Book Club: The League of Frightened Men

[jest]

Sorry to be sliding this in at the last minute. There was a volcano. It erupted.



League of Frightened Men continues the trend of Archie acting like a five year old. In this case, a five year old with attention deficit disorder. The story opens with Wolfe and Archie in the office. Archie is in the middle of an I'm BORED, Pay Attention to Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee tantrum. I suspect that Archie Goodwin is every bit as high maintenance as Nero Wolfe himself.

While Archie throws pejoratives around like it is 1935, we are introduced to the antagonist, Paul Chapin, who became disabled during a hazing incident that took place at Harvard University. Paul Chapin is an Evil Cripple, with shades of Genius Cripple. I am really curious about how prevalent these tropes were when Rex Stout was writing this book. My familiarity with the Evil Cripple/Evil Wheelchair User comes mostly from Doctor Who; I'm not sure what sort of presence it had before that.

Anyway, enter Paul Chapin, psychopath. Enter the cowardly clients. Who exactly is intended to be the sympathetic character in this book? Evelyn Hibbard seemed like a good person, but she was only around for about five pages.

Which reminds me, although Wolfe is the character that is generally considered to be a misogynist I actually found Archie's attitude towards women the more offensive in this book. All his comments about women are along the lines of "…provided she's not just an item for the cleaners" or "nobody that knew merchandise would have put her on a bargain counter." It speaks volumes. Whereas Wolfe is "the only man I had ever met who used absolutely the same tone to a woman as to a man."

Archie's favorable opinion of other men seems to based on a combination of intelligence, competence, work ethic, nerve, and social class. He has a certain amount of contempt for college boys and the class privilege they represent. He obviously likes to think of himself as a working man. In Chapter 7 Archie refuses to let Fritz bring him his glass of milk in the evening, presumably because Archie doesn't like to think of himself as someone who needs to be waited on?

Wolfe's attitude towards Archie's intelligence is condescending, and who can blame him? Archie is more often in the role of man of action than man of intelligence. He claims that he has been working for Wolfe for seven years. This is easy to believe when they fight like an old married couple. At one point Archie is yelling at Wolfe when Orrie shows up with Paul Chapin's box, causing Archie to immediately break out the respectful tone and it's all, Honey, let's not fight in front of the company. *g*

But, seriously, what exactly has Archie been doing for seven years? Keeping orchid records? Body guarding? Nursing Wolfe through relapses?

Wolfe's agoraphobia and relapses are one of the most interesting features of the early books, and are something I like to keep track of.

In chapter 10:

"…but I was thinking of suggesting that you go out and look at him."
"Out?" Wolfe raised his head at me. "Out and down the stoop?"
"Yeah, just on the sidewalk, you wouldn't have to step off the curb. He's right there."
Wolfe shut his eyes. "I don't know, Archie. I don't know why you persist in trying to badger me into frantic sorties. Dismiss the notion entirely. It is not feasible."

Of course, we need to recognize the significance of Wolfe leaving the house to appreciate the scene where Archie has been drugged and is devastated at the thought that Wolfe might be murdered.

(Confession: every time I read it that scene makes me squeee so hard that I actually have to put the book down and pace around my flat enjoying it for a while before I can resume reading.)

In Chapter 11: "I have seen him, during a relapse, dispose completely of a ten-pound goose between eight o'clock and midnight."

That strikes me as a symptom of something other than eccentricity.


Thoughts? Opinions?

Comments

[dorinda]

I am really curious about how prevalent these tropes were when Rex Stout was writing this book.

I don't know much about the history of the trope either; I'd be curious to learn. But I do get the sense that it must have been familiar by this time, if only because of the way the story subverts it. Chapin is introduced with such high suspense, with the way the League members build him up by talking about him in such awestruck/horrified tones and so forth, not to mention the super drama of his first appearance. It seems like he's going to be Wolfe's Moriarty-figure, the Super-Genius-turned-to-Eeeeebil who can meet him on a higher plane.

But no! It turns out the firing pin is filed off his gun, he's never killed anyone at all, he keeps a furtive secret box of used underwear, and basically his image is way bigger than any bite he actually has. In the end, he's reduced to saying, you know, "BEWARE, for I'm going to WRITE YOU INTO MY NEXT BOOK AND PRETEND-KILL YOU AAAHAHAHAHAHA," which is...no Moriarty, that's for sure.

(Not that he becomes a figure of fun, though. Wolfe, at least, always treats him with the same even tenor--neither fearing nor pitying him.)

Of course, we need to recognize the significance of Wolfe leaving the house to appreciate the scene where Archie has been drugged and is devastated at the thought that Wolfe might be murdered.

Oh, that whole SEQUENCE. I swoon. ♥ ♥ ♥ Archie crying. The way the realization that his cherished leather case is missing makes him cry again. The very symbolism of the leather case, with the orchids on one side (done from a real Cattleya) and pistols on the other, with their initials inside, given to him for his birthday--and it sounds like it might actually have been Wolfe's first birthday present to him ("and I didn't even know he knew when my birthday was."). How much he admits to valuing it. The way that, even still totally doped-up and grieving, he can see significance in Scott's missing taxi-driver jacket. His powerful and irrational desire just to go home, to "see for myself that Wolfe wasn't there, look at things..."

