. But I'm curious as to how he came by his fame. I mean, cooking exclusively for Wolfe, his exposure is pretty limited. What's happened? Rusterman's? Contributing articles to distinguished cooking magazines? Mr. Dixon, do you have any idea? There's a story that could be told....

FAVORITE QUOTES

The passage where Archie is driving Wolfe to dinner is really wonderful, but too long to repeat here.

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

> Archie has a car of his own now. Was this ever mentioned in the corpus?
It makes sense. If Archie did need to drive for personal reasons, I can't
picture him tooling
> around in a boat like the old Heron. I see him in something small and
sporty.
>

I don't think it's ever mentioned that Archie has his own car,
but it is pretty much implied that he has the use of Wolfe's
auto whenever he wants it. I also seem to vaaguely remember
that at one time there were two cars: one suitable for ferrying
Wolfe around, and one that was more practical.

This also seems to be a logical development. When the
stories were first written, a car in Manhattan was superflous.
And even in the later stories, a car in the City is still really
unnecessary and very expensive. But for getting around
outside the City, which is much easier to do nowadays,
some sporty litle thing for Archie to head out to the Island
or up to Rockland, etc. would make sense.

-- WD

Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 18:50:59 -0400

Subject: GD: NB - Chapters 7 and 8

Chapter seven is really short, so I'm combining it with eight, during which a lot happens.

SYNOPSIS

As Archie says, "The dinner was a bust." The food is terrific, the conversation is terrific, the setting is terrific, but Carol is a no-show, and eventually that casts a pall over everything. Everyone is affected except Orr, the good-natured bear. Rottfeld spends the evening trying to decide whether or not to shift loyalties from Carol to Connie. As things fall apart, Wolfe sends Archie to Connie's apartment -- "That seems to be her haven."

Archie exits, Connie in tow. They taxi to Connie's apartment, and arrive just in time to pick up Fred at the curb. He's in pursuit of Carol Orr: "...yellow and red scarf and sunglasses. Tan overcoat, jeans, and black pumps." She came out of the apartment and caught a taxi heading north.

Our heroes take off in pursuit. The cab driver is a practising Muslim who refuses to speed. Archie changes his mind by threatening to kill him. Yikes!

Connie spills that Carol has talked about killing herself. Archie is miffed that she didn't mention this earlier, and crosses Connie off his list of desirable bachelorettes. The frantic pursuit ends halfway across the 142nd Street bridge, where Carol's cab stops. The woman in the scarf jumps out and dives into the river, casually and without hesitation. Going in after her is not an option.

Archie calls Wolfe, who is still at Rottfeld's, and who summons Archie to be chauffeur. When Archie rebukes Wolfe for being so casual about the apparent suicide, Wolfe makes an oracular statement: "...that woman has not committed suicide." (His reason for saying so actually makes sense: She's the type who would jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, not 142nd Street.) Then, "I assure you, Archie, anything there would overrun your modest faculties." So Wolfe thinks it's a matter for brains, not brawn.

The miserable evening is capped by the taxi ride back to Connie's apartment, with a Connie who blames Archie for everything that's happened. And an Archie who thinks she might be right.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Archie mentions the subjects discussed at the table: The Jamacian slave trade, and the exploitation of third- world labor. Anyone care to comment on these subjects, or on how they compare to the subjects discussed at dinner in the corpus? It would be interesting to compile a list of all the dinner topics mentioned in the entire corpus.

Archie mentions a fog coming in from the "North river (sic)." Is there a North River? I though there were just the East and the Hudson. And what river does the 142nd Street bridge cross?

DIXON VS. STOUT

Archie says that as the evening went on, "...the anti-room began to take its effect." I guess I'm dense, but I just don't get this anti-room thing. Is it a great, homey, relaxed place, in the middle of Manhattan? Or is it a place of forboding and evil. I can't get a lock on it, going by Dixon's descriptions.

There are a lot of discordant notes in this story, and I hit another one when Archie threatened to kill the hack.

The cab driver (Sammy) mentions that he won't speed because it's Ramadan. Now I'm not an expert on Islam, but I had a Muslim roommate in college, and I know Ramadan isn't in February. <g>

FAVORITE QUOTES

Wolfe, to Archie:

>>"Your propensity to create a calamity is unequaled."<<

Wolfe, on finding ways to commit suicide:

>>"There are no barriers to the determined soul."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Shouldn't that read: anteroom or ante-room?

