Marling is an American educator and poet whose books include William Carlos Williams and the Painters (1982) and Raymond Chandler (1986). In the following excerpt, Marling presents a detailed analysis of the author's short fiction, emphasizing the allegorical aspects of the stories.

In the following essay, Naremore discusses style, characterization, and themes in the novels of Dashiell Hammett, praising his handling of language and placing his works in historical context.

Hammett Responding to the Rejection of Two Continental Op Stories by Black Mask:

In this excerpt Marcus discusses the philosophical underpinnings of Hammett's work; he also finds that Hammett's protagonists are often involved in a "fiction-making" activity that establishes them as unique figures in the crime fiction genre. For a rebuttal to Marcus's assertions, see Roger Sale's essay dated 1975.

In the following excerpt, Blair offers an overview of Hammett's career, noting many similarities between the works of Hammett and Ernest Hemingway.

Sale is an American educator and the author of several books, including Discussions of the Novel (1960) and Literary Inheritance (1984). The following review provides a response to Steven Marcus's introduction to The Continental Op (see excerpt dated 1974), debating Marcus's assertions about the "fiction-making" activities of the Continental Op. Sale also finds the stories in the collection to be inferior examples of Hammett's talent.

In the following essay, Morris notes similarities between the works of Hammett and those of several other writers who have depicted corruption in society.

In this excerpt from a review of The Big Knockover, Gardner comments on Hammett's literary style and imaginative use of the detective fiction genre.

In the following review of The Novels of Dashiell Hammett, Durham notes the importance of Hammett's short stories and their influence on his novels.

In the following review of The Big Knockover, the critic discusses characterization in the Continental Op stories.

Macdonald, a highly regarded author in the crime fiction genre, was the author of numerous books, including a series of novels featuring private investigator Lew Archer. In the following excerpt, he notes some minor shortcomings of Hammett's fiction, but praises him as an effective and innovative writer.

The chief characteristic of Hammett's stories was the hero, the hard-boiled private eye. The kind of hero who, almost a commonplace until the 1930s, is almost an anachronism in the 1960s. He was not an existentialist, for he made choices and felt responsible for individuals. He was not a nihilist, for although he saw the bottom of life, he did not believe that life was entirely empty, that all men were absurd, that the universe was necessarily indifferent, that death had to be meaningless. He fought ...