And then when he recognizes Wolfe's voice on the phone: first stiffening up and nearly dropping the phone, and then "I let the phone down and pressed it against one of my ribs for a moment, not wanting to make a fool of myself." Oh, the barely-managed REPRESSION.

I also really appreciate the subtle revelations of the other side of that sequence. Because at first it seems like it might've been an embarrassing anti-climax, with Archie so worked up and Wolfe seemingly calm and safe. However, Wolfe actually takes pains to give Archie (and us) some glimpses of the fear and danger he went through on his end--his concern for whether Archie should be up, the way he quotes back the note, something more beneath the surface about that birthday gift:

"What persuaded me that some sort of action was called for was the presence in the envelope of the leather case you had seemed to like."

He paused for a glass of beer. I grunted, and thought I ought to say something, but all I could think of was, "Yeah, I liked it. And you've still got it."

He nodded, and resumed.

Wolfe of course keeps underplaying the story--for instance, claiming that the really distressing thing was Dora Chapin's driving--but that's how Archie (and we) know it was truly serious. He talks slightingly of her knife, claiming it wouldn't have been long enough to kill him, but of course his throat could be slashed as easily as anyone's. And he admits that she had undeniable power over him, knife or no knife: "...and of course she had in reserve my anxiety as to the peril of your situation." So neither the narrative, nor Wolfe himself, leave Archie out on his limb with regard to the worry and care each has for the other, and what it can bring them to.

...more later! :D

The miserably brief span of human life

[dorinda]

I can't believe I never noticed this, until this re-read! Archie's initial poking has produced movement from Wolfe, who (we are about to find out) has made the connection between Chapin and Hibbard, the guy who asked Wolfe for help while Archie was away. And this happens:

Wolfe said, "Archie. One would know everything in the world there is to know, if one waited long enough. The one fault in the passivity of Buddha as a technique for the acquisition of knowledge and wisdom is the miserably brief span of human life. [...]"

"Yes, sir. You mean, we just go on sitting here and we learn a lot."

"Not a lot. But more, a little more each century."

"You maybe. Not me. If I sit here about two more days I'll be so damn goofy I won't know anything."

Wolfe's eyes flickered faintly.

...then Wolfe needles Archie, who tells him to go to Hell, and Wolfe replies, Awesome, you're annoyed and therefore awake, let's get to work. (As if it's his job to nudge Archie into activity!)

Looking at it fannishly, I love to envision this as Wolfe's first foray into broaching the topic of not-aging and how useful it would be. But Archie not only takes it lightly but also complains about the very idea, that it would be against his nature and drive him insane, so Wolfe veers away with the typical tactic of snark/countersnark.

And of course we know Archie doesn't seem to stop aging until later in the books. So perhaps Wolfe regroups from this casual attempt, and returns to the topic when he feels Archie will be more receptive?

Re: The miserably brief span of human life

[jest]

Lovin' Babe! I never noticed that either! The not-aging thing is so bizarre and seems so much like the accidental outcome of not wanting to write Archie turning middle age, until you read A Right to Die, and then you wonder what on earth Rex Stout was thinking. If it wasn't something Stout intended to write then you wouldn't expect him to draw attention to it like he does by recycling characters from 1938.

I can't quite believe that Rex Stout would have had it in mind when he wrote LoFM, but this quote is SO SO SO perfect when applied to the not-aging thing. It makes me wonder, how old is Nero Wolfe? Is he a genius because he has been around for a long, long time acquiring knowledge of the world and of human nature?

and returns to the topic when he feels Archie will be more receptive?

I've always figured that Archie stopped aging after the incident when he was shot and almost died - I forget when exactly the first mention of that turns up. Archie is pretty closemouthed about the details. I like to think the Archie was definitely dying and Wolfe did something that fixed him a little too much. In the one fic I was writing about it, Archie was never receptive to the idea - he was unconscious and got no say. Cue the angst.

[jest]

Do you think Paul Chapin subverts the trope? I'm not convinced. The end really just plays into all the insinuations of impotence that are made earlier in the book.

The 'I'm going to write you into my next book thing' is hilarious, especially when Archie's head is full of ideas, because later on the series is presented as Archie's published work. So, Archie with his head full of ideas, actually DOES write Wolfe into books, although I'm not sure if Fer-de-Lance or LoFM are meant to be understood that way. The narrative voice in the first few books could be Archie sitting in a bar telling the story to a friend? Early on there are moments like this one (when Archie is speaking to Mrs. Bowen):

I put the pad in my pocket, and said to her, "You might tell me what the question was."
"No, Mr. Goodwin. I think not."
"It might be important. This isn't for publication."

And Awwwwwwwwwwwwww! The whole drugged!Archie segment makes my heart go thud.

Re: The miserably brief span of human life

[ladyvyola]

I am intrigued by your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newlet--

Oh, wait. Already did that!

That's an amazing little excerpt, especially since the series as a whole conditions us to equate an eyelid flicker from Wolfe with any other person's flailing about for five minutes.

[liviapenn]

Do you think Paul Chapin subverts the trope? I'm not convinced. The end really just plays into all the insinuations of impotence that are made earlier in the book.

