Big Sleep, The, is a famous detective novel by the American writer Raymond Chandler published in 1939. It is considered a masterpiece of the “hard-boiled” school of detective fiction, a style of realistic writing that developed in American literature during the early 1900’s. Hard-boiled fiction typically is unsentimental and set in urban locations. Most of the stories deal with violence and moral corruption. The dialogue is fast-paced and filled with slang and cynical wit—that is, humor mocking commonly held values.
In The Big Sleep, Chandler introduced the Los Angeles private detective Philip Marlowe, who later appeared in Chandler’s other six completed novels. The Big Sleep has a complicated plot that takes Marlowe through many levels of society in the Los Angeles area. The story begins when the wealthy but dying General Sternwood hires Marlowe to get his drug-addicted and mentally unbalanced daughter, Carmen, out of trouble. During the story, Marlowe encounters a blackmailer, a pornographer, a gambler, a former bootlegger (maker of illegal alcoholic beverages), and at least one murderer. The “big sleep” of the novel’s title refers to death.
The novel was adapted into a 1946 motion picture that starred the American actor Humphrey Bogart as Marlowe. It is considered a classic among detective films.
See also Bogart, Humphrey; Chandler, Raymond; Hard-boiled fiction.
