Noir (yay, more etymology)

I have yet to find a satisfying definition to "Noir". Everywhere I look, there's a different spin on the term. Wikipedia redirects the "Noir Fiction" search to "Hardboiled", which doesn't help. I thought Hardboiled was a sub-genre of noir and not the opposite. Cops and robbers are crime fiction, but isn't noir more interesting because it's escaping this rigid approach?

Most places where I go offer a History of the term, but no real definition. It's like saying "watch the canon of the genre and make up your mind". I don't like that kind of answer. Genres are defined by rules. It might not be very important to stick to them like a dogma, but they help identifying what you do. Noirfiction.info, after putting you through the mandatory historical, gives a satisfying definition:

Noir fiction, in America, can be defined as a sub-genre of the Hardboiled School. In this sub-genre, the protagonist is usually not a detective, but instead either a victim, a suspect, or a perpetrator. He is someone tied directly to the crime, not an outsider called to solve or fix the situation. Other common characteristics of this sub-genre are the emphasis on sexual relationships and the use of sex to advance the plot and the self-destructive qualities of the lead characters. This type of fiction also has the lean, direct writing style and the gritty realism commonly associated with hardboiled fiction.


I am preoccupied by the boundaries of noir because I think Solace somewhat belongs there or at least borrows heavily from it. Charles is a victim and a suspect at the same time and "gritty realism" is what I aim to achieve. There are no vampires or paranormal romance in what I do. The reason why I think Solace has one foot into "literary fiction" is because the novel is about Charles' mourning. It's the story of a wayward kid, trying to grieve the best he can. It's how he deals with Ashley's death that will put it in between literary and noir. But whait a minute....


What's "literary fiction" then?

According to Judi Clark at mostlyfiction.com, "it can be the broadest category and in a sense is a catch all, but the intention is to list books that really draw you in with language, imagery, character insight and sense of place".

According to Joyce Saricks, Literary Fiction is "critically acclaimed, often award-winning, fiction. These books are more often character centered rather than plot oriented. They are provocative and often address more serious issues...these are complex, literate, multilayered novels that wrestle with universal dilemas".

In an article in the Guardian Unlimited, Robert McCrum wrote,"What is 'literary fiction'? To many, it's the titles on the short list for the Booker Prize. To some, it's those serious-minded novels of high artistic intent by writers with a passionate commitment to the moral purpose of fiction. To others, it's a slippery piece of book jargon. It's certainly a label that's attracted its share of critical opprobrium. 'Literary' can be synonymous with 'highbrow', but I've heard 'pretentious' and even 'unreadable'. Literary fiction is what many writers aspire to, though quite a few will also run a mile at the first hint of it, too. Every reader will have his or her idea of what constitutes such a category".

and the debate still rages over...there

In the words of the immortal Chev Chelios: "Jesus...nothing's easy"