Louis Zukofsky and the Transformation of a Modern American Poetics Book

Sometimes I find it helpful to read an in-depth analysis of a writer's work to help me articulate what it is that appeals to me so strongly about that writer. This book helped me do that with James M. Cain. Three things make him stand out for me: 1. Lineage. According to this analysis, Cain is a direct descendant of Emile Zola and Theodore Dreiser--two of my favorite naturalists. His "tough" fiction provided both "a surface picture of American violence" and "an impersonal vision of American civilization" during the Depression. 2. He uses all the senses in his writing, particularly the sense of smell. His commitment to this deepest, most primitive of the senses gives his characters an appealing--and appalling--animal quality. 3. Virtuosity of the banal. Where else but in a Cain novel can you learn all the nuances of life insurance against a backdrop of murder (Double Indemnity) or the ins and outs of running a successful restaurant while your daughter blossoms into an evil flower (Mildred Pierce)? This aspect of his work adds plausibility to his stories and a great sense of striving and accomplishment in characters who might otherwise be considered one-dimensional.