An anteroom is like a vestibule or a small fore-chamber, from the
Latin "ante" -- before, cf. ante-Bellum. A smallish room,
these days usually relegated to coats and other apparel, that you go
through to get to the main room. In a large, palatial home, it would be
like a sitting room, one where you sit and wait for the host before you
are taken into the rooms where they really live.

> Archie says that as the evening went on, "...the anti-room began to take
its effect." I guess I'm dense, but I just don't get this anti-room thing.
Is it a great, homey, relaxed
> place, in the middle of Manhattan? Or is it a place of forboding and
evil. I can't get a lock on it, going by Dixon's descriptions.
>

6/17/02 10:41:55 PM, "Walt Doherty" wrote:

>Shouldn't that read: anteroom or ante-room?

Archie makes a specific point of calling it the "anti-room," so that term has some significance.

gs

> The cab driver (Sammy) mentions that he won't speed because it's
> Ramadan. Now I'm not an expert on Islam, but I had a Muslim roommate
> in college, and I know
> Ramadan isn't in February. <g>
>

We all know from the war in Afghanistan that Ramadan in that region is in November, but I do recall getting the February date from a Muslim friend of mine.

I do not remember which friend it was as I spoke with many, but he would have been either from Iran, Iraq or Kuwait. I'm wondering if the November date is universal in the Muslim world. Does anyone know? I will do some research and see.

It's very possible that the person I spoke with had not practiced Ramadan for so long that he didn't remember when it was. . .

Regards,
Thumbs Meeker
Glenn Dixon

Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 17:49:31 -0400

Subject: GD - NB - Chapter 9

SYNOPSIS

Archie finally returns to the brownstone at 2:00 am. He's in a really pissy mood. (Is it my imagination, or does he spend this entire story in a really pissy mood.) Saul has been Wolfe's and Fritz's ferryman home. Fritz explains the meaning of obligation to Archie, who doesn't appreciate it. Wolfe patiently explains to Archie that although there is still a mystery (she didn't commit suicide, remember?), there is nothing further for them to do. "There can be no satisfactory conclusion to this debacle." But Wolfe has solved the mystery: "I don't have to find out what happened. I know now."

Archie and Wolfe argue about whether they should do anything further, and also whether they must refund Rottfeld's $100,000. Archie insists that they must, but Wolfe says they found the woman, and earned their money. (Wolfe, BTW has deduced that Archie was tricking him when he said the $100,000 had been deposited by electronic transfer.)

Archie departs for his bedroom. Wolfe is amicable and says "Good night," but Archie is steamed. Really steamed. He has already arranged for Fred to come in the morning, and now he adds Saul. He vows to himself to somehow compel Wolfe to earn the $100,000.

DISCUSSION POINTS

I was struck by Wolfe's attitude in the argument with Archie. Except for one bellow, he sounds more like a patient father that an eccentric and short-tempered genius. I could almost believe that he was saddened by Carol's death, and was trying to let Archie down easily.

DIXON VS. STOUT

Wolfe is very oracular in NB. He seems to have solve each little mystery almost before it presents itself: Carol was at Connie's. Carol would return to Connie's. Archie didn't really have the $100,000 when he persuaded Wolfe to take the job. And now he's solved the big mystery, without even explaining what it is <g>.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Wolfe's description of electronic funds tranfers:

>>"...invisible ciphers buried in a nameless sarcophagus in a lost catacomb."<<

Sounds like something from a Harry Potter story!

Archie:

>>"...sometimes I think Wolfe's head needs to be moored to the top of the Empire State building (sic)."<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 18:53:58 -0400

Subject: GD - NB - Chapter 10

SYNOPSIS

The chapter opens with a dream that Archie isn't having. Strange. Rottfeld and Orr have been calling, but first we get an update on the renovations: The venerable hidden microphone has been replaced by three video cameras, plus another in the front room. The metal detector in the door jamb is pretty sophisticated, being able to distinguish, for example, knives from guns. Wolfe's and Archie's desks and office chairs arrive, along with the red leather chair and the globe.

