The Postman Always Rings Twice (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: James M. Cain
- First Published: 1934
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Mystery and detective literature
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Love or romance, Crime or criminals, Murder or homicide, Depression, economic, 1930’s, American Dream, California, West, U.S., Adultery, Mysteries
- Locales: Southern California
The Postman Always Rings Twice was Cain's first novel and came to stand as his finest work of fiction. It is both classical Cain, with its hard-boiled, first-person narrative of a wrenching love triangle, wish fulfillment, and retribution, and classical in its tragic theme and episodic structure. A very attractive young woman, Cora, is unhappily married to Nick Papadakis, the proprietor of a restaurant. A drifter, Frank Chambers, falls in love with Cora, hires on as Nick's employee, and enjoys Cora's requital of his love. The adulterers successfully conspire to murder Nick,...
[The entire page is 718 words long]
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