I go back and forth on this myself. On the one hand, yes, he would be a much *cooler* character as a murderous evil mastermind instead of a pretender. But, you know, even if you take away the murders, he's *still* kind of an evil mastermind. He had the whole League in horrible suspense and fear for their lives for, what, months and months? And he totally gets away with it!

He even gets the last shot in his final conversation with Wolfe, with Wolfe helplessly calling after him and being totally brushed off:

"So you read my books. Read the next one. I'm putting you in it-- a leading character."

"Naturally." Wolfe opened his eyes. "And of course I die violently. I warn you, Mr. Chapin, I resent that. I actively resent it. I have a deep repugnance for violence in all its forms. I would go to any length in an effort to persuade you--"

He was talking to no one; or at least, merely to the back of a cripple who was hobbling to the door.

Ice cold!

Wolfe does *try* to get in a little bit of a lecture about how stupid/stubborn Chapin is, but imo it just bounces right off. Hmm. I never actually thought about it in this sense before, but both "Fer-de-Lance" and "The League of Frightened Men" have somewhat sympathetic/successful villains, who both manage to cheat justice, in a way. (Manuel Kimball succesfully accomplishes his revenge and avoids jail, and OK, the actual murderer in "League" doesn't get away with it, but the Chapins together certainly pulled enough stunts to be charged with *something* and I don't get a sense that that's going to happen...)

So in a way, Paul Chapin get all the advantages of being an actual murderer (being able to savor his revenge, cackle evilly at people, etc.) without having to take any of the responsibility.

To me he's not pathetic. (Except for the box of gloves/underwear, to which I can only go "ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww".)

Re: The miserably brief span of human life

[soupytwist]

Okay, that last bit? PLEASE TELL US YOU'RE WRITING THAT. Duuuude.

[soupytwist]

I love this one so much! Drugged Archie being so completely, openly torn apart by the idea that Wolfe had died, and the case! and Wolfe leaving the house for Archie! (Incidentally, I love that a large part of the overarching character plot is "learning to read Wolfe and finding out exactly how much he actually does love Archie". I love it SO MUCH.)

I am not sure about Chapin either - he's really interesting, and I liked that he came over as legitimately powerful and smarter than the people who got him injured. I liked that it sort of started accidentally, too, actually, it came over to me as kind of 'well, okay, opportunity, may as well carry on with that and make fools of them all'. I mean, yeah there was the Evil Cripple issue, but I sort of felt like that was at least a bit better than most people attempting similar ideas at the same time? But the whole impotence thing and the frankly weird collection of stolen undies. I don't really know where to even begin with those, because they're so weird!

Archie's attitude to women gets better, I think, though; I like to put that down to Lily and also inexperience trying to work out exactly what the "normal" straight dude attitude would be. He very often seems like he's putting on his love for women - not that there's reason to doubt that he thinks various women are hot, but kind of like he's mentioning it because he feels he should, or expressing it a certain way because he thinks that's how he should express it. It's especially notable in cases where he's being his flirty skirt-chasing self riiight up until case intervenes and then it's bye-bye with narry a regret - I'm reading Poison a la Carte right now and omg seriously - but a similar sort of distance in his attitude is there from right early on, and it's fascinating. He likes the ladies, but he doesn't want to live with one, despite how many "I should have asked her to marry me!" jokes he makes to rile up Wolfe.

Oh and I wanted to add that the relapse stuff struck me similarly, as absolutely serious mental health stuff going on for Wolfe. What do you reckon Archie thinks of it? It seemed to me like Archie takes the relapses quite seriously; he's not like "and we got him assessed by a doctor" about it, but he never as far as I know/noticed made any "aaand Wolfe should just snap out of it the big baby" kind of comments either. It made me think that it would make total sense if one of the big reasons Archie first got hired was to assist during those relapses.

[jest]

I sort of felt like that was at least a bit better than most people attempting similar ideas at the same time?

I wish I knew more about how other people were writing disability at the time. I'm not sure if Evil Cripple was a cliche in 1935. I kinda assume it was because this stuff doesn't come out of nowhere, but all the references I can find for the trope have to do with things that came along later.

The Undies! So CREEPY. Eeew.

He very often seems like he's putting on his love for women - not that there's reason to doubt that he thinks various women are hot, but kind of like he's mentioning it because he feels he should, or expressing it a certain way because he thinks that's how he should express it.

Yes! I really notice that with his xenophobic comments as well. He goes on about foreigners and all the while he lives with Wolfe and Fritz. Hi Archie, contradiction much? (did this come up when we were talking about Fer-de-Lance? I remember talking about it with somebody.) Sometimes it seems as though Archie says the things that he expects himself to say even though the words don't actually mesh up with his actions. Really, Archie Goodwin is a lot stranger than Archie Goodwin is willing to admit.

As for women...I don't think there ever was a woman, or even another man, that excited Archie the way Wolfe does. When people from other fandoms find out that I'm into slash about the two of them, a lot of people assume that it's all about Wolfe lusting after Archie. Yes, Wolfe loves Archie, but Archie finds Wolfe absolutely compelling. I doubt he could take his eyes off Wolfe long enough to fall in love with a woman. Seriously, he notices women for the time it takes them to sit in the red leather chair, and then he's back to going on about what Wolfe's lips are doing, and what Wolfe's hands are doing, and what Wolfe's eyes are doing, and whether Wolfe is moving his head in a 1/16th of an inch nod.