Archie calls Rottfeld, who doesn't seem to feel that Wolfe and Archie were to blame for what happened. The search of the river for Carol Orr's body is just beginning.

Saul and Fred arrive. Archie tells them he has a plan to get Wolfe back on the job, and asks them to play along. Wolfe descends from the plant rooms. He's startled to see Saul and Fred, but settles into the the only chair where he's ever comfortable and is obviously pleased to have it back. He asks Archie for the mail, and Archie's plan becomes apparent: He's not going to do squat for Wolfe until he gets his way. No mail, no beer, no nuthin'. And he's sent Fritz on an errand, so he can't wait on Wolfe, either. Wolfe instructs Saul, and then Fred, to bring the mail, "and beer." But Saul, and even Fred, join in the rebellion. "This is mutiny, Mr. Goodwin." Wolfe asks Archie for his terms. Archie wants Wolfe to hear his report, and Fred's, and "give our clients an explanation."

Wolfe starts the lip thing. Archie, satisfied, summons Fritz home, and brings the mail and beer. Wolfe finishes with whatever he was pondering and receives Archie's and Fred's reports. Fred saw an unidentified woman in a blue parka arrive on Connie's floor at 9:58 pm. She went down a side hall. Saul confirms that the side hall provides access to the back entrance to Connie's apartment. This was either seven minutes or nine minutes (the times don't exactly add up) before Carol (i.e., the woman in the scarf) exited the apartment and caught the taxi going north to 142nd Street.

Wolfe has deduced that the woman who entered by the back and exited the front wasn't Carol Orr, but someone pretending to be, and that she dove from the 142nd Street bridge because it's close to the water -- the woman wasn't committing suicide, and needed to survive the dive. With the aid of a wet suit, she swam to the shore and secretly escaped. Wolfe: "We need to know the identity of that woman." While Archie is conveniently distracted by the door, Wolfe gives instructions to Saul and Fred. Archie returns, provides them with money, and they depart. "The bloodhounds are loose." What's Archie to do? Nothing. Wolfe's keeping him on a short leash as punishment for his mutiny.

Oh, and everyone who was at dinner the night before is to gather in the anti-room at 9:00 pm. It's time for the denouement. "You asked for a resolution, Mr. Christian. You shall get it."

DISCUSSION POINTS

Archie refers to the electricians as "sparkys." Man, there's a blast from the past! <g>

I asked in an earlier discussion which river is crossed by the 142nd Street bridge. It's now identified as the Harlem River.

Archie is conveniently called away while Saul and Fred are getting instructions, so neither he nor we are aware what their errands are. This happens a lot in the corpus, too, as I recall, especially when it comes to Saul.

DIXON VS. STOUT

I thought Fred's joining in the mutiny was very well handled. It was a stretch for him to stand up to Wolfe, but it was believable. Saul was the critical factor. If Saul hadn't joined in first, I don't think Fred would have.

The end of the chapter, when Wolfe tells Archie he will have his resolution, sounds very grim. As thought Wolfe is saying, "You'll get your resolution, and I promise you, you won't like it one bit!" The whole tone of NB is very dark, but this was downright grim.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Archie, describing how he ended a conversation with Lon Cohen:

>>"...I gave him a reply that was gracious, articulate and refined, and hung up."<<

Yeah, right!

This struck me as very Archiesque:

>>If snails were meant to be eaten by man they wouldn't disolve when salted.<<

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

Subject: GD - NB - Chapter 11

SYNOPSIS

The final chapter. On our way to the denouement at 9:00, we have a flashback to dinner at Rusterman's, and another cute Fritz scene. "I felt I must prepare a meal that was not a disaster."

When Wolfe and Archie arrive at the anti-room, Archie is surprised to find Cramer and Stebbins. There hasn't been a crime that he's aware of. Wolfe and Cramer jaw quietly while Archie and Stebbins arrange the chairs.

The others arrive all in a group. "The detective business gets its share of depressed people, but this bunch copped the prize." Orr, the good-natured bear, has been shattered by his wife's "suicide": "He looked like he had shrunk three suit sizes." (Well put, BTW.)

