In the preface to his new novel ["The Butterfly"] James M. Cain lashes back at Eastern critics who have accused him of imitating Ernest Hemingway and of writing with the movies in mind. To the first charge he replies that he is older than Hemingway and that the essential characteristics of his swift, lean prose were evident in his short story "Pastorale" written in 1927 before he had seen any of Hemingway's work. To the second charge he replies that although he has learned technically from the movies he has written only one novel, "Love's Lovely Counterfeit," with the screen in mind….
One must concede that Mr. Cain has good reason for anger. In their passion for simplicity and order some critics have been detecting the influence of Hemingway in any dialogue that has a resemblance to American speech as it is spoken. What they forget is that Hemingway is not alone in possessing a pair of ears. What they forget about Mr. Cain, in particular, is that though his dialogue resembles Hemingway's in sharpness and lifelikeness, the basic rhythms of his prose are quite different. Any one who will take the trouble to compare the dialogue in Mr. Cain's new novel with the talk in, say, "A Farewell to Arms" will recognize the difference at once.
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