It seemed to me like Archie takes the relapses quite seriously; he's not like "and we got him assessed by a doctor" about it, but he never as far as I know/noticed made any "aaand Wolfe should just snap out of it the big baby" kind of comments either.

Archie is pretty clear about the fact that he doesn't coddle Wolfe through them. While Wolfe was eating the 10lb Goose, Archie sat in the corner with a ham sandwich and glared at him. He doesn't have a "snap out of it, you big baby" attitude...it's more like he accepts it as another aspect of Wolfe's eccentricity that must be contended with, so he tries to goad Wolfe out of it, much like he goads Wolfe into working.

Re: The miserably brief span of human life

[jest]

It's currently pretty low on the list of priorities, for, lo, I AM WRITING RENTBOY! I really am...this very minute in fact! Since my trip to Berlin isn't on (DAMN THAT VOLCANO) and I have already been scheduled time off work, I really have nothing better to do this week but sit around trying to get it finished.

[jest]

he would be a much *cooler* character as a murderous evil mastermind instead of a pretender

To be honest, I don't really know what it is I want from the character. I don't really want him to be a murderous evil mastermind, but I was really put off by all that "he's not a MAN" innuendo, and then when the conclusion is that he sits around his rooms sniffing stolen panties and would never have ever had the guts to take action... It seems pretty pathetic to me.

Fortunately, he did manage to expose all the Harvard Men as the sorry specimens that they are. That balances the scales a bit.

Re: The miserably brief span of human life

[soupytwist]

RENTBOY!!! :D :D :D

(I have a similar time-off-booked issue; I may attempt Wolfe fic also, although I have NCIS-in-SPAAACE to work on as well...)

Re: The miserably brief span of human life

[jest]

Wolfe fic! Wolfe fic! Wolfe fic!

(or, you know, NCIS-in-SPAAAAAACE if you're feeling that way inclined. *g*)

[soupytwist]

I wish I knew more about how other people were writing disability at the time. I'm not sure if Evil Cripple was a cliche in 1935. I kinda assume it was because this stuff doesn't come out of nowhere, but all the references I can find for the trope have to do with things that came along later.

I would be interested in a proper study on that too; as far as I know, then as now disability mostly just didn't exist in fiction, but I am also pretty sure there's at least one or two Christie characters from around that period who are worse than Chapin in terms of being actual fully fledged characters with lives.

Really, Archie Goodwin is a lot stranger than Archie Goodwin is willing to admit.

This is entirely true! I kind of love that; Archie clearly has a very particular image he wants to project, and he kind of does, but there's also all this stuff showing that that's not how he really is. He is a "ladies man" who doesn't want to actually shack up with a lady, he keeps quitting/being fired but has worked for Wolfe for years, he has some unfortunate ways of talking about foreigners but the main people in his life are immigrants, he is apparently a dance-all-night partier but mostly drinks milk! Genius.

(And OMFG he is OBSESSED with Wolfe's physical body. Like, if Wolfe wasn't fat, there is no way that would be seen as anything other than blatant ogling, but as he is, obvs there is no way anyone could fancy him. OMG. Archie has ENTIRE PARAGRAPHS about Wolfe's lips moving in and out!)

He doesn't have a "snap out of it, you big baby" attitude...it's more like he accepts it as another aspect of Wolfe's eccentricity that must be contended with, so he tries to goad Wolfe out of it, much like he goads Wolfe into working.

Yeah that is kind of what I was trying to express - they are accepted as being real and important (and in at least one book Archie's like, if it's a relapse it'll be nothing doing for at least a week, sort of like a force of nature), just not thought of medically in the way they would be now. He doesn't really get annoyed at Wolfe about them that much, considering how irritated he can get with other Wolfe attributes.

[jest]

And OMFG he is OBSESSED with Wolfe's physical body. Like, if Wolfe wasn't fat, there is no way that would be seen as anything other than blatant ogling, but as he is, obvs there is no way anyone could fancy him. OMG. Archie has ENTIRE PARAGRAPHS about Wolfe's lips moving in and out!

YES! THIS! EXACTLY THIS!

When I was rereading LoFM for this post, I thought about doing a spreadsheet tracking all the times when Archie notices Wolfe and comparing that against the times when he notices women, sorta like what kindkit is doing here for Stephen Maturin).

He doesn't really get annoyed at Wolfe about them that much, considering how irritated he can get with other Wolfe attributes.

I get what you're saying - I hadn't really thought of it that way. I've always assumed that the relapses make Archie want to kick something, preferably Wolfe himself; however, I think an annoyed Archie who refuses to be bullied by Wolfe is what Wolfe needs when he's on a relapse. Fritz would coddle Wolfe, and let him wallow in it, and the way Wolfe has shut himself up in the Brownstone, there aren't many other people who could pry him out of a dark mood. But Archie doesn't take no for an answer. It might be nothing doing for a week, but you know Archie spent the entire week pestering Wolfe so that Wolfe was forced to think about something other than all the trauma that put him on a relapse in the first place.