The seating arrangement might be important: As best as I can make out, the front row is, from left to right, Cramer, Orr, and Rottfeld. The back row is Marley, Gessel, Garre, and Connie, such that Connie is behind Rottfeld, and Garre is behind Orr. But Wolfe asks Connie to switch seats with Garre, so then she's behind Orr, and Garre is next to her, behind Rottfeld. Got it?

Archie is feeling warm and sick. Wolfe begins by stating that he knows why Carol didn't show up for dinner the previous evening, and why her body wasn't found in the river. He continues by questioning Orr, and Archie realizes he's setting a trap for someone. But why? "We had no murder, no evidence, no body." (Hence the title of the story?) Archie gets sicker. He describes the room as hot, dim, and oppressive.

Wolfe reveals to Orr that Rottfeld was in love with Carol. Rottfeld is furious at Wolfe, but Orr says cool it, I knew all along. "I know you couldn't help yourself. That's why I built this room for you, so's you could mope in it."

Wolfe introduces the name Cheryl Burns, whom Orr and Garre both know from their college days. She's an almost- Olympic caliber swimmer, and is the one who dove off the bridge. And now she's gone missing. Someone killed Carol, and had Cheryl Burns fake a suicide to cover the murder. And now Cheryl Burns has almost certainly been murdered herself. By someone with a history of violence.

Suddenly Connie realizes that it's Garre -- that Garre was the one who hit Carol and left the bruises on her face. Wolfe concurs. Garre, however, plays it cool. Very cool. Wolfe leans on him: After getting the treatment from Jill Smith, Carol went to Garre to tell him to clear out or she'd blow the whistle. So Garre killed her, and had Cheryl Burns fake her suicide.

Wolfe batters away at Garre, but then suddenly draws Orr into the scene by accusing Garre of having betrayed his best friend. It's a deliberate attempt to goad Orr into attacking Garre, and it works. Orr and Garre both jump onto the seats of their chairs. But Connie's chair is sort of in the way, between them. Orr knocks her down and she hits her head on a table. Orr leaps to Connie's chair (next to Garre's) and the two lock each other in a strangle-hold.

Wolfe bellows to Archie to stop them. "Right. I'll get a steam roller." Stebbins has one of Garre's legs. Archie hits Garre's other leg and his chair falls over, pitching him into the fireplace. Orr is still strangling him.

Archie hits Orr with the poker, but in the excitement hits him a little harder than he intended. Orr topples over, seriously damaged.

Archie looks at Wolfe, sitting smuggly. Archie throws the poker at him, hitting him in the face, figuratively: "the fiery shadow-face that was bobbing up and down, laughing and taunting me from the wall behind Wolfe's chair." Archie takes his coat and hat and leaves. "No body followed me" -- those words again. He describes the hallway as "meretricious" (loud and vulgar; also, relating to prostitution) and the doorway leading to the stairs as a "cartouche." Big words for Archie. He punches out a statue that's been stored on the landing of the stairs. THE END.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Archie is surprised at the presence of Cramer and Stebbins partly because they're outside their "jurisdiction," by which he means their district. I don't recall this ever being a problem in the corpus. Or even something I ever thought about. Do all the murders in the corpus (that happen in NYC) take place in west Manhattan? No one ever got murdered on the east side? Or in Queens? <g> Or did Stout just play loose with the geography.

DIXON VS. STOUT

After the "depressed bunch" arrives and is seated, Archie mentions "how well they blended with the anti- room." Again, I don't get the anti-room thing. Wolfe apparently admires it.

Wolfe stories are always murder mysteries, but in this story the murder -- even the death -- isn't even revealed until the very end. The story isn't propelled by the tension of solving the crime, but rather by the tension between Wolfe and Archie. Or even the tension within Archie, who seems frustrated by something. I think that's what gives the story it's dark, forbidding tone, very unlike (IMHO) the stories of the corpus, or Dixon's other two pastiches. The crime, when it is revealed, is really little more than a footnote to the story.

