Henry Graham Greene's Brighton Rock's Informational View:
Introduction:
Brighton Rock is a novel by Graham Greene, published in 1938 and later adapted for film and theatre. The novel is a murder thriller set in the 1930s in Brighton. The first of Greene's works to explore Catholic themes and moral issues, its treatment of class privilege and the problem of evil is paradoxical and ambivalent. Published by William Heinemann Ltd. One part conventional crime thriller and equal parts morality tale. Graham Greene's Brighton Rock (1938) can be hard to define but includes many thrills as the reader is taken through the murky underworld of Gangland Brighton. Although Brighton Rock, the first novel of Greene’s so-called Catholic period, can be read as a detective story, it is “almost belligerently religious in theme” (Stratford, 1967:166).Extra Information:
This novel was a turning point for Greene in that he had discovered that “a Catholic is more capable of evil that anyone” (BR:309). If someone identifies him in person as the so-called Kolley Kibber, and if that individual also carries a copy of The Messenger, the lucky reader may claim the grand prize. Green's life: Henry Graham Greene OM CH (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature two times. Greene’s career can usefully be divided into three periods: the pre Catholic period, the Catholic period, and the post-Catholic period, a tripartite arrangement, however, that is neither clear-cut nor exclusive. "pre-Catholic period” appeared after Greene had joined the Catholic church in 1926. On the other hand, the first of the “Catholic novels”, Brighton Rock, was published in 1938 - twelve years after Greene had become a Catholic. Through 67 years of writing, which included over 25 novels, he explored the conflicting moral and political issues of the modern world. He was awarded the 1968 Shakespeare Prize and the 1981 Jerusalem Prize. Later in life he took to calling himself a Catholic agnostic.Background of the Novel:
The book is widely regarded to be the first of Graham Greene's novels to reflect on Catholicism and morality. The novel is set in the British coastal town of Brighton, and its events are preceded by actions in a previous book by Greene. "Gun For Sale" (1936) involves the murder of gang leader Kite, whose death allows Pinkie to take over the gang and is perceived to be caused by Fred Hale's newspaper report. It was adapted for theatre twice and made into two films; the first adaptation was produced in 1947 starring Richard Attenborough. The novel can be seen to have an anti-capitalist sentiment. Most of the characters in the book are involved in Brighton's extensive tourist industry. By realising Ida's characteristics, Considering that the novel was published in 1938, a time in which women were not seen as anything more than housewives and often seen as sexual objects for men, it could be seen as a surprise to see a woman presented in the way Ida is. In 1938, the second wave of feminism would have been happening soon, so if any women found the time to read this book, Ida may have been a character that inspired them to participate in the second wave of feminism and fight for women's right to work, not long after WW2.