[soupytwist]

OMG thankyou for that link! And I feel you should absolutely do a spreadsheet. Mmm, statistics.

I think I am not expressing myself very well about the relapse issue! I am kind of comparing Archie's reaction to myself and people I know dealing with similar-albeit-not-identical stuff in real life, and in real life I would say there was more frustration/irritation - obviously when you care about someone you try not to take it out on them, since it's not their fault or choice, but it struck me as Archie rolling with it pretty well, especially given that in that period, Archie wouldn't necessarily have had the assumption that it wasn't Wolfe's fault/choice to help in that respect. I was thinking that I wouldn't have been surprised if Archie had been a bit more actively annoyed, and specifically annoyed at Wolfe himself - as opposed to irritated by the change in plans a relapse involves, which as you say is present.

And heh, yeah, Archie being like "can't we catch a criminal now? now? no? how about now?" is definitely more likely to help Wolfe than someone being all sympathetic. I am imagining some well-meaning nurse trying to get him to discuss it or something and Wolfe being all "Get this crazy person out of my house! Archie!"

[liviapenn]

Yeah, no, I get what you mean. But, even if he just took advantage of circumstance, like Wolfe says, he followed it through to the end, even when it looked like he might get executed for a murder he didn't actually commit! That's pretty badass.

Personally, I think that there's a lot about Paul Chapin (actually, both Chapins) that we're not seeing accurately through Archie's eyes. In that last scene where he comes to see Wolfe, Archie says: It was a bright day outside, and the strong light from the windows gave me a better look at him than I had ever had. I saw that his eyes weren't quite as light-colored as I had thought; they were about the shade of dull aluminum; and his skin wasn't dead pale, it was more like bleached leather, it looked tough.

So it's almost like Archie psyched himself into thinking of Chapin as this serial killer/vampire creature to the point where, when he met the guy, he even *looked* eerie and otherworldly (is "Creepy Albino" on tvtropes? I suspect it is) but then once he knows the whole thing was a hoax, all of a sudden Chapin even *looks* different. So I really wonder how much of what comes earlier is trustworthy and how much is colored by Archie's perception of the Chapins as creepy serial killer couple of the year.

[dorinda]

And OMFG he is OBSESSED with Wolfe's physical body.

BOY HOWDY +1 :D

From the very first book, of course we have that fixation on Wolfe's lips (not to mention the 'being able to read volumes in the tiniest twitch of any muscle'). And in this book, I ran across one of the (many) bits that focuses on Wolfe's hands:

I passed [the letter-file] to Wolfe, and he opened it with the deliberate and friendly exactness which his hands displayed toward all inanimate things.

Those always catch my attention--as the books continue, through Archie's eyes Wolfe's hands are graceful, precise, strong, and a hundred other positive (and sensory/sensual) things, whether he's noodling with the orchids or handling a clue.

Man, even without all the rest, lips-and-hands lips-and-hands lips-and-hands--I keep thinking of the meeting-scene at the masquerade in Romeo and Juliet.

[soupytwist]

OMG the hands obsession, yes! :D

And one thing I really love is that it's also expressed in a continual sense of Wolfe's physical presence. Archie always describes how Wolfe moves, how he sits, the degree to which his eyes are closed, the shift of his shoulders. Even the hottest girls don't get that much physical description of them. It's practically indecent, omg. :D

And even though Archie's always going on about "seventh of a ton" this and "the chairs weren't big enough for him" that, there's no sense that Archie finds Wolfe physically repellent in any way. There's none of the ew, fat that might crop up in something written later; it's kind of written about like he's seven foot tall or something, a bit of sideshow entertainment value but not like it's gross. Which is eeeeenteresting. *g*

Re: The miserably brief span of human life

[dorinda]

for, lo, I AM WRITING RENTBOY!

WOOOOOOOOOOOO! \o/

I mean, also, Stupid Volcano Hmf. (But...RENTBOYYYYY!)

[liviapenn]

My thoughts!

In the second sentence of the book, if you're paying close enough attention to the implications, Archie actually gives away the twist in the last chapter! As it turned out, the name of Paul Chapin, and his slick and thrifty notions about getting vengeance at wholesale without paying for it, would have come to our notice pretty soon in any event.... Oh Rex Stout. :D

Also notable in this opening scene is the part where Archie is needling Wolfe. Okay, first of all, it's just CUTENESS, esp. the bit about the snowflakes. "You mustn't go to sleep, sir, you freeze to death!" When he moves on to reading silly things out of the paper at Wolfe-- you know, this is actually not the last time that some random thing Archie reads in the paper (1) seems to be random, but actually someone walks into the office in two seconds and asks them to take that very case, or (2) seems to be random and unrelated, but actually is totally related to the case they're currently on, which means either that it's a convenient dramatic device on Rex Stout's part, OR that Archie's subconscious is smarter than even he gives it credit for. *G*

I mean, at least this time there is some plausibility, because he reads like six different things before he hits on the one that makes Wolfe go "Hey, wait a minute," but iirc later on in the canon he just randomly picks up the paper, is like "Did you see this?" and oh yeah, it HAPPENS TO BE A VITAL CLUE. It's almost like over the years he starts becoming vaguely genre aware and doing it on purpose because he knows that randomly picking up the paper and reading something out of it will provide relevant information, like reading the I Ching or something.

