On Aug 31, 2007, at 1:41 PM, Carl Remick wrote:
> Well, another unique thing about Columbo is that he is an outsider
> who functions successfully on the inside. The archetype of the
> public avenger as total outsider was probably best defined by
> Raymond Chandler, whose hero, Philip Marlowe, brandishes his
> identity as a *private* investigator to shield him from the
> corruption of the police and maintain his purity as knight errant.
Yes, but...the outsider/insider thing sets up some complicated, and ultimately vague, identifications. If the "outsider" is a cop, he really isn't that outside, but even the private detective allows the viewer/reader to identify with authority against criminals. A common trope in these stories is the hero cop who refuses to be hemmed in by the rules, which are established by naive liberals and enemies of individualism. But the complexity and vagueness are great for mass culture, since the identifications are so fluid that you never really have to take a side. Taking sides limits audiences.
Doug