The ending is ambiguous. We don't know what happened to Garre and Orr, or whether Connie was hurt by her fall (though we find out in the next story). Is Dixon is saying that what happened to Garre, Orr, and Connie isn't important? Maybe even the murders of Carol and Cheryl Burns weren't important? What's important is what happened between Wolfe and Archie. Is that it? If that's the case, then what _did_ happen between Wolfe and Archie? Did Wolfe goad Orr into attacking Garre because he didn't have any evidence, and needed an executioner? And then did he goad Archie into killing Orr (oops), in order to punish Archie for rebelling, and forcing Wolfe to bring the crimes to light? That seems very cynical on Wolfe's part. Anyone else have any opinions?

This story read, to some extent, like a parallel-universe Wolfe: All the basics were there, but this Archie had been abused by his father when he was a child, and this Wolfe was an orphan who never had enough to eat when he was growing up <g>. Of course, this is just my opinion. And the next story, _Not With a Whimper_, gets us back on the Wolfe track, so don't get discouraged (if you are).

FAVORITE QUOTES

I just thought this was a very powerful line on Wolfe's part:

>>"If I had not been involved, it would have been recorded as another unfortunate soul who couldn't cope with the vicissitudes of life. But I am involved."<<

The words "But I am involved," coming from Wolfe's mouth, fall like the stroke of doom.

Gregory Smith
Stories at: http:\\underdogishere.com\dixon

> DIXON VS. STOUT
>
> After the "depressed bunch" arrives and is seated, Archie mentions "how
well they blended with the anti-room." Again, I don't get the anti-room
thing. Wolfe apparently
> admires it.
>
> Wolfe stories are always murder mysteries, but in this story the murder --
even the death -- isn't even revealed until the very end. The story isn't
propelled by the tension of
> solving the crime, but rather by the tension between Wolfe and Archie. Or
even the tension within Archie, who seems frustrated by something. I think
that's what gives
> the story it's dark, forbidding tone, very unlike (IMHO) the stories of
the corpus, or Dixon's other two pastiches. The crime, when it is revealed,
is really little more than a
> footnote to the story.

Actually, I find that's the case in some of the Stout stories, that
the murder (or, really, usually the second murder) is just a plot
point to keep the story going or to goad Wolfe into finally acting.
It seems here that Wolfe actually did act on his own and Archie
didn't particularly like it.

Thank you, Gregory, for doing such a fine job on this story.

The original copy I had was in a MS Word format that somehow wouldn't play on my old PC, so I was grateful that you made the .pdf version available.

Like you, I enjoyed the story, and was impressed how easy it was to slip into the mood of the Wolfe and Archie with whom we are so familiar. There were a few points that perhaps stuck out, and if I mention them, I would not want you to think that I thought the story was not well done. On the contrary, if I single out a few details, it only means that the overall effect was excellent.

I did think, though, that perhaps Wolfe's manner of speaking is a little too pretentious. I got the impression that every utterance of his had to be subtle, profound and contain a few words that we'd never heard before. Archie was portrayed wonderfully, though as Glenn mentions, he seems to be not quite comforatble throughout the book. I have to say that the ending left me a little bewildered, not so much because of the lack of resolution of the crime, criminal and victims, but becauase I could not see why Archie would be so upset with Wolfe.

Perhaps because I know it is a pastiche, there is one overall impression I get, that of caricature. It is almost as though there were a list of Wolfean story features that have to go in, and they all get a slight twist. There was a relapse, a new twist to get Wolfe out, a Wolfe-Fritz episode, Saul on a mysterious mission, Archie feeling abused, and Wolfe as executioner, and I have probably left something out.

I realize that Rex Stout himself was always trying to put a new, creative, twist on these elements, and sometimes even these seem contrived, but with a pastiche there is always the danger of trying to outdo oneself in order to seem genuine, and in doing so, sounding (however slightly) false. I found this somewhat so in Wolfe's diction, the scene of the refusal to work (to remedy the relapse) and in the abrupt ending, as well in the overall resentment and attitide of Archie, for which I could not see an obvious justification.

As I said above, these little slightly discordant harmonics, only emphasize how close Mr. Dixon comes to the tone and spirit of the original stories.