-- Then there's this:

"Suppose you read it."

"Viva voce?"

"Archie." Wolfe looked at me. "Where did you pick that up, where did you learn to pronounce it, and what do you think it means?"

"Do you want me to read this stuff out loud, sir?"

"It doesn't mean out loud. Confound you."

This is so adorable and *domestic*. I love Wolfe's befuddlement and low-key grumpiness. That last "Confound you", I'm sure, is covering up an inner "Archie stop being SO ADORABLE."

Speaking of Archie and Wolfe being totally married, which we weren't, this bit from Chapter 3: "No, sir. I wouldn't for anything. A trick is okay, and a deep trick is the staff of life for some people, but where you've got us to at present is wallowing in the unplumbed depths of - wait a minute, I'll look it up, I think it's in Spenser."

Crushing Archie Goodwin sarcasm (tm)! And then Wolfe's response:

"Archie, I warn you, some day you are going to become dispensable." He stirred a little. "If you were a woman and I were married to you, which God forbid, no amount of space available on this globe, to separate us, would put me at ease. ...."

Okay, first of all, Wolfe just told Archie he was indispensable! <3 (Wolfe probably wouldn't have said this except that before the book starts Archie had to go away and be replaced by a stenographer + bodyguard, so he kind of already knows he's irreplaceable.)

But then, okay, the comment about "if you were a woman and if we were married!" I... I actually can't even parse this. Every clause is weirder than the next. Why say "God forbid" about something as impossible as being married to Archie? And then, the thing is, Archie is about as annoying as it's possible to be just as he is! How could he be WORSE for Wolfe's nerves if they were married? It's like, they already live together, they already eat meals together... I mean, I guess Wolfe wouldn't be able to order Wife!Archie to STFU, but then on the other hand, it's 1939, maybe he would! Also it's not like Regular!Archie ever listens when Wolfe orders him to shut up ANYWAY, so what exactly would the difference be? And then there's the part about "no amount of space available on this globe...." Why even bring that part up? "Basically our relationship is exactly like a husband/wife relationship. Except for the part where, when you go far away, I can relax. And I suspect I wouldn't feel that way if I were hypothetically married to a woman and *she* went away." What is that even supposed to mean? Is this some kind of reference to the fact that Archie *did* just go away for a while? Poor Wolfe, constantly beset with Crushing Archie Goodwin Sarcasm, and only free of it for short breaks, where he can relax and be at ease. <3

Chapter 3 also has one of Archie's first references to looking things up in the dictionary (and, specifically, using the dictionary to point out when Wolfe is equivocating or being hypocritical)...

".... Why did you steal it?"

"I borrowed it."

"You say. I've looked in the dictionary. ...."

Bee hee hee.

Also, when Wolfe is discussing whether or not Paul Chapin would hide Hibbard's body specifically so that Evelyn Hibbard wouldn't get the insurance money: "....even a delay in an enemy's good fortune is at least a minor pleasure. Worth such a finesse if you have it in you.

I always find this kind of thing significant, when Wolfe uses the first person to talk about what the killers did/said. Usually it's when he's doing the big charade reveal speech at the end-- "And then I picked up the thing and crushed his skull," etc.-- but, he does it here, too. He doesn't say "A man like Chapin might think it was worth such a finesse, if he had it in him--" no, this is Wolfe telling Archie, "I think it WOULD be worth it to do such a thing in this situation, if you had the backbone, or the ruthlessness. " Is this Wolfe being dramatic and romantic? Or does he mean it? A little of both, I think.

(There is more to come, but I'm not doing a post every three chapters, I swear!)

[liviapenn]

Chapter 4: Is this the only time Wolfe gets a group of people as clients for a single job and splits up the fee between them? There's "And Be A Villain" where his fee is split up between a radio network & some corporate sponsors, etc., but that's a little different. IMO, if this were one of the later books, rather than going through the trouble of tracking down the entire League and getting them all to sign on, Wolfe would just target the richest one and soak that guy enough to make the job worth his time. This whole "from each according to his ability (to pay)" setup is suspiciously communist anyway!

Del Bascom is in this chapter. Does he ever actually make an on-stage appearance in any other book? I don't think so, which doesn't really surprise me. There's not really a lot of places you can go with this character, and since he necessarily has to be Not A Genius, he's not very interesting, which is to say, not as much fun as some other characters who also only exist to provide info to Wolfe & Archie, like Lon Cohen (who hasn't shown up yet.)

From Chapter 5: Fritz was always happy and put on a little extra effort when he knew things were moving in the office. That night I passed him a wink when I saw how full the soup was of mushrooms, and when I tasted the tarragon in the salad dressing I threw him a kiss. He blushed. Wolfe frequently had compliments for his dishes and expressed them appropriately, and Fritz always blushed; and whenever I found occasion to toss him a tribute he blushed likewise, I'd swear to heaven, just to please me, not to let me down. I often wondered if Wolfe noticed it. His attention to food was so alert and comprehensive that I would have said off hand he didn't, but in making any kind of a guess about Wolfe offhand wasn’t good enough.

