[Graham Greene] has often been praised for the quality of his observation, but this lies in the creation of an atmosphere appropriate to period, place and characters rather than in what things actually look like.
There are few detailed descriptions of people in the novels: lips, noses, figures are rarely made explicit, and the description of Father Thomas's nose in A Burnt-Out Case has the shock of rarity. Places give off an exotic feeling that is almost invariable, whether it is the river down which Querry moves in the same novel, or the view of boat passengers crossing a "grey wet quay, over a wilderness of rails and points" on the first page of the early Stamboul Train. The river, the quay, fifty other scenes in the novels, have a cinematic effect that is brilliant yet general, offering an overall scene rather than particular observation of the details within it. In small matters Graham Greene is often a faulty recorder. When he says that the Berkhamsted of his childhood contained "pointed faces like the knaves on playing cards", he must have had a special pack, for in standard packs two knaves are shown full face; when he recalls a chess player saying "I open with Queen's Pawn Two" memory betrays him, for the Queen's pawn will be on the second square before the game begins….
This is a free excerpt of 224 words. There are 2,074 words (approx.
7 pages at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our Greene, Graham (Henry) 1904–: Critical Essay by Julian Symons Access Pass.
