Mr Bergonzi's extremely interesting essay … 'The Case of Mr Fleming' [see excerpt above] raises two important points about the examination of popular culture. The first is the necessity of getting close to the audience for the particular form under study. We often speak of the literature of wish-fulfilment, without considering how seriously the public takes this sort of thing. I think that Mr Bergonzi is guilty of this fault in castigating the New Statesman public for its approval of Mr Fleming's books, which, he claims, rely for their appeal on sex, snobbery and violence.
How could the New Statesman call Casino Royale 'a thriller for an intelligent audience', Mr Bergonzi asks in amaze. I want to attempt an answer: what these books offer besides sex, violence, etc. First of all, there is the literal excitement of the story (what will happen next?); but equally important is the extravagant absurdity of the situations. Although, as Mr Bergonzi noted, irony is quite lacking in the narration, there is an irony of situations; the comedy lies in telling a story of glaring implausibility with an absolutely straight face. For example, when we learn that the Secret Service branch in Istanbul is entirely staffed by the children of its polyphiloprogenitive director Darko Kerim, we cannot help laughing—but it would be fatal if Mr Fleming laughed too. Similarly, the vulgar parody of 'gracious living' is meant to seem absurd.
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2 pages at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
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