Thanks to Glenn for letting us read these stories and to Gregory for presenting them so nicely.

all the best,
Mattis Fishman
occasionally Saul Panzer to the Wolfe list

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mattis Fishman" <mattis@argoscomp.com>
To: <wolfe-list@mirror.org>
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 8:48 AM
Subject: RE: GD - NB - Chapter 11

>
> Thank you, Gregory, for doing such a fine job on this story.
>
Perhaps because I know it is a pastiche, there is one overall impression
> I get, that of caricature. It is almost as though there were a list of
> Wolfean story features that have to go in, and they all get a slight
> twist. There was a relapse, a new twist to get Wolfe out, a Wolfe-Fritz
> episode, Saul on a mysterious mission, Archie feeling abused, and Wolfe
> as executioner, and I have probably left something out.
>
> I realize that Rex Stout himself was always trying to put a new,
> creative, twist on these elements, and sometimes even these seem
contrived,
> but with a pastiche there is always the danger of trying to outdo
oneself
> in order to seem genuine, and in doing so, sounding (however slightly)
false.
> I found this somewhat so in Wolfe's diction, the scene of the refusal
to
> work (to remedy the relapse) and in the abrupt ending, as well in the
> overall resentment and attitide of Archie, for which I could not see an
> obvious justification.
>
> As I said above, these little slightly discordant harmonics, only
> emphasize how close Mr. Dixon comes to the tone and spirit of the
original
> stories.
>
It is interesting to read these stories in conjunction with R Goldsborough. Now, I like Murder in E Minor very much and even occasionally re-read it. But, as much as I do like it, I know that I like it because it is an excellent pastiche. Glenn's stories are to me really more like reading a real Wolfe story. Yes, all the verious elements are there, but I'm continually being surprised. With RG, I get a warm fuzzy feeling of "Oh, yes, here's a Fritz passage" or "Here's Fred being Fred". With Glenn, the Fritz scene is there but I don't realize it until after I've read it; it seems to be more naturally occuring rather than being pasted in. With RG, you realize you're reading a composed Fritz scene while you are reading it.

Hi Wolfellows,

--- Mattis Fishman <mattis@argoscomp.com> wrote:
> I did think, though, that perhaps Wolfe's manner of speaking is
> a little too pretentious. I got the impression that every utterance
> of his had to be subtle, profound and contain a few words that
> we'd never heard before.
At some points I had the same feeling - English isn't my mother tongue - but I realize it must be a truly hard work to balance between an ordinary talk and something really artificial transplanted with words only existing in a dictionary. :) Sometimes even Stout seems to be far-fetched.

> I have to say that the ending left me a little bewildered,
> not so much because of the lack of resolution of the crime, criminal
> and victims, but becauase I could not see why Archie would be so
> upset with Wolfe.
It was the same with me.

> As I said above, these little slightly discordant harmonics, only
> emphasize how close Mr. Dixon comes to the tone and spirit of the original
> stories.
> Thanks to Glenn for letting us read these stories and to Gregory for
> presenting them so nicely.

Agree completely. It's worth to read.

=====
All the best,

Beer of Werowance AKA Miklos Kallo
<beerowance@yahoo.com>

For the list of Noms taken and rules check
http://www.extra.hu/beer or http://www.nexus.hu/mic/beer

Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 21:28:15 -0400

Subject: GD - NB - Glenn Dixon's Notes

Mr. Dixon has provided some notes on the writing of _No Body_. Here they are. I found them fascinating. As I finished reading them, I was left with one of his words repeating itself in my head: melancholy.

For the record, I wrote all my discussion postings before I read Mr. Dixon's notes (I write my postings days in advance), so his comments didn't affect the discussion (such as it was). That's the way it should be -- the story should be taken at face value, while one is reading it.

And, for those of you who don't know, Mr. Dixon is a resident of Utah (which state he mentions in passing).

gs

Glenn Dixon's Notes on _No Body_:

CHARACTERS

The characters are all fictional. No one (and no name) bears any resemblance to anyone I know, except perhaps Anders Gessel, who is a composite of many (not all) marketing people I've met. The overenthusiastic handshakes by Orr and Garr, and enthusiasm in general are a Utah/Western USA characteristic.

PLOT NOTES

This will be a little long, so please bear with me. I toyed with the idea of keeping mum on all this but discussing a Wolfe pastiche with the author participating is a first for the list, so I will bare my soul a little.