........... This is what makes the Nero Wolfe mysteries different than other mysteries, imo. There's a whole paragraph here about these complex familiar interactions-- Fritz knows Archie doesn't know the difference between great and excellent food, and Archie knows that Fritz knows (and also that Fritz pretends not to) but Archie doesn't know if *Wolfe* notices that Fritz pretends that Archie's compliments are just as good as Wolfe's. It has *zip* to do with the plot, it's not even part of any Wolfe-Archie relationship B-plot, it's just-- I think Rex Stout enjoyed writing about the brownstone residents as a family. (And I think that even if you didn't know that Rex Stout had a lot of siblings you could probably deduce it from paragraphs like these.)

Later when the League starts arriving: Archie gets defensive! "Tell me," he said, "is it true that Nero Wolfe was a eunuch in a Cairo harem and got his start in life by collecting testimonials from the girls for Pyramid Dental Cream?"

Like an ass, for half a second I was sore. "Listen," I said, "Nero Wolfe is exactly--" Then I stopped and laughed. "Sure," I said. "Except that he wasn't a eunuch, he was a camel."

Oh, *Archie*. Don't wear your heart on your sleeve like that! <3 It has struck me that in later books when Archie has to punch someone and it isn't for bodyguarding or self-defense purposes, most of the time it's because of an insult to Wolfe (whats-his-name the Nazi dude in "Over My Dead Body" who throws one of Wolfe's books on the floor, and the right-wing radio pundit in "The Second Confession" who says mean things about Wolfe on the air, are the examples I can think of... It's very romantic.)

When Archie grabs the gun away from Paul Chapin in the office: Wolfe said, "Confound you, Archie. You have deprived Mr. Chapin of the opportunity for a dramatic and effective gesture. ...." And then he even apologizes! Wolfe respects a talented dramatist. Maybe he just respects drama.

Blah blah things happen.

Chapter 8, near the end-- Archie does something for Evelyn Hibbard, similar to what he does for Anna Fiore at the end of FDL, where he gives her $1000 instead of the $100 back, presumably as a sort of silent apology for scaring her and roughing her up. In this bit, Wolfe is going to charge her $3000 and Archie tries to talk him down to $1000 and they settle on $2000. Of course in these earlier books you get more of a sense that Archie is just a big kid and works this job for the excitement and the drama, but later on he's like "it's expensive to run this house!!" and does less of this gentlemanly largesse type of thing.

Chapter 9-- Archie is REALLY rude to Saul! On the phone with him: I asked him what he wanted and he said he wanted to report. I asked him report what, and he said, nothing, just report. I was sore at everything anyway, so I got sarcastic. I said if he couldn't find Hibbard alive or dead, maybe he could rig up a dummy that would do. I said I had just got a smack in the eye on another angle of the case, and if he was no better than I was he'd better come on down to the office with a pinochle deck, and I hung up on him, which alone is enough to aggravate a nun. (Later on in Chapter 13 there's a Saul-description that is a little more like the usual thing: He, with his wrinkled little mug not causing any stranger to suspect how cute he was, and he could be pretty damn cute - he sat on the edge of a tapestry chair, smoking a big slick light-brown cigar that smelled like something they scatter on lawns in the early spring, and told me about it to date. Although that's still not quite our Saul, "cute" is definitely a compliment coming from Archie, as he says the same thing about Wolfe in Chapter 5 when Wolfe is presenting his plan to the League: Again heads nodded. He was easing them into it; he was sewing them up. I grinned to myself, "Boss, you're cute, that's all, you're just cute.")

[liviapenn]

Oh and I wanted to add that the relapse stuff struck me similarly, as absolutely serious mental health stuff going on for Wolfe. What do you reckon Archie thinks of it? It seemed to me like Archie takes the relapses quite seriously; he's not like "and we got him assessed by a doctor" about it, but he never as far as I know/noticed made any "aaand Wolfe should just snap out of it the big baby" kind of comments either.

*nod nod* Something Archie says in FDL that I forgot to mention-- when he's talking about his job as a bodyguard, or the gong in the hallway, or something like that-- "Wolfe explained to me he wasn't a coward, he just didn't LIKE being touched or compelled to move quickly, so I was totally okay with that, even though I normally have only scorn for sissy cowards!!"

And it's like: Archie, c'mon, by pretty much every stereotypical definition, Wolfe is totally the kind of guy you would and in fact DO scorn. The pickiness about his clothes, the foodie thing, the books, the fancy talk, the laziness, the moodiness, the melodrama, the *flowers*, fact that he even HAS a live-in bodyguard on top of a gong alarm to keep people out of his room at night-- basically, if Archie met any other guy who was like this, he *would* be full of scorn and disdain-- he would have no time at all for a weak-sister kinda guy like that. But somehow it's okay because it's *Wolfe*.

It's the same with Fritz-- "Fritz is the only guy I know who can giggle without giving me Worrisome Thoughts about his masculinity." Well, why? If you would worry about any other guy, why not Fritz? Because he's so overbearingly manly and has chicks dripping off him all the time? Not that *I* can see... It's totally circular logic: I think Fritz is okay because I'm okay with Fritz! And the same with Wolfe. Archie just has this rock-solid respect for *something* in Wolfe and that makes all the rest of it okay-- it's just the eccentricity of a genius, or something! Geniuses have these kinds of fixations, who can tell with a genius!