When I wrote NB, I was an active member of the Wolfe mailing list, whereas I now mostly lurk. I have, over the years, watched the list discuss the same topics over and over again (I think casting gets the prize for most-discussed topic). There are a few treats in this story written especially for list members to have something to talk about- Archie uttering an occasional Wolfe-word is an example. I hope that I'm at least given enough credit to know that Archie does not use the term "ionic columns" under ordinary circumstances.

There is nothing a good Wolfe-list fan loves better than to find something that 'isn't Archie' or 'isn't Wolfe'. At the time I wrote NB, such a discussion (of both Goldsborough's and Stout's works) had reached a fevered pitch, and many posts had become absurd. The opening paragraphs of NB, which Gregory commented on, were a bit of a good-natured nose-tweak to those who dwell on such things.

These little raw notes fit in well with the overall tone of the story, though. Here is what is happening:

In my mind I felt I was reawakening Archie after a long sleep -- he had overslept. As we know, Archie does not wake well even when he has had enough sleep. The first story, _Welcome to Death_, was Archie's wakeup call. It was brash, a little shrill, and loud (people were always yelling at each other). The first story was Archie's alarm: a clumsy and bombastic attempt to awaken him.

In _No Body_ Archie is awake, but he has settled into his morning fog. The story is quieter than the first one, and several things happen that give the feeling that Archie isn't completely in control, or even aware of what's happening. How did Wolfe divine his deductions? He seems, as Gregory says, the oracle. Perhaps the clues were there but Archie was unaware of them and passed them over in his report as unimportant.

Fog, smoke, fumes etc. are found everywhere Archie turns. It is so thick he appears to be actually peering through it at times.

And something is wrong -- Archie is not himself. He has an attitude (Gregory expressed it most succinctly: 'pissed') and he doesn't seem to be the in-control detective Archie usually is. He insults a woman and threatens a Muslim. Neither he nor we know what has upset him.

Though Archie is not yet aware of it, he is waking up and seeing the world through different eyes. He knows something is wrong but can't put a finger on it, and that frustrates him and starts a smoldering anger. Later, Archie will realize what has happened and his anger will surface in full force, but for now he is just simmering.

The anti-room (sorry -- like Archie I couldn't come up with a better name for it), was designed to give a person comfort in his melancholy. It is neither good nor evil, just a comfortable place to sort out things if you're troubled; but it also has the effect of making you melancholy if you aren't all ready, and sending you deeper if you are. Rottfeld's real office is in a real ante-room.

The apartment building Archie describes so uncharacteristically in chapter 3 does exist, facing the west side of Central Park, but it has no skywalk (most New Yorkers have a better appreciation for architecture than that, though one wonders when what's north of Grand Central Station is considered). The twin towers with the skywalk added are an allusion to something that will happen later in the story, and Archie expresses his displeasure accordingly. It is also gives a minor foreshadowing to the third story, whose plot I had conceived by this time.

An additional comment on Mary Lou Williams, the Jazz pianist mentioned in chapter 3, and discussed very well by Gregory. She is probably the best Jazz pianist of all time, or certainly one of the best, but never got due credit due to discrimination. Not because she was black (at the time there was a sort of reverse-racial discrimination in Jazz -- a feeling that only black people could play certain types of Jazz music) but because she was a woman. Black women were fine Jazz singers, but not instrumentalists. A tip of the hat to her.

There is an additional theme interwoven into NB having to do with the consequences of shoddy workmanship, but this post is too long now so I'll forgo commenting on that. After all, Wolfe stories are just light entertainment. If Stout wrote any subtle stuff into his stories he should have made it more noticeable.

Subject: NB-parting note

I've posted this to the entire list, because I think among us we have probably read most mystery fiction that exists.

_No Body_ is the only mystery story I'm aware of where the outcome, including the identity of the culprit, is revealed (albeit in a corny way) in the very first sentence of the story. Is anyone aware of another?

Regards,
Thumbs Meeker
Glenn Dixon

Good afternoon, Glenn. You wrote:

> I've posted this to the entire list, because I think among us we have
> probably read most mystery fiction that exists.
>
> _No Body_ is the only mystery story I'm aware of where the outcome,
> including the identity of the culprit, is revealed (albeit in a corny
> way) in the very first sentence of the story. Is anyone aware of
> another?

Below is what I believe are the first few sentences of _No Body_.

Nero Wolfe, the famous fat detective of Manhattan, sits in his oversized chair enjoying a good cigar and talking to his sidekick: me, Archie Goodwin.
“Archie, I can’t think of anything better than this Pantella 8 after gobbling down a gourmet meal. Its flavor and texture are exquisite.”
“You’re right, Nero. And the price is palatable, too.”
“Yes indeed, Archie, and what do you think of the aroma?”
“It stinks.” I said, not to Nero, whom I have never called Nero and never will. I was talking to Anders Gessel who was showing me, on his artist’s drawing board, a Sunday comic style layout of me and Wolfe in our office. The layout was a sketch, in black and white ink, no color, and the drawing board was in a tenth floor office of a glass skyscraper that included the second largest advertising agency on Madison Avenue.

I seem to be missing the revelation of the of the murderer. Or did I download them wrong, and this is one of the others?

No, I don't think you missed it. Apparently, it's not right up at the front, but it is in the first few pages.

----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Jaworowski
To: Glenn Dixon ; wolfe-list@mirror.org
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 12:50 PM
Subject: Re: NB-parting note

Good afternoon, Glenn. You wrote:

> I've posted this to the entire list, because I think among us we have
> probably read most mystery fiction that exists.
>
> _No Body_ is the only mystery story I'm aware of where the outcome,
> including the identity of the culprit, is revealed (albeit in a corny
> way) in the very first sentence of the story. Is anyone aware of
> another?

Below is what I believe are the first few sentences of _No Body_.

[It helps to set the dialog in the first few paragraphs off to indicate more clearly that it is the text of Gessel's layout.]

Nero Wolfe, the famous fat detective of Manhattan, sits in his oversized chair enjoying a good cigar and talking to his sidekick: me, Archie Goodwin.

“Archie, I can’t think of anything better than this Pantella 8
after gobbling down a gourmet meal. Its flavor and texture
are exquisite.”
“You’re right, Nero. And the price is palatable, too.”
“Yes indeed, Archie, and what do you think of the aroma?”
“It stinks.” I said, not to Nero, whom I have never called Nero and never will. I was talking to Anders Gessel who was showing me, on his artist’s drawing board, a Sunday comic style layout of me and Wolfe in our office. The layout was a sketch, in black and white ink, no color, and the drawing board was in a tenth floor office of a glass skyscraper that included the second largest advertising agency on Madison Avenue.

I seem to be missing the revelation of the of the murderer. Or did I download them wrong, and this is one of the others?

From: "Michael Jaworowski"

>Good afternoon, Glenn. You wrote:
>
>> I've posted this to the entire list, because I think among us we have
>> probably read most mystery fiction that exists.
>>
>> _No Body_ is the only mystery story I'm aware of where the outcome,
>> including the identity of the culprit, is revealed (albeit in a corny
>> way) in the very first sentence of the story. Is anyone aware of
>> another?
>
>
>Below is what I believe are the first few sentences of _No Body_.
>
>Nero Wolfe, the famous fat detective of Manhattan, sits in his oversized chair enjoying a good cigar and talking to his sidekick: me, Archie Goodwin.
>?Archie, I can?t think of anything better than this Pantella 8 after gobbling down a gourmet meal. Its flavor and texture are exquisite.?
>?You?re right, Nero. And the price is palatable, too.?
>?Yes indeed, Archie, and what do you think of the aroma??

[Snip]
>
>I seem to be missing the revelation of the of the murderer. Or did I download them wrong, and this is one of the others?
>
>

Depends on which murder you are trying to solve. It could be argued that Wolfe is Orr's murderer-with Archie Goodwin the murder weapon. Not first degree-nor even second degree murder, but Archie certainly holds Wolfe (and himself) responisible for a homicide. So, in that sense, the first lines of the story do reveal the culprit.

Nora

Subject: Re:NB-Parting note

This is the sentence that contains the revelation. Don't strain too hard--you'll groan when you figure it out.

"Nero Wolfe, the famous fat detective of Manhattan, sits in his oversized chair enjoying a good cigar and talking to his sidekick: me, Archie Goodwin."

Regards,
Glenn Dixon
Thumbs Meeker