It made me think that it would make total sense if one of the big reasons Archie first got hired was to assist during those relapses.

Awww man, totally like Lord Peter and Bunter! :D

[jest]

So it's almost like Archie psyched himself into thinking of Chapin as this serial killer/vampire creature to the point where, when he met the guy, he even *looked* eerie and otherworldly (is "Creepy Albino" on tvtropes? I suspect it is) but then once he knows the whole thing was a hoax, all of a sudden Chapin even *looks* different. So I really wonder how much of what comes earlier is trustworthy and how much is colored by Archie's perception of the Chapins as creepy serial killer couple of the year.

Well spotted!

Archie admits at one point earlier in the book that Paul Chapin has him completely spooked, and he even goes tongue-tied and tense when he comes back to the office with the typewriter and finds Chapin sitting there which, come to think of it, never really happens in any of the other novels. People will frustrate and annoy Archie, but I don't thing there is any other character who manages to get under his skin and creep him out like that.

[liviapenn]

-- Wolfe fooling around with Paul Chapin's Box of Creepy Fetish Objects: Wolfe fingered the gloves some more, and held up a stocking to look through it at the light. To see him handling female hosiery as if he understood it gave me a new insight into the extent of his pretensions. Ahahaha, Archie. You've thought about this some, then? Wolfe's experience with women?

Of course Archie is totally right, because just a second later Wolfe says, ".... for years Dora Chapin, then Ritter, was Mrs. Burton's personal maid, and that she still attends her, to do something to her hair, at least once a week." The sheer vagueness of that phrase "do something" is just lethally adorable coming from Wolfe, who is always technically exact in his vocabulary. What does Dora Chapin's job entail? What do women hire other women to do to their hair? Wolfe doesn't know! They do something. They do stuff! *G*

I think I pointed this out in one of my earlier squee posts, but yeah, this is the book where Archie talks about his fancy ostrich-skin wallet that was a birthday present from Wolfe? And it is the WEIRDEST and possibly most creepily significant segue of all time, because it comes up right after they paw through Paul Chapin's creepy fetish treasure box, and Wolfe calls it the box that Paul Chapin keeps his *soul* in. And Archie says: I had a nice piece of leather of my own, not as big as Paul Chapin's treasure box, but fancier. IE, when it comes to things we prize beyond measure, possibly even to a point other people would think creepy and wrong, Paul Chapin has his box of stockings and *I have this*.

........... *raises one eyebrow!*

Later in Chapter 13: Fritz and Archie once again have an interaction that wouldn't be inappropriate between a patient mom and a twelve-year-old boy: Fritz, sitting there reading the French paper, giggled at me: "You drink milk looking like that, you curdle it." I stuck my tongue out at him and went back to the office.

Near the end of 13, Wolfe notices something significant:

He stopped himself; and said in a different tone:

"Mr. Goodwin. Hand me the glass."

I gave it to him. His using my formal handle when we were alone meant that he was excited almost beyond control, but I had no idea what about.

......................I'm just not even gonna say anything about this except "I don't even KNOW, man."

Chapter 15: I had about as much hope of finding Hibbard as of getting a mash note from Greta Garbo ....

I only mention this because in the early 70s Greta Garbo DID WRITE a mash note to Archie, so there. :D

Chapter 16 features my nominee for "most unintentionally suggestive sentence in this book" -- Archie looking at Hibbard in the office after they've unmasked him -- To me he was the finest hunk of bacon I had lamped for several moons. AAAAAHHHHH.

-- Also, can I just say, Hibbard's Great Undercover Adventure is so Sherlock Holmes it hurts.

Chapter 17 features one of the weirder Rex Stout "women are aliens" moments, when Mrs. Burton says that Paul Chapin's *actual* intolerable deformity is that he's a man with feminine cunning.

Chapter 20-- Okay, so I totally just skipped over the OMG ARCHIE DRUGGED AND OMG CRYING part, but really, what is there to say about it. It is absolutely perfect in every way. What I love is Wolfe's recap afterwards, cool as the wrong side of the pillow: "You know my fondness for talking. It was an excellent opportunity. She was calm from the outset. She and I have much in common-- for instance, our dislike of perturbation. .... After I had explained the situation to her, we discussed it. The moment arrived when it seemed pointless to continue our conference in that cold, dark forbidding spot, and besides, I had learned what had happened to you. She seemed so uncertain as to what she had used to flavor your coffee that I thought it best to reach a telephone with as little delay as possible." Sure, no biggie, just talked it over.

I would love to see *this* scene expanded in fic, actually. Maybe even from Dora Chapin's POV. Mostly I'm curious, what *else* does Wolfe think that he has in common with Dora Chapin, besides not liking a lot of fuss? Ruthlessness, coupled with a broad streak of romanticism? What else?

I already commented on the last chapter in my comments above, and like I said, I kind of go back and forth as to whether it's more or less of a stereotype for Paul Chapin to not actually be the real killer, but I have to say I still think he's a pretty cool character (except for the creepy fetish box about which the less said the better) and a pretty awesome villain. Archie clearly thinks the idea of Wolfe getting killed in a book is hilarious, but I wonder what he actually thought when/if the book came out and he actually read it. I can